Recently I developed a medical condition, believe it or not that is called "trigger finger", which can affect any finger or your thumb as well. Just my luck that it affects my actual trigger finger on my right hand. It seemed to come on suddenly one day, where when bending that finger it momentarily "locked" and then "clicked" as I straightened it. Now it is tender and hurts to try to bend it and I can't even comfortably make a fist. Bending it and straightening it makes it sort of catch and release and is painful. My doc tells me it's tendenitis, cause unknown, and will be helped by rest or splinting. Just try living normally with your right index finger in a splint! Unfortunately its been several weeks and while it does not cause me a lot of pain now, I can't comfortably use this finger and fear that I will have this problem from here on and into the future. I haven't even tried shooting recently since I fear that this will really aggravate the pain in the finger. Helluva problem for someone who enjoys shooting. I wonder if any of you out there have ever had this condition and what you might have done for it. My research on the internet says that in some cases surgery is needed, but from what I hear about hand surgery I am just as likely to end up worse than I started as to have any improvement. Maybe my sport shooting days are over.
Suffering from "trigger finger" in my trigger finger
- Thread starter vito
- Start date
I'm no Dr but see a different Dr. and get another opinion.
My wife got trigger thumb when she fell. Her Dr recommended making it bend as much as possible and endure the pain (to a point of course)
I got it in my middle finger left hand and a few months later its still tender but bending better. My Dr said the same thing as my wifes Dr.
Its like pysical therapy. You have to keep it working and yes there will be some pain. The less bending you do now will mean the less it will be able to bend later.
My wife got trigger thumb when she fell. Her Dr recommended making it bend as much as possible and endure the pain (to a point of course)
I got it in my middle finger left hand and a few months later its still tender but bending better. My Dr said the same thing as my wifes Dr.
Its like pysical therapy. You have to keep it working and yes there will be some pain. The less bending you do now will mean the less it will be able to bend later.
BPowderkeg
Moderator
please sir, do NOT have any surgery !
do not get hasty, see another Dr., i do not like needles but i had a similar problem, my Dr. recommended a cortisone shot, what can it do, i asked, he said it will release the tightness in the joints by assisting more fluid in the knuckles, i had it done, now my hand functions normally. that was nearly 20 years ago !
"individual results may vary"
do not get hasty, see another Dr., i do not like needles but i had a similar problem, my Dr. recommended a cortisone shot, what can it do, i asked, he said it will release the tightness in the joints by assisting more fluid in the knuckles, i had it done, now my hand functions normally. that was nearly 20 years ago !
"individual results may vary"
Do not despair. There are many techniques gunsmiths can employ to keep you shooting.
A friend of mine related a more severe situation which he and his gunsmith resolved.
My friend, a former sniper, lost the fine motor control necessary to accurately pull the trigger. Their solution was to modify a new Marlin 444, the one with the grip safety in the lever. They converted the safety to fire the rifle. Now he simply squeezes the lever with his third and pinky fingers and fires the rifle. With a little bit of work he has achieved the same level of accuracy he had prior to his injury.
A friend of mine related a more severe situation which he and his gunsmith resolved.
My friend, a former sniper, lost the fine motor control necessary to accurately pull the trigger. Their solution was to modify a new Marlin 444, the one with the grip safety in the lever. They converted the safety to fire the rifle. Now he simply squeezes the lever with his third and pinky fingers and fires the rifle. With a little bit of work he has achieved the same level of accuracy he had prior to his injury.
Sheriff Gotcha
New member
Couldn't you just be able to shoot with your off-hand and use the injured hand to support it?...
I know it would take some practice and hard work to achieve the same accuracy you have now, but surely that's better than giving up shooting.
I know it would take some practice and hard work to achieve the same accuracy you have now, but surely that's better than giving up shooting.
i had trigger finger in my trigger finger about 8 years ago
i was blowing snow, and stupid me, i manhandled the blower
rather than letting the motor move the darned thing.....bad move
i didnt realize it 'till the next day, when i noticed that my finger was sore and
"clicking" and locking and took some effort to snap it loose
i waited a couple weeks for it to hopefully go away and it didnt
i went to my doc and he referred me to the orthopedist in town
the surgery was no big deal and the doc did a great job....i had no
worries about it because the whole group of surgeons are top notch
it involved local anesthesia....nerve block into the elbow region, which
numbed the whole arm....then a boat load of local right into the knuckle
i sneaked a peak every once in a while, just to see what is going on
and it wasnt too bad
i guess the tendon is wrapped in a sheath, which constricts, causing
the locking action.....the doc goes in and cuts the sheath, freeing
the tendon to move without resistance.....at first you barely can move
the finger, but after a few weeks/month, it begins to get more pliable,
and it is able to return to the full constriction of the finger to your hand
i would say that if you know the doc is a good one, and has done this
type of stuff, you should go do it
the way to prevent this from happening (if you are still reading....sorry)
is to wear the padded gloves....i use them now to mow the lawn and
snow blow....anything that can jolt your hands.....it has prevented it
from happening again.....luckily....and thanks god
sorry to ramble
i was blowing snow, and stupid me, i manhandled the blower
rather than letting the motor move the darned thing.....bad move
i didnt realize it 'till the next day, when i noticed that my finger was sore and
"clicking" and locking and took some effort to snap it loose
i waited a couple weeks for it to hopefully go away and it didnt
i went to my doc and he referred me to the orthopedist in town
the surgery was no big deal and the doc did a great job....i had no
worries about it because the whole group of surgeons are top notch
it involved local anesthesia....nerve block into the elbow region, which
numbed the whole arm....then a boat load of local right into the knuckle
i sneaked a peak every once in a while, just to see what is going on
and it wasnt too bad
i guess the tendon is wrapped in a sheath, which constricts, causing
the locking action.....the doc goes in and cuts the sheath, freeing
the tendon to move without resistance.....at first you barely can move
the finger, but after a few weeks/month, it begins to get more pliable,
and it is able to return to the full constriction of the finger to your hand
i would say that if you know the doc is a good one, and has done this
type of stuff, you should go do it
the way to prevent this from happening (if you are still reading....sorry)
is to wear the padded gloves....i use them now to mow the lawn and
snow blow....anything that can jolt your hands.....it has prevented it
from happening again.....luckily....and thanks god
sorry to ramble
Can't tell you a thing about the medical side.
But your shooting days aren't over. It's just time to learn how to shoot well with your non-dominant hand. That's a skillset that will serve you well in any case -- though it's better to develop that skill before you need to, it's still doable when your dominant hand is out of commission.
And it's kind of fun to have a second chance at avoiding bad habits!
pax
But your shooting days aren't over. It's just time to learn how to shoot well with your non-dominant hand. That's a skillset that will serve you well in any case -- though it's better to develop that skill before you need to, it's still doable when your dominant hand is out of commission.
And it's kind of fun to have a second chance at avoiding bad habits!
pax
Haven't had this medical issue, but some years ago I developed a cataract in my (dominant) left eye. I'm also left-handed and had been a left-handed shooter for all my life. Since that no longer worked so well, I switched to right-hand shooting, and eventually got nearly as good as ever. Just a few weeks ago I had surgery to remove the left-eye cataract, so now I can shoot about equally well with either hand/eye -- I go to the range and switch back and forth.
I truly appreciate all of the good advice offered here. I have made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon and in the meantime I am using the finger, rather than trying to baby it. I also plan on trying shooting with my left hand. Its great to have this forum where those of us who enjoy the shooting sports can share our experiences and knowledge. Again, thanks to all who replied.
Redhawk5.5+P+
New member
Maybe shoot with you middle finger. Sorry if somebody already said that.
g.willikers
New member
What, you're going to let one little finger put the skids on you?
Pshaw!
You have more than one finger on each hand, you know.
And plenty of those other ones work for shooting just fine.
And you can't switch from right to left handed shooting, at will?
For both handguns and long guns?
You just never know when that will be needed, in a real big hurry.
Quitcher whining and get yer butt to the range and practice what's needed.
And to get your mind off of your sore finger, give your big toe a whack with a hammer, before you go.
Pshaw!
You have more than one finger on each hand, you know.
And plenty of those other ones work for shooting just fine.
And you can't switch from right to left handed shooting, at will?
For both handguns and long guns?
You just never know when that will be needed, in a real big hurry.
Quitcher whining and get yer butt to the range and practice what's needed.
And to get your mind off of your sore finger, give your big toe a whack with a hammer, before you go.
I shoot compound bows and long guns left handed and shoot handguns with either hand or both hands. I had trigger finger in the middle finger of my left hand; it seemed to snap into a bend. My hand specialist/surgeon told me a steroid shot in the hand would be painful but would solve the problem, although that solution would not necessarily be permanent. I elected to have him perform the surgery and I am very glad I did. He had previously done double surgeries on both hands for both carpal tunnel release and thumb joint reconstruction. Now all I need is a permanent cure for osteoarthritis in both hands and wrists.