Tennis elbow and handguns.

[Mastrogiacomo]

I had a tough year with a number of mobility related issues. First time and my life which I hope won't be repeated as it was positively painful and a very long recovery from which I'm still not 100%. After a year of going through the employee entrance at my work, I now have tennis elbow on my left arm thanks to the door weighing a ton and not working from the outside. It's painful to rack a gun now and most of my guns are pistols. Two are 40 oz revolvers and one is the DAO SP101. I find the heavier revolvers to be hard to hold now too and irritate my left arm.

What are some options for self defense short of pepper spray or stun guns? I have the start of arthritis in my hands so I hate light weight guns like the 442 and LCR revolver. Suggestions?

Laura

[Aguila Blanca]

S&W Shield EZ.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/mp-shield-ez-0

Designed expressly to have a slide that's easy to rack, hence the name. Available in 9mm or .380 ACP (the other 9mm).

[Jim Watson]

How are you with the SP 101?

A not-too-small recoil operated automatic in .380 or 9mm has less felt recoil to me than a revolver of similar size and power.

Remember, you only have to rack the slide once per shooting session. Once you wrestle the slide back the first time to get loaded, you will either be shooting, paused and on safe, or empty with the slide locked open.

For carry, clean it, load it, and leave it ready. I do not understand the habit of daily manipulating the pistol. My house and carry guns stay loaded until the occasional practice and clean.

[Mastrogiacomo]

I shoot .38's through the SP and and larger revolvers. I do have a .380 Cheetah but it's a blow back and not the easiest to use. I really haven't considered the EZ models and I'm not sure how easy it'll be to find ammo in .380 either or a 9mm for that matter. I'm sure I'll heal at some point but this has been a real PIA. Recoil wise, I really don't know. I have a mother in hospice care now and a father about to get a pace maker and I'm caring for both so I haven't been to the range this year at all since I was hit with medical issues in November of last year. I'm right handed and the pain is in my left arm.

[44caliberkid]

I have Magnum elbow, carpal tunnel, tendinitis, Dupychen's Contracture (the John Elway hand thing) hard to squeeze my right hand together, and a bad right shoulder. I still managed to get by fine till this spring. Turned 65 this year. Finding it hard to grip the gun and not start shaking, especially when manipulating the trigger. I'm a die hard handgunner and this is going to be problematic. Fortunately, I'm somewhat ambidextrous, so switching to left hand should get me through a few more years.

[Sarge]

Sorry to hear of your challenges. I've had a few wrecks myself over the years (rebuilt right shoulder, upper bicep and knee) so I get the 'easing back into it' as well as having to grit my teeth to do tasks that were easy before. In my case, age also a factor.

You mentioned disliking lightweight 38s and I'm wondering if you've tried target wadcutters though them? I'm real familiar with a couple of defense shootings with those and you could do a lot worse for a defense load. They are about as light recoiling a 38 load as you're going to find and just might make a 642 work for you. Grips that fit you and dissipate recoil are going to help a bunch.

[Bill DeShivs]

First- go to your doctor and get a cortisone shot in the elbow!

[pete2]

The 9MM EZ is a good handgun, mine shoots low but would do for a self defense gun unless you need to punch a rattler in the head.

[Mastrogiacomo]

I'm curious if there are any revolvers that might work? I do like revolvers too despite that I don't have many.

[105kw]

I've got damage and arthritis in both hands, right elbow, and a rebuilt shoulder.
I can handle a 4in K frame S&W 38 special, at about 32oz, with standard velocity stuff, with few problems.
If you know anybody with one, try a Model 12 airweight K frame with wad cutters. It's a fairly low recoil for weight option.
Good luck, keep shooting.

[Carl the Floor Walker]

Originally Posted by Bill DeShivs

First- go to your doctor and get a cortisone shot in the elbow!

I would go to the Doctor and perhaps find the cause of the pain and/or advice for physical therapy. (if you have not already been) The elbow may have to be immobilized to some degree for healing. I would not get a cortisone shot. That is a short term solution that can cause more harm than benefit. It will just mask the Pain. And Pain should not be masked. It also destroy's the tissue.

What ever the case, I would NOT do anything that causes pain. It will just make it worst. I had a similar issue with shooting my shotguns and my wrist. I resorted to putting a forearm grip extension on one of my shotguns to continue training. I would rest the wrist as much as possible. Warm up the tissue before any activity and always use ICE packs to decrease or stop any inflammation and took OTC inflammatory Ibuprofen . It took a few months but healed just fine.
I also have arthritis in my off hand thumb joint. Any signs of it flaring up and I immediately will put a brace on it and start using ICE therapy.

[Pistoler0]

Mastrogiacomo,

what I did to combat my bad case of tennis elbow, which wouldn't go away after resting, ice packs, etc:

1) finger extension exercises, opening the fingers of the hand: I used these stretcher bands for resistance:
Hand exerciser, finger stretcher

[Note to Carl: this one and rubber ball squeezes seem to help my thumb joint arthritis pain, which I also have.]

2) wrist rotation exercises, I used this cyclinder for resistance:
TheraBand flex wrist resistance band. Watch the videos to see how this exercise works.

I did the exercises above while watching tv, and they completely cured MY tennis elbow. It is gone.

As far as supplements, Omega 3 fish oil, Vitamins D and K2-MK7 and curcumin (a spice) seem to help staving off arthritis quite a bit. (Vitamin K2 must be MK7 or MK4 variants).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18484089/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23124653/

Some recommend glucosamin and chondroitin, but I don't think they helped in my case. Vits D and K2-MK7 definitely did.

The exercises gave me noticeable relief in days, specially the first one (finger stretches). The supplements, if they work, are more of a long term thing.

Hopefully this helps you.

PM me if you wish, and best of luck, don't despair.

[Mastrogiacomo]

Thank you for the advice. I've been doing some of those things and alternating between heat and ice. When I first had trouble I went to urgent care, then my primary gave me an x ray, finally saw me when I was still in agony and I had no reflex on my left leg. I had an MRI. She did give me only five days of Vicodin but nothing more. When I asked her for a suppository because I got sick the afternoon of the MRI, she told me to go to the ER. I could just see myself incurring a huge ER bill and being next to folks with serious conditions - all that because my primary was too scared to give me a pill. I do plan to find a better doctor at some point....

I was diagnosed as having a slightly bulging disk, Stenosis of the Spine, bursitis of the hip and Sciatica. I was literally in agony for months. I saw three doctors in total and had a cortisone shot in the hip - you can imagine the medical expenses. I was about to start my second month of PT when my mother went into the hospital so I cancelled to be with her. My Dad goes into the hospital for the pace maker Wednesday of this week. I literally don't have the money or time to do the x-ray/MRI, shot and PT, so I hope to mend at home and unfortunately, tennis elbow is slow to heal.

If all goes well with my Dad, I may join Tai Chi nearby as it's once a week for an hour and it's more do-able that PT twice a week for 20 minutes. I also bought a brace for my left arm that helps somewhat. Thanks for all the advice people.

[stinkeypete]

Stretching and doing the exercises your PT explains will help. Most people don’t follow through. Time.

You just can’t beat having a dog for security. Our Labrador is the sweetest happiest most fun loving dog. He’s a hunting rock star. If you come anywhere near the house, he barks like a kennel full of angry pit bulls. I wish he would tone that back, but when I leave him with my wife, or she is out walking, I don’t worry about them one bit.

Other advantages are the dog gets me out walking, and the disruption to orderly life to keep me amused and not too fussy about little things.

In the firearms area, .22s are not a joke. Small, light, low recoil. I would not want to be on the wrong end of a Ruger LCRx in .327, even with .32 Longs in it. Thumb the hammer back, if needed.

I’m also a fan of .380. When silly prices go down, another .380 might be in my gun safe, maybe the .380 ez.

I don’t feel unsafe, but I am happy around my dog. It just happens he keeps cats, squirrels and possums out of the yard. No one is messing with a dog in the night.

[Mastrogiacomo]

I'm right with you with the dog but we're in a condo and my parents don't physically have it anymore for going for walks and taking the animal outside. I work, so during overtime season, I'm gone from 5:30 AM until 7 PM. It's just not fair to the dog. If I ever move out, this is my plan, but I want to live somewhere that's got the room for the animal, and maybe I'll be in a job or a situation where it's possible. I do miss having a dog in my life.

[Bill DeShivs]

A steroid shot won't destroy tissue. It's the first line of healing tendinitis, along with oral NSAIDS.
Most people are cleared up within weeks of the shot, and don't have any more problems.

[Carl the Floor Walker]

Originally Posted by Bill DeShivs

A steroid shot won't destroy tissue. It's the first line of healing tendinitis, along with oral NSAIDS.
Most people are cleared up within weeks of the shot, and don't have any more problems.

Saw so many repetitive injuries as a Running coach. I personally would never in at least in the vast amount of injuries recommend a cortisone injection. I have seen too many bad effects from them. If you take them then do so at your own risk, but many Doctors will advise against it.

Tendon Injury

"Cortisone injections can weaken nearby tendons and make them more prone to tearing.5 Because of this risk, physicians take precautions to avoid placing a cortisone injection in or directly next to a tendon.



Any injury takes time to heal. Steriod injections can in some cases reduce inflammation, but again. Go to natural remedies. I will NOT take one. Just not worth it and have never seen them do any good other than some severe back injuries.
But rather than take my advice or any advice, seek out a sports medicine physician. Ask him/her about a cortisone injection.
Most injuries to tendons and muscle take approx. 6 weeks to heal. Or longer. 6 weeks is typically the magic number for most simple injuries. Depends on how sever the tear is. Remember however, that pushing a injury can result in a lifetime handicap. A Achilles tendon tear is a perfect example.

[jetinteriorguy]

I had such bad tennis elbow about twenty years ago I could barely use a shears for cutting fabric. I would use my left hand to put my right arm on my cutting table, and then push the blades of the shears up and down with my left hand while holding them in my right hand. I finally found a doctor who knew what he was doing and how to fix it. I don’t remember where I got it but it consisted of an air filled vinyl pillow incorporated with a wide Velcro strap. You would position the pillow on the nerve in your elbow and then tighten the strap just enough to put pressure on the nerve and the pain instantly disappeared. It took about six months of wearing this before I could once again work without wearing it and be pain free. Apparently putting pressure on this point fools your brain into thinking the tendon isn’t injured or something like that. For years after this if it ever acted up I’d just wear the device for a few days and be good as new. I haven’t needed it for quite a few years now since going back to using good old WISS shears instead of some of the more modern lightweight designs.

[jetinteriorguy]

I did a quick search on Amazon and found this strap system, it’s made by Ace. Costs about $10.00.

[Carl the Floor Walker]

Originally Posted by Mastrogiacomo

Thank you for the advice. I've been doing some of those things and alternating between heat and ice. When I first had trouble I went to urgent care, then my primary gave me an x ray, finally saw me when I was still in agony and I had no reflex on my left leg. I had an MRI. She did give me only five days of Vicodin but nothing more. When I asked her for a suppository because I got sick the afternoon of the MRI, she told me to go to the ER. I could just see myself incurring a huge ER bill and being next to folks with serious conditions - all that because my primary was too scared to give me a pill. I do plan to find a better doctor at some point....

I was diagnosed as having a slightly bulging disk, Stenosis of the Spine, bursitis of the hip and Sciatica. I was literally in agony for months. I saw three doctors in total and had a cortisone shot in the hip - you can imagine the medical expenses. I was about to start my second month of PT when my mother went into the hospital so I cancelled to be with her. My Dad goes into the hospital for the pace maker Wednesday of this week. I literally don't have the money or time to do the x-ray/MRI, shot and PT, so I hope to mend at home and unfortunately, tennis elbow is slow to heal.

If all goes well with my Dad, I may join Tai Chi nearby as it's once a week for an hour and it's more do-able that PT twice a week for 20 minutes. I also bought a brace for my left arm that helps somewhat. Thanks for all the advice people.

There can be all kinds of reasons for the pain. Pinched nerves, inbalance issues, bursitis etc. I certainly wish you luck and pray you get out of pain soon.