Swollen Hands after shooting

[marklbucla]

Posted this on THR as well:

I went shooting yesterday with the AR and ran about 300 rounds of .22LR Golden bullets and then 100 rounds of Wolf 9mm. All the mags were loaded with push down style mag loaders, like those found on handguns. The grip and stock are the standard plastic ones found on any bone stock M4 style AR.

About 4 hours after shooting my strong hand really swelled up and my weak hand too just a little and there was a bit of a tingling sensation. This morning, my strong hand is still swollen and the pain in the weak hand is limited to where it contacted the mag loader.

Does it sound like this is arthritis related? I'm only 29, though I do shoot on almost a weekly basis. I would think that something's going wrong, I just don't know what. I have never heard of anyone complaining about problems after shooting .22lr and 9mm in an AR!

[Beelzy]

Carpal Tunnel.......seriously.

[paul0660]

As I have gotten older (I am 55) I have had swelling after what used to be normal tasks (hammering, holding a spray gun for hours, shooting powerful handguns). I do have a little arthritis at times as well, for no apparent reason. Ibuprophen will cure it AND prevent it if you take a bit before the swelling appears. I don't leave home without it anymore.

[PatriotnMore]

I am not looking forward to 50, now you're getting me paranoid about after turning golden.

As I have gotten older (I am 55) I have had swelling after what used to be normal tasks (hammering, holding a spray gun for hours, shooting powerful handguns). I do have a little arthritis at times as well, for no apparent reason. Ibuprophen will cure it AND prevent it if you take a bit before the swelling appears. I don't leave home without it anymore.

[paul0660]

Oh, it truly sucks............most important parts still work however.

[Vacaville]

If it's carpal tunnel, it wouldn't be from this one event even though this may have made you aware of it. Look at your daily activities to see if there's any repetitive motion you do. Usually it's keyboarding or something you do at work all the time. Once you know what it is, you have to modify the activity so it doesn't continue to aggravate the condition - or else you'll end up going through a series of painful surgeries that, from my personal observations, usually don't work.

[tcrpe]

When you get older, you just get used to the aches and pains. It's part of growing older. Comes with the territory.

Last year, my shoulder hurt so much, I had trouble driving. Could hardly lift my arm. After 6 months of that BS I thought I'd visit the doctor.

He gave me a shot of some sort of steroid in the rump, and all my aches and pains were gone for months. I literally felt twenty years younger. He told me it was a one-shot deal, don't ask for more, as it would turn my face into something resembling the moon. LOL

A year later I swear, it's still helping.

[PatriotnMore]

It's funny, when my boys kid me about getting older, I tell them, the only thing good about getting older, is watching your kids grow.

Oh, it truly sucks............most important parts still work however.

[Greg-Dawg]

It happens to me all the time when shooting 300-500+ rounds at one time.

It'll heal in time. Go shoot some more.

[Z ME FLY]

Haha I think it was the fact you were shooting for over 4 hours and loading all those mags! Try some IB and see if that helps. I am only 4 more years younger than you and hope I don't have that problem anytime soon. I do have pains in my hand from time to time when I do electrical wiring and building stuff.

[Once A Marine]

I would stop and see a doctor just to ensure you don't have a serious problem. The tingling is a nerve problem, and hopefully temporary from the extended shooting, but see what a doc thinks rather than all us net-surgeons.

[paul0660]

For desk dwellers, as I am half the day, it is a great idea to learn to mouse with both hands. I usually use my left, but if it starts to bug me I will go to the right for a day or two and things settle down.

[Vacaville]

Age 0 - 20: You are virtually indestructible and heal immediately when you do get hurt. Goal in life is to stay up as late as possible.
Age 21 - 30: Athletic activities are fun and you can party all night long. Distrust old people.
Age 31 - 40: You have some aches and pains from what you did in your 20's. Still partying all night, but it hurts for a day or two. Start to make friends with older people.
Age 41 - 50: Those aches and pains have manifested into some serious issues and injuries take forever to heal. Can't believe you survived the stupid things you did in your teens and 20's. Go to bed by 10:00 PM. Dislike teenagers for 100% idiocy rate.
Age 51+: Glad to still be alive even though your body's falling apart. Can't remember your teens or 20's. Go to bed by 9:00. Hate everyone younger than 30.

[rkt88edmo]

I would definitely read up on RSI/Carpal tunnel, evaluate how you treat your wrists at work before jumping to arthritis, but arthritis definitely can happen to the young.

[IsaacGlass]

Posted this on THR as well:

I went shooting yesterday with the AR and ran about 300 rounds of .22LR Golden bullets and then 100 rounds of Wolf 9mm. All the mags were loaded with push down style mag loaders, like those found on handguns. The grip and stock are the standard plastic ones found on any bone stock M4 style AR.

About 4 hours after shooting my strong hand really swelled up and my weak hand too just a little and there was a bit of a tingling sensation. This morning, my strong hand is still swollen and the pain in the weak hand is limited to where it contacted the mag loader.

Does it sound like this is arthritis related? I'm only 29, though I do shoot on almost a weekly basis. I would think that something's going wrong, I just don't know what. I have never heard of anyone complaining about problems after shooting .22lr and 9mm in an AR!

Play it safe and go see a doctor.