Shooter's Elbow.

[DS]

I have been suffering from shooter's elbow for a while and found the following articles and links very informative and helpful.

I implemented some of the stuff before I read these articles and viewed the clips but I found more info that is valuable from these sources.

http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=14787

http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=14796

http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=14800

https://www.absolutept.com/shooters-elbow/

[uBestRi]

Many thanks

[Proudprado]

I have been suffering from shooter's elbow for a while and found the following articles and links very informative and helpful.

You are getting old.

[burger]

I sometimes suffer from what I would call "reloader's elbow". It is similar, but not so much a result of shooting. I suspect my press is mounted too low, placing more stress on the elbow. When I set up my dedicated reloading room, I want to see if I can find a more optimal mounting height.

[G-force]

I also had reloaders elbow from my Dillon 650 at one stage.A few sessions with acupuncture needles and a machine that sends impulses into the needles sorted that out.

[Chrisvw]

You get "shooters elbow" from hogging all the ammo and not sharing

[DS]

It's actually not from hoarding but shooting the ammo that it happens.

[M1]

I have shooters little-finger from the days of metallic silhouette shooting with my Ruger .44 Mag and using standard grips. Those loads for the rams at 200m were not fun after 50 rounds.

[AshleyR]

The first 3 links have since been removed from modernserviceweapons.com, so here's archived copies.

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ELBOW ISSUES FOR SHOOTERS, PART 1: THE PROBLEM
BY HILTON YAM | POSTED ON 03/16/2015 BY HILTON YAM


Receiving ultrasound therapy.

Readers of this blog have likely seen my references to chronic elbow pain over the last several years. I am creeping up on my fourth decade of shooting, and the mileage has not been kind to me. Many of my peers who are shooters, trainers, or armed professionals have also reported a bout of elbow pain at some point or another. In this 3 part article series, I wanted to detail my trials and tribulations with elbow pain, and how I have been trying to address it.

Before I delve into the topic, I feel that it is important in this day and age to clearly provide a disclaimer that I am NOT a medical professional, healthcare provider, nor have I even stayed in a Holiday Inn Express recently. What I am sharing is the result of my own extended anecdotal experience and the research that I have put into the issue over the years.

The doctors and my physical therapist describe my issue as bilateral medial and lateral epicondylitis, which refers to having “tennis” and “golfer” elbow in both arms. I have not played either sport to any degree, and prefer instead to just simply refer to the issue as elbow tendonitis. The pain has been on the inside and outside of both elbows, and has varied in severity over the years. In this opening installment of the series, I want to talk briefly about how I got here. In the next two installments I will talk about methods of addressing the problem and the tools you can use.

I suppose it is pretty obvious that my elbow issues were brought on by a volume of shooting which the casual shooter is unlikely to ever experience. Just going back the last 15 years or so, I have shot no fewer than 10-15,000 rounds per year, mostly through steel frame 1911s with full power 230 grain ball. During my peak, I shot over 30,000 rounds per year, which included a lot of carbine shooting as well as a rigorous PT regimen. It is well documented that tendonitis is brought on by overuse as well as deficiencies in the muscle and tendon structure – either weakness or imbalance. I know that the combination of all of the gripping and flexion pretty much wore me out. Competition shooters and professional trainers with whom I am acquainted, all of whom have similar or even greater round counts under their gun belts, report similar issues.

Dry practice also creates its own wear and tear, as the gripping and forearm exertion are very similar to what you experience during live fire. The overall repetitions and their relative intensity have been the biggest contributors to my damage. This was easy to figure out during a period when my elbows were so inflamed that merely opening and closing my hands elicited some pain. Doing dry reps with an empty Glock created less pain than with a loaded 1911 with a mounted light, and gripping firmly hurt more than gripping lightly. This discovery led me to start working more with the Glock and M&P in 9mm, which helped some, but the need to grip the pistol firmly for effective rapid fire negated a lot of the theoretical benefit of the 9mm and lighter weight.

I have been through several periods of physical therapy and also had a cortisone shot in my right elbow. The physical therapy included a variety of modalities: eccentric exercises, massage, ice, ultrasound, stretching, traditional strength building exercises, fascial scraping (Graston), and plain old rest for weeks at a time. Each bout of therapy got me feeling pretty good, but never last long.

In the next article, I’ll talk about some resources I found which helped me on the long and slow road to recovery.

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ELBOW ISSUES FOR SHOOTERS, PART 2: EXERCISES AND RESOURCES
BY HILTON YAM | POSTED ON 03/18/2015 BY HILTON YAM


Neoprene elbow brace in action during a Mac class last year.

In my last article, I outlined a bit about my battle with the issue of elbow tendonitis. I will again caveat that I am not a medical professional nor do I play one on TV, and am only sharing my own personal experiences. During the last several years I had tried just about everything for my elbows - cortisone, physical therapy to include eccentric exercises, massage, ice, ultrasound, stretching, traditional strength building exercises, fascial scraping (Graston), and rest. The only common modality I had not tried was acupuncture, only because none of my health practitioners referred me to it. All of the attempted treatments worked acceptably until it came time to do those extreme activities such as opening or closing my hands and bending or extending my arms. As long as I avoided those movements, my elbows felt ok.

During a Steve Anderson pistol class last summer, Steve referred me to the work of the physical therapist of Rob Leatham. I figured it this guy worked on The Great One, then clearly he must be on to something. You need to check out this article by Chad Reilly, CLICK HERE, as it was a watershed moment for me. To sum it up simply, Chad’s method focuses primarily on tendon strengthening above all else. In short, our tendons are not up to the task and become irritated. To make them quiet down, we make them stronger. To cut to the chase, simply doing these exercises got my left elbow to 95% of normal, and my right elbow back to about 75% or better. While the prognosis for my right elbow doesn’t sound that impressive, consider that it was 75% WITH activity which previously was not at all pleasant. On good days, the elbow has been as good as 90%, but some pain still lingers.

Chad’s approach is a good foundation, and our own reader Jess Banda shared his program which also focuses on grip strength and health. Check out his program HERE. This program adds in some rotational movements not addressed in Chad’s exercises.

The time you spend on the linked resources will be extremely worthwhile if you have not incorporated any strengthening exercises into your program. It made significant progress for me after running into failure so many other times. In my next article I will address some of the other tools that I have used to help develop and maintain elbow health.

Links:

Shooter’s Elbow article by Chad Reilly

Grip Volume 1 video by Jess Banda

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ELBOW ISSUES FOR SHOOTERS, PART 3: TOOLS
BY HILTON YAM | POSTED ON 03/20/2015 BY HILTON YAM


Voodoo Floss bands and lacrosse balls for mobility self therapy

Before I launch into the final installment of elbow issues for shooters, I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to all those emailed and posted with suggestions for healing and their well wishes. I apologize for not being able to respond to all of the posts and emails, but I definitely take note of all of the advice which has been offered. This last article (for now, anyway) will go over some of the tools which I use to assist in self therapy.

The first important piece of kit for elbow pain management is a simple neoprene sleeve such as the one seen in the pic from the last article. A neoprene wrap does not inhibit mobility and helps keep the joint compressed and warm during activity. I typically wear one when I am shooting or handling firearms for any period of time. I have had better luck with this type of wrap than those pressure pad style bands which wrap around the forearm and stick a small gel pad on a theoretical problem spot on the arm. I have seen this work for some buddies, but the gel pad only provides a localized effect and does not help the rest of the joint. I found mine a waste of time and ended up throwing it away.

The next item has been an absolute game changer, and I must thank my long time friend Jeff Gonzales from Trident Concepts for turning me on to Voodoo Floss. I have included several links below for resources from Dr. Kelly Starrett, who is a key proponent of the Voodoo Floss bands. These elastic rubber bands are used to wrap and compress the problem joint. After wrapping, work the joint through the full range of motion, then remove the band. The combination of wrapping/compression, movement, and the rush of blood flow to the joint area has a restorative effect on range of movement and function. I had gotten to a plateau using just the strength development regimen from the previous article, and actually seemed to be regressing a bit when I attempted to PT hard in conjunction with the strength exercises. Adding in a daily pre-workout regimen with the Voodoo Floss, which I am able to do alone in about 5 minutes, has boosted my joint function and reduced the pain significantly. While I am not pain free, I can say with certainty that Voodoo Floss alone has done more for my elbow issues than all of other other modalities combined.

In addition to the Voodoo Floss, my daily joint therapy kit includes a pair of lacrosse balls. After flossing, I lay one ball on the ground, put my forearm on it, then press the other ball directly over the first ball, basically sandwiching the tight area of my forearm between the two lacrosse balls. This has been a very effective way to massage the forearms, and gets deeper than the foam roller I previously used.


ArmAid with optional orange massage ball installed.

A local LEO whom I’d met a several classes turned me onto the final secret weapon in my elbow therapy arsenal, the ArmAid. This nutcracker looking device allows you to stick your arm through the center of it and use your other hand to close the arms and provide pressure for massaging your forearm. It allows attachment of various rollers, and I use the orange deep tissue roller ball which provides good results. I use this device to provide additional relief after workouts or other elbow aggravating activity.

As caveated before, I am not a physical therapist, but I have been down this long road and hope that sharing my pain will help readers get a better handle on theirs. I have often been asked what I might have done differently to prevent all of the problems that I have now. I would suggest adding strengthening and mobility work into your training regimen in order to improve and prolong your time behind the gun or in the gym. Your elbows will thank you!

Links:

Youtube: Dr. Kelly Starrett explaining Voodoo Floss

Voodoo Floss at Rogue Fitness, with Youtube link to Kelly Starrett fixing a sore elbow

ArmAid

[PCfanatic]

I also have this problem. I thought its called a tennis elbow and not a shooters elbow. I am lucky in the sense that no amount of shooting is uncomfortable. The only time it bothers me is if I slept a way on my arm that it did not like. sometimes it will also be there a while after I did some weight training. But then the irritation can dissapear just as fast as it appeared. Sometimes I wonder if I really have this condition, or just perhaps a tendon or something that gets pinched.