Forearms Hurting

[Missemall]

Hi guys

i have been encountering a problem with my arms for the past few months. My forearms are hurting like hell and i have come to the conclusion that it derives from the clay shooting. It started with my left forearm, right below the elbow. The pain lasted for a couple of months and then almost disappeared. However it come back acompanied by the same pain on my right forearm at exeactly the same spot but more acute. It has been another 2 months and the right arm pain has become so bad that i even have difficulty shaking a man's hand properly. Last week i did not even go shooting because of that and it was just the 2nd week i have missed since i started shooting in August. Has anybody encountered the same problem before? Has  anybody heard of, or had any friend with the same problem? I would really appreciate any info that you could possibly give me as i have gone crazy with this sport since day1 and this issue is making it difficult for me to enjoy it.

A little more info that might help:

I have been shooting 100 - 250 shells every week. Having occupied with several sports through my life, i know well that each sport works out different groups of muscles and it takes a while for those muscles to strenghten. I wonder if it was maybe too much and too early to strart shooting 250 shells?

Could it be that i do something wrong and get this outcome? E.g. not holding firmly enough the stock to my shoulder and and my arms get to absorb more recoil than they should? (just another thought)

I am left handed but shoot from the right shoulder as it comes more natural to me and i also have a right dominant eye. In general i am well built and have always been a sportsman, but now in my early 40s i am getting a little bit of a belly

 

[chippy]

I got tennis elbow when  I started shooting 150 shells a week that was about 15 years ago and I've never had it since. I shoot right handed and it was in my right hand, not sure if it was shooting related or a coincidence. 

It could be that your gripping the gun too tightly

 

[Iggy]

Based on my on experience gripping the gun too tightly sounds the likely cause. 

Ive had a couple of bouts of tennis elbow....in the end there wasn’t a lot I could do about it other than wait for it to pass, which it did. 

All the best

 

[Nick Selby]

Hi guys

i have been encountering a problem with my arms for the past few months. My forearms are hurting like hell and i have come to the conclusion that it derives from the clay shooting. It started with my left forearm, right below the elbow. The pain lasted for a couple of months and then almost disappeared. However it come back acompanied by the same pain on my right forearm at exeactly the same spot but more acute. It has been another 2 months and the right arm pain has become so bad that i even have difficulty shaking a man's hand properly. Last week i did not even go shooting because of that and it was just the 2nd week i have missed since i started shooting in August. Has anybody encountered the same problem before? Has  anybody heard of, or had any friend with the same problem? I would really appreciate any info that you could possibly give me as i have gone crazy with this sport since day1 and this issue is making it difficult for me to enjoy it.

A little more info that might help:

I have been shooting 100 - 250 shells every week. Having occupied with several sports through my life, i know well that each sport works out different groups of muscles and it takes a while for those muscles to strenghten. I wonder if it was maybe too much and too early to strart shooting 250 shells?

Could it be that i do something wrong and get this outcome? E.g. not holding firmly enough the stock to my shoulder and and my arms get to absorb more recoil than they should? (just another thought)

I am left handed but shoot from the right shoulder as it comes more natural to me and i also have a right dominant eye. In general i am well built and have always been a sportsman, but now in my early 40s i am getting a little bit of a belly

Sounds like it might be Tennis Elbow.....  Extend your affected arm out straight then with your other hand, place your middle finger on the middle finger of the affected arm.Then try to push down on that finger with unaffected hand whilst resisting with middle finger of affected arm..... if you get pain around the elbow area, you may have tennis elbow.

This can be quite common in shooters starting out (but not exclusively new shooters) as it is a repetitive (often called repetitive strain injury\RSI) problem. You are doing an exercises\movement that you are not used to.

Some people use straps on the forearm but the best thing to do is completing some prescribed exercises for it. Best thing to do is to go to a Physio, get it diagnosed properly and get some specific exercises\treatment prescribed for you. I'm sure many well meaning people will give you advice but always best to seek professional advice....

Hope this helps.

 

[Wonko the Sane]

Some people use straps on the forearm but the best thing to do is completing some prescribed exercises for it. Best thing to do is to go to a Physio, get it diagnosed properly and get some specific exercises\treatment prescribed for you. I'm sure many well meaning people will give you advice but always best to seek professional advice....

Absolutely!  I have no suggestion for remedy but I will say that IMO it is close to impossible to grip the gun too tightly with the back hand.  That hand drives the gun and if it is held loosely good things do not happen.  And as luck would have it , that is not JMO as many really excellent shooters advocate a firm grip for just that reason.

 

[Missemall]

Having been a tennis player for several years when i was young, i was familiar with the tennis elbow although i have never suffered it. However, it has not crossed my mind that it could occur to a shooter and i had never heard about the way to check it. It is a very good trick indeed, thanks a lot Nick!!! And yes, my problem is probably a tennis elbow as when i push the middle finger down, it is killing me.

Wonko the Sane there is no question that i am going to seek professional help. You just dont play with these things .

Thanks a lot guys.

 

[Wonko the Sane]

I can add that I've been aflicted with elbow and shoulder pains for longer than I care to admit.  So often that I know well how to treat them.  But I also know that such injuries can be very specific and I would hesitate to offer up the direction I've received as curative.  I could likely use some professional help of another nature as well but I tend  not to be violent so I've been avoiding that hahaha

Charlie

 

[Nick Selby]

Having been a tennis player for several years when i was young, i was familiar with the tennis elbow although i have never suffered it. However, it has not crossed my mind that it could occur to a shooter and i had never heard about the way to check it. It is a very good trick indeed, thanks a lot Nick!!! And yes, my problem is probably a tennis elbow as when i push the middle finger down, it is killing me.

Wonko the Sane there is no question that i am going to seek professional help. You just dont play with these things .

Thanks a lot guys.

No worries. To give 'Tennis Elbow' its correct term, it is known as Lateral Epicondylitis. This is just a medical term for inflammation around the tendon of the that attaches to the elbow on the outer part. There is also a condition called 'Golfers Elbow', which is known as Medial Epicondylitis (tendon attaches to the inside of the elbow). You don't need to play golf or tennis to get either problem.....

A good physio will be able to sort you out with some exercises\treatment programme. However, it can take some time to rehab...

Best of luck. Nick 

 

[ExSCA]

I've had a couple of bouts of this over time.  One which was very painful in my left arm which meant I struggled to even break the gun after firing shots. 

You've had some good advice here - the only thing I would add is to find a strap/cuff that has TWO pads.  I tried a cheap support from Boots that had a single pad, and while it helped the pain a bit, when I removed the cuff - it got worse. 

Then I bumped into another well-known shooter who had the same problem and they turned me onto a cuff that had two pads, opposite side of the strap which gently squeezed the affected area and gave me some decent pain relief and good support - wore it for a few weeks, and then only when shooting for a month afterwards and I haven't had a problem since.  

I was googling for the brand - and I cannot find it at the moment - I will have a look when I get home this evening. 

 

[Tron]

Does your gun have a recoil device?  It's not uncommon for people to experience wrist and forearm soreness if their gun has a shock absorbing device installed. 

 

[adam-f]

Could the recoil in the gun when fired be causing or increasing the pain?

Maybe try a soft cartridge, I would recommend hull comp x as these are the most comfortable I've found to use through my side by side.

Good luck with finding a solution.

 

[Nick Selby]

Could the recoil in the gun when fired be causing or increasing the pain?

Maybe try a soft cartridge, I would recommend hull comp x as these are the most comfortable I've found to use through my side by side.

Good luck with finding a solution.

unlikely in the elbow. More likely the repetition of opening\closing\holding the gun.

 

[Missemall]

I've had a couple of bouts of this over time.  One which was very painful in my left arm which meant I struggled to even break the gun after firing shots. 

You've had some good advice here - the only thing I would add is to find a strap/cuff that has TWO pads.  I tried a cheap support from Boots that had a single pad, and while it helped the pain a bit, when I removed the cuff - it got worse. 

Then I bumped into another well-known shooter who had the same problem and they turned me onto a cuff that had two pads, opposite side of the strap which gently squeezed the affected area and gave me some decent pain relief and good support - wore it for a few weeks, and then only when shooting for a month afterwards and I haven't had a problem since.  

I was googling for the brand - and I cannot find it at the moment - I will have a look when I get home this evening. 

Yep, same thing. I have difficulty breaking the gun. The gun being almost brand new, is still stiff to break and this makes things even worse. I have ended up using my torso for leverage in order to break it comfortably (without pain. Last Saturday i even had difficulty mounting .

Does your gun have a recoil device?  It's not uncommon for people to experience wrist and forearm soreness if their gun has a shock absorbing device installed. 

No it doesnt. I shoot a B725 S1 and it is as it comes from the factory. It is aquite heavy gun though and maybe that is what caused the injury.

 

[Missemall]

Could the recoil in the gun when fired be causing or increasing the pain?

Maybe try a soft cartridge, I would recommend hull comp x as these are the most comfortable I've found to use through my side by side.

Good luck with finding a solution.

I shoot Gamebore 21gr steel and NSI 21gr lead, depending on the ground i am shooting. The next softer step would be to throw stones at the clays :lol: . I am a new shooter and if i want to be honest, i can not really tell the difference on different shells and loads, apart from the recoil. Since my local ground uses these, i have stuck with them in order to get used to them and take at least one variable out of the equation. They do break all clays though, every time i point my barrels to the right point and press the trigger at the right time :lol: .

 

[adam-f]

I shoot Gamebore 21gr steel and NSI 21gr lead, depending on the ground i am shooting. The next softer step would be to throw stones at the clays :lol: . I am a new shooter and if i want to be honest, i can not really tell the difference on different shells and loads, apart from the recoil. Since my local ground uses these, i have stuck with them in order to get used to them and take at least one variable out of the equation. They do break all clays though, every time i point my barrels to the right point and press the trigger at the right time :lol: .

Some days when I shoot stones would give the same results.

When I first started shooting I pre mounted the gun for all targets and remember it feeling heavy. Nowadays I only pre mount the gun when necessary and never notice the weight when shooting or after.