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From: Sancin
Date: 09-19-2006, 02:38 AM (1 of 10)
From being on this forum for awhile I know a number of you have arthritis. Does anyone have any hints for positioning or use of props when sewing? One of my arthritic knees has been VERY sore for quite awhile (get more xray results tomorrow) and the other knee is tender. I find sitting is almost as bad as walking. I have adapted the height of my sewing table so my back is comfortable and usually my feet, but knee discomfort limits the time I can sit. I have so much sewing and quilting to do and I want to do it!! 
*~*~*~* Nancy*~*~*~* " I try to take one day at a time - but sometimes several days attack me at once."
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User: Sancin
Member since: 02-13-2005 Total posts: 895 
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From: DorothyL
Date: 09-19-2006, 08:32 AM (2 of 10)
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I like chairs that are higher than usual. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: woodywoodpecker
Date: 09-19-2006, 09:00 AM (3 of 10)
| Sometimes when my knees hurt when I sew, I heat up my wheat bag and drape it over my knees to warm them up. It seems when they are warmer they don't hurt as much. You can make your wheat bag in any shape you want and attach it with velcro around your knee(s). |
User: woodywoodpecker
Member since: 11-07-2003 Total posts: 242 |
From: Bekka
Date: 09-19-2006, 09:41 AM (4 of 10)
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Woodywoodpecker, I have made rice bags for my girls to heat up in the microwave. I like them except the smell of the hot rice and it is a moist heat. Is it the same with wheat? I need to make more bags but don't want to end up using them as door stops instead. Bekka Bekka
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User: Bekka
Member since: 07-28-2006 Total posts: 79 |
From: plrlegal
Date: 09-19-2006, 09:10 PM (5 of 10)
Bekka go to Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreen's, etc. and buy a bottle or tube of Asper Creme. I swear by it as I have bursitis in my left hip all the time and sitting gets very uncomfortable for me also if I don't use the Asper Creme and take Naproxen. Of course, I sit all day long at a keyboard preparing legal documents and letters for 17 attorneys. But seriously, I also use the Asper Creme on my hands as they are beginning to show signs of wear and tear from typing and running a computer for the last 30+ years on a daily basis (8 hours + a day. I use my rice bag every night when I go to bed, as it really helps the hip pain once I'm lying down and off of the hip. I tell you what gals and guys, getting older is certainly not for the faint of heart or for those who have very low pain tolerance.  Patsy Patsy
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User: plrlegal
Member since: 05-19-2001 Total posts: 318 |
From: woodywoodpecker
Date: 09-19-2006, 10:50 PM (6 of 10)
Bekka, yes the wheat smells at first but later on it must have went away or I don't notice it anymore. Actually I think it got dried out enough after being used so many times that there is no moisture left in it for anything to smell.
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User: woodywoodpecker
Member since: 11-07-2003 Total posts: 242 |
From: moon
Date: 09-20-2006, 01:19 AM (7 of 10)
| I try to keep my legs straight when i'm sewing.If I bend my knees I get so stiff its hard to get out of the chair.I bought a large chair,the type used in offices. That seems to help some. I have used the heat for knees. Geting older is NOT for sissies!Sometimes I just have to get up every hour to walk around.I also take anti-inflammatory medication my Doctor prescribed.Wish I had some better suggestions to offfer.! |
User: moon
Member since: 07-10-2006 Total posts: 16 |
From: DorothyL
Date: 09-20-2006, 08:42 AM (8 of 10)
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Wow, I'm not the only one!! Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: LeapFrog Libby
Date: 09-21-2006, 08:48 PM (9 of 10)
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Prop your feet up ! ! ! Use a wooden crate if you cannot find anything else... You will be amazed how much longer you can sew in comfort ! ! !
Sew With Love
Libby |
User: LeapFrog Libby
Member since: 05-01-2002 Total posts: 2022 
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From: Sancin
Date: 09-22-2006, 04:25 AM (10 of 10)
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Thanks for all the suggestions I am on Voltarin all the time supplemented with tylenol and do use various rubs and heat and cold. My Doctor is a medical school teacher and thus I see a lot of students and residents. One day one of them asked me if I had tried heat or cold. I told her I had every shape, size and type available ... and I do and I use them all. My favourite is a cherry pit filled bag as it is light weight but it doesn't hold the heat for very long. FYI - I made something like a small back pack that I tie on with straps that I use for hot or cold gel packs when my upper back is sore and I am sewing. My knees do feel better when straight, although sometimes they can be too straight if not supported. And Moon, I agree that getting out of the chair can be really hard. I find my body tells me to get and move every hour - almost like an automatic drive. Lately I have had to use a cane occasionally due to flare up. I use it primarily for balance, but do find it easier to get up of a chair when I put my weight on it. How I wish it would help getting up from the few times I have go down onto the floor! It is a good thing no one is around with a video camera when that happens! I have wondered about a box or some such thing for my sewing machine pedal. I have a slanted office stool under my computer and was wondering if I should get one for my sewing table and put something on it to keep the pedal on. Again, thanks to all .... and God bless all our achy joints. 
*~*~*~* Nancy*~*~*~* " I try to take one day at a time - but sometimes several days attack me at once."
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User: Sancin
Member since: 02-13-2005 Total posts: 895
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