TargetTalk

Any Doctors in the house? Wrist injuries from Pistol shooting?

I'm curious to know if anyone knows of any common injuries associated with shooting pistol (free, air, etc…). I know this sounds crazy, but after of years of shooting, repetitive strain, recoil etc… Is their a known history of injuries to the wrist. I'm asking because I have an injury to my wrist that is proving hard to treat and having had an MRI which reveal I had no cysts, cancer, etc… but I did indicate I had some degradation of the ligaments without the obvious sign of an injury. I'm currently taking a topical anti inflammatory (Pennsaid) and waiting to see what happens next. My doctor figures it might be shooting, because the pain is located where I break my wrist in free pistol or air pistol. I appreciate this posting is a long shot, but I am becoming a touch desperate to see get back shooting.

FYI - I have not shot for 6 months, and used a computer sparingly. I don’t have carpu ltunnel,

From your post , you refer to a 'wrist break' for FP and AP shooting.
Dropped wrist and a moderately light hold will , in my view , do very little in the way of harm to the wrist .

Perhaps you need to develop your forearm muscles... by gentle exercises , like squeezing a ball of knitting wool or soft rubber ball , for the forearm muscles control the wrist and hands.

Lighter pistols tend to put less strain on the arm , and it follows; the wrist you can try to reduce the weight of your pistol(s) a little.

Elmas

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I appreciate the reply and have already started to shoot lighter pistol. I have never considered my strength to be an issue and I am a large strong man, but perhaps it warrents looking into.

If you are large boned and do have some developed musculature on the lower arms as well. The problem could be just the opposite and that is you may well be over-gripping the gun ( trying to squeeze the sap out of the wood) due to any "exaggerated over musculature". You are not able to relax the opposing ( relaxing) muscles sufficiently to allow the wrist break to occur and are having to over compensate by pulling downward to offset the relaxation of this set of muscles. This may the source of your pain, I am certain you tried the application of heat and then cold ice bags against the inflamed are (painful) area. I maybe suggested what is called "witches" remedy but this has worked when I coached a football player, pistol genius who had the same complaint from shooting AP & FP and his Pardini SP. He had wrists larger than my biceps. Reading your problem just set the bells off in my head---I hope it may work for you.