daughter was having foot problems doc told her she had carpal tunnel in it ..........................

Do you sew in your feet? Do you wear shoes when sewing? You may need to have a different pair of shoes on when sewing.
Try to notice how you're holding your foot when sewing. Try getting a piece of rubber for shelving and put it under the foot pedal. This may help to hold the pedal and help hold your foot in place. Also if you're heel is hurting, maybe think about getting an office mouse pad that has the cushion for your wrist to help your foot. Another option may be using one of the corn or rice filled heating/cooling packs. You can make one. Make a large square pillow and fill it with rice, corn or beans to cushion the heel of your foot. Moving the pedal. This may also indicate that your chair is not set at the correct height. Do you have a tilt base for your machine? That may help. It would help you sit in the chair differently and may help your foot.

Just a few thoughts about your posting. Good luck with your foot issue and keep us posted as to what you find that helps.

Pam M

My PT tells me that my hip pain and midback pain are quilting related, so I don't know why not, make sure you take breaks at least one an hour, walk around and stretch if possible (that's what I was advised). Also see if you can find stretching exercises that might alleviate some of the strain. Good Luck.

I am sorry your in pain. I have a back problem so back gets me down my side. I wait till I just can't stand it any more then take two excedrin (smile) still want to sew bad huh? :) swelling in ankle is what hurts me... yikes.

Actually, the same thing happened to me yesterday, so I know what you're talking about. Not sure what to do about it though.

Try aspercream. I have similar problems and it seems to help.

Yikes, I feel your pain. I have arthritis in all my joints and have the same problems plus others. Physical therapy, and surgery as a very last resort can help. Other than that, I just have to be very careful not to overdo each day. I take a break and walk around every hour, wiggle my ankles, hands, fingers, etc. I try to stop before my joints start hurting so i can work on my quilts the next day. The not overdoing has taken me years to learn, but it pays off in the long run.

What you may be doing without realizing it is putting your ankle against the chair rung... I do this even if I am at the computer and couldn't figure out what was causing my ankle to hurt... Discovered it one day here at the computer and watched myself at the sewing machine same ankle and same position...

As far as the thumb, of course your thumb will hurt if you did a marathon of hand quilting, trying to finish something, beleive me I know... I try not to hand quilt for more then 2.5 to 3 hours a day... Use the sewing machine and do other things in the morning and read at night...
Hope this helps, have been quilting since 1986...

OH yes! I also get mouse digits and wrist!

Try puting your sewing peddle on a slant. that might help.