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Shooters and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

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bkoenig:

--- Quote from: Mali on April 27, 2015, 08:02:28 PM ---As an IT person I am high risk for CTS.  When I started noticing issues with my hands and using a keyboard or mouse I went to my chiropractor and mentioned it to him.  He had me do some stretching exercises that brought a lot of relief and still do to this day.

Grab the tips of your fingers and GENTLY pull the hand back over the wrist until you fell the stretch begin in your wrists.  This will pull the muscles that are tightening and stretch them back out.
Followup with the reverse and flip your arm over and GENTLY pull the hand down until you feel the stretching on the top of the wrist.

Repeat as necessary.

--- End quote ---

I played drums in high school and college - drummers are also at risk for CTS.  We did this exercise as part of our warmup routine every day before practicing.

SemperFiGuy:

--- Quote ---Frankly, I am surprised they even tried Cortizone injections.  Those are nothing more than a temp ( at best ) fix to relieve inflammation.

Once they confirmed pressure on the nerve cluster, I am surprised they didn't recommend ( or maybe they did... ) surgery as, pretty much, the only actual way to relieve the pressure over the long haul, anyway.
--- End quote ---

Cortisone:
Cure from cortisone can be permanent.   Once I had capsulitis in my right deltoid muscle.   The deltoid muscle spasmed into many separate striations about the size of a little finger.    Pain was on about a 10+/10 scale.   I got some insight as to why folks in constant severe pain take very drastic action to get relief.

Shoulder was totally locked up.  Couldn't raise my hand to write on the classroom whiteboard.   Went to a neurologist.   He gave me two cortisone injections, one directly into the deltoid muscle, one into the armpit.  Oweeeeeeeee!   By the time I was putting my shirt back on, the cortisone started working like a miracle drug on steroids.   And the shoulder hasn't let out a peep since.   All that was over two decades ago.  Sometimes cortisone works; sometimes it's only a flash in the pan.

Physician's Recommendation:
He pretty much indicated from the get-go that surgery was a very likely option at the end.  But since the doc and I are both somewhat conservative in our approaches to things, we tried non-invasive approaches first.  Nevertheless, in the end of it all........surgery.

Summary
I'm posting this info here because carpal tunnel syndrome is increasingly prevalent, and it will affect the shooting practices of anyone involved in the shooting sports.   Might be worthwhile to have some local background available in such cases.

And..........I'm wondering what the effect of the impact of several thousand rounds of any-caliber-Bang! on the wrist of the shooting hand might be.  Could be moreso than any effect caused by a computer mouse.

sfg

newfalguy101:
Oh I have had good success with Cortisone in the past as well, 4 shots over the years, although none of mine were effective as quickly as yours.  In most cases I was in pain for one or two days till the carrier fluid was absorbed and the cortisone could go to work.

If I recall correctly, John Taffin of Guns and Ammo and Shooting Times ( and lover of all things BIG BORE handgun ) wrote an article about his journey through CTS surgery..............its been years ago when I saw that, so I could be remembering wrong.

A quick search turned up multiple allusions to said article, but, no links to it...

LeeM:
I know you didn't pick the time for this, but I hope you recover fast and get back to breakin them all, I can see the hundred straights coming soon.

Good luck Ken.

LeeM

SemperFiGuy:

--- Quote ---I know you didn't pick the time for this, but I hope you recover fast and get back to breakin them all, I can see the hundred straights coming soon.

Good luck Ken.
--- End quote ---

My kinda luck:  This condition comes roaring in just when the school year is over and Summer Vacation starts.   I had planned to spend part of every dry day at the trap range and the wet ones at the rifle/pistol range (since it has a covered firing line).

Anyhow, treatment will take 4-6 weeks.  By then, you'll be in Class A, working toward AA.  I'll have a ton of shooting to do to catch up with you.   By then you'll be shooting wobbles and doubles from the 27-yard line.

Thanks,

sfg/Ken

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