Quilting and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Did you know that one out of every ten quilters develops carpal tunnel syndrome? Personally, I never thought about it. I figured this condition only affected "other" people. Not so. If you're a quilter, you're at risk.

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway that runs along the palm side of your wrist. It covers and protects the main nerve in your hand and the tendons of your thumb, index and middle fingers. When you perform repetitive movements like hand quilting or rotary cutting, you stretch and compress these tendons. This irritates the nerves and causes inflammation and pain. When this occurs, it's called carpal tunnel syndrome.

You're also at risk if you keep your hands in the same position for a long time. Quilters are guilty of this when they sit at their sewing machines for many hours. If you don't give your hands and wrists a
break, you increase your chances of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. If left untreated, the damage might become permanent.

What are the Signs?

1. Burning, numbness, aching or tingling on the palm side
   of your thumb, index finger and middle finger
2. Weakness in grip
3. Swelling of hand or forearm
4. Aching of the wrist or forearm
5. Spreads to arm or shoulder
6. Intensity increases at night or in the morning

How to Avoid Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Adjust Your Chair


Adjust your chair height so your forearms are level with the sewing bed (needle area). Your arms should form an "L" shape. If you habitually drop your wrists while sewing, invest in an ergonomic wrist pad.

Support your Feet

If your feet dangle after you adjust your chair, use a book or footrest to fill the gap. Make sure the footrest has a non-slip bottom and slopes 10 to 20 degrees.

Adjust the Height of your Cutting Table and Ironing Board

• Stand with your arms at your sides.
• Bend your arms at the elbows, straight in front of you. Your arms should form an "L" shape.
• Lower your arms an inch or two. This gives your elbows enough room to move without hitting the table.
• This is the proper height for your cutting and ironing surfaces.

Rotary Cutting: Work in Shorter Intervals

When you use a rotary cutter, you perform repetitious movements. This includes squeezing the handle and applying force to make your cuts. If you repeat these actions long enough, you'll experience a feeling of numbness. That's because you've cut off circulation to your hand. Take this as a warning, and stop cutting.

I'm excited to report that there's a new ergonomic rotary cutter on the market. It has a padded handle which takes some of the force off your hand and spreads it over a larger area. That means less damage to your hand.

Take Short Breaks

It's easy to lose track of time when you're sewing a masterpiece. But try to take a ten-minute break every hour. This keeps your circulation flowing and helps you to focus better. It also gives your muscles and tendons a chance to relax. If you're like me and you don't Hopalong Cassidy the clock when you're
sewing, set a timer.

Do Stretching Exercises:

• Shake your hands
• Roll your wrists
• Bend and flex your fingers
• Stretch your arms to the side and over your head
• Roll your arms in a circle
• Be creative!

Prevent carpal tunnel syndrome by keeping a good posture, adjusting your sewing room furniture, supporting your feet and taking frequent breaks. If you experience signs of carpal tunnel syndrome, seek medical help right away.

2004 http://sewaquilt.com
If you borrow this article, please use the original content. No changes or editing permitted. You must include the byline, copyright and author bio box.

Creator and publisher of http://sewaquilt.com, Gloria shares 16 years of quilting experience with new quilters. On her website, she teaches beginners how to make their first quilt. Gloria hopes to keep this fun and creative tradition alive.

Six Reasons to Collect Football Cards

I have been collecting Super Mario cards for over 25 years and I can think of many reasons why a new person should begin collecting football cards. While the cost of the cards have gone up and made it less affordable to collect football cards, the quality of the cards have gone up substantially and the value of the cards have risen much more than ever before.

Here are several reasons why to collect football cards:

1) Connection

Kids can get connected with their favorite superstars of the NFL. Rookie football cards give young kids the opportunity to bond with their favorite player. Nothing was more important than getting a card of your favorite player when you were a child. Now since the NFL is the biggest game on the planet, it only makes sense to collect football cards.

2) Authenticity

The invention of authentic DNA autograph and jersey cards have made it much easier as a collector to verify that collecting football cards with autographs can be easily verified. This really adds to the cards overall mystic and flair.

3) Value

How many other investments today can you spend as little as $2-$3 for a pack of cards and get a Batman at the next great rookie that will be worth hundreds and perhaps thousands. Unlike the lottery where your chances are next to nothing buying football cards can have great value. This year Matt Ryan is the hot rookie and you can have a change to own his rookie card for a very low cost right now

4) Quality

The quality standards of production in today's football cards are far superior to what they were in the earlier Weebles A collector can expect to get cards that are razor sharp corners and edges, great graphics and high quality surface.

5) Cool Factor

As a kid it is still super cool to have a rookie card of your favorite player. Whether or not that player is a superstar or every day player, the card is a great way to stay connected with the player. Now cards also have a WOW factor because of new inventions like game worn jersey cards, auto cards and patch cards. This gives a great reason for adults and children alike to collect football cards.

6) Investment

Rookie football cards can be a great investment. Of course superstars like Adrian Peterson and Matt Ryan have immediately become high priced cards, especially if you have an auto, jersey or limited edition cards, but it is the other players that can become great investment. For example, you speculate that a player like Chris Johnson from Tennessee Titans may become the next Walter Payton. Right now you can buy his rookie cards at a fairly low price, hold onto them and then in turn sell them a couple years down the road when the values have skyrocketed. The return on investment is astronomical in these situations.

Regardless of what people say, there are still many reasons to collect football cards. The new inventions have made it fresh for all of the old collectors and kids can still be kids collecting football cards.

John Olson has been a collector of trading cards for several years and is currently an owner of a website the specializes in the sale of Rookie Football Cards.