Does anybody have any remedies for hand and finger pain? I have been doing a lot more hand quilting lately, and have found that my fingers have been sore across my knuckles, they've been stiff, and my range of motion is limited. It kind of stinks, because the quilting bug has really been biting me lately

I've tried all kinds of things over the years - asprin, heat, parafin dips, sleeping in gloves with Vicks on my hands. Nothing works 100% of the time for me.

Try soaking your hands in rubbing alcohol, it takes the pain and stiffness out!

I've suffered with this in the past, too. It always seems to happen when you're hot to finish a quilt. Unfortunately, the thing that works best for me is just to rest my hands. Sometimes I wear a wrist brace at night.

if you're quilting on a frame or hoop with stand, try John James Twin Pointed Stab Stitch needles. the eye is in the middle of the shaft and there's a very sharp point on each end. it takes practice and you need good light in the work area. if you master the technique, though, it's much easier on the wrists and hands. you don't even need a thimble. it's also much easier to work around curves; change directions; etc. you'll need to buy extras when first learning because the needles are fragile. you'll probably break a few while you learn. instructions are on the back of the pack.

Hancock's of Paducah seems to offer the best price for them:
http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/Item--i-JJ-620-DE

There are therapudic gloves to wear , they leave the fingers bare. I have seen them in some of the old magazines I have. I will see if I can find them

http://www.quiltersreview.com/article.asp?article=/review/product/010813_a.asp

you can find more by typing in qlove for hand quilting............google

I'm a dental hygienist and for years I've been taking a sublingual B-12, B-6 and folic acid.

I don't have tendinitis or carpal tunnel.

B vitamins nourish the nerves.

I hope that this helps!

because i've been shackled to keyboards for years, i've learned that the best way to deal with wrist pain is to prevent it. (for example, even though i'm right handed, i trained myself to use my left hand for the mouse. since i started that more than 10 years ago, i almost never have problems with pain in my hands, wrists or arms. i'm still looking for a cure for the pains in the neck and posterior regions, though. :lol: )

the double-pointed needles do take practice but, once you master the technique, there's very little wrist twisting involved so there's no pain to fix. :mrgreen:

When I used to sew and quilt a lot, a few months ago my hands would get stiff and sore to the point where I'd have to quit and rest. I remember massaging them and soaking them in epsom salts....the epsom salts seemed to help a little with the soreness.