have you had an injury keep you from shooting

[f4t9r]

Well surgery is over and depression has sit in. No shooting for 6 to 8 months.
Anyone else have an injury put a hold on using your guns ?
It had to be the right arm, I am not good with the left hand and wish I had practiced more. Anybody with news that would raise the spirits a little.

 

[primlantah]

I had a box cutter slip and cut into my left wrist. didnt do any major damage and i didnt go to the doctor. It did cause some minor nerve damage and weak hand shooting is no fun with anything bigger than a .22lr. Doesnt stop me though

 

[Fat_46]

I'm at 5 weeks post surgery for multiple blown disks. I'm fused solid from C3-C7 with cadaver grafts in between. Doctor said 22lr only for 4 weeks...so I bought a conversion for my ARs and a buncha BDM mags!

Whilst wearing an immobilizing collar I managed to thoroughly clean every weapon, and reload 1200 rounds of 223, 250 rounds of 454 Casull, 350 rounds of 308, and 750 rounds of 45ACP.

 

[nicholst55]

I injured my left shoulder in 2005, and my right arm in 2006. I just recently got to where I can shoot handguns worth a crap again - maybe six months ago. I still can't use my left arm like I used to.

 

[Halo]

Back around 1999 I broke my right wrist and had to wear a cast up to my elbow for a long time, can't remember exactly how long but it was several weeks at least. I still managed to go to an indoor range and fire my SIG P220 and roommate's Kimber, though it was certainly awkward. It was a frustrating time.

 

[CAS700850]

Last summer, I suffered a compound fracture of my left forearm, both radius and ulna. Emergency surgery, 2 steel plates, and 15 screws put me back together again. It was November before I had the hand strength to cycle the slide on a centerfire auto. Nerve damage in my left thumb means ambi safeties are now useless to me. thumb just doesn't work that way anymore. Shooting anything was one handed, and I only did it once because of the frustrationa d pain when I tried two hands. It's now been 9 months, and I'm set to try again. I've done a lot of dry firing lately, especially with my left hand as a grip building exercise.

I feel your pain. Literally and emotionally. I spent a lot of time readding anything I could about guns, and probably increased my overall knowledge. I've also done a lot of air-soft and airgun practice with my strong hand, so I should be as good when I get back in the saddle.

As an aside, I re-appreciated revolvers during this time, as hand strength only matters when firing shots, not loading and unloading.

 

[george_co]

A couple of years ago I grabbed the wrong end of a piece of angle iron that had just been cut with a torch. Significant burning & blisters on my right hand. I bought a left handed holster and practiced my weak hand shooting skills for about three months shooting at our local combat pistol matches.

Loading a pistol one handed is much easier than a revolver. Oh, and I didn't win any of my matches.

George

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

I broke the tip of my left index finger monday (truck door 1, half asleep me 0). After it happened, whilst looking at it in pain, the first thing that came to mind was "well at least it wasn't my trigger finger".
I'll probably have to shoot pistols one handed for a little while though, the sucker hurts.

 

[springmom]

It had to be the right arm, I am not good with the left hand and wish I had practiced more.

Is there any reason you can't practice NOW?

So you're not good with the left hand....get out there and start working on it. (Note to self: take your own advice, this could be you!) Unless you're so laid up that you can't use your right hand at all (loading a magazine or a revolver) this is a great opportunity to do that development on your off hand.

The whole given lemons/make lemonade thing. You've got this time when you cannot use the right hand...learn to use the left.

Go for it!

Springmom

 

[DragonFire]

I had surgery on my left ankle in October to fix a bad achilles tendon. It wasn't that bad, but I couldn't even the lightest pressure on it, so I was pretty immobile for three or four weeks.

I managed to clean most of my handguns, and loaded a couple of thousand rounds of various calibers.

Near the end of my recovery, my club opened a new range for competition practice (only range where you can move while shooting). They came up with a form that had to be signed by various club officers, and a competency "test".

I was feeling kind of good, and didn't want to miss out on the last test before winter, so I signed up for it. I was feeling so good that I didn't even bother to wear the big black protective boot my doctor gave me. I didn't know it was going to be a timed test!

They explained the course to us, and I figured that I'd just go slow, take small steps and I'd come close to the time limit. Well, the buzzer goes off and old habits kicked in and I took one big fast step, and hit the ground in pain. It felt like someone hit me with a baseball bat. All I wanted to do was lie there in pain, but everyone kept trying to stand me back up.

After a few seconds (which felt like an hour) I got back up, reloaded and tried it again. Following my original plan, I was a tad slow, but with a wink and nod, the instructor passed me. He even complimented me on my good muzzle control even while falling to the ground.

Leaving the range was another problem. After I cooled off, the ankle stiffen and was really really sore. Sore enough that I called my wife to bring the protective boot to me, even though I knew what she'd say, and how long she'd be saying it. I had a checkup a couple of weeks later, and though the pain was gone, I figured I better tell my doctor what I did, in case I did any damage. He examined me, asked abunch of questions and then said that I probably speeded up my recovery a bit, by stretching the tendon. Usually he recommends people take it slow and easy, but if I wanted to do the quick and painful way, that was fine my him. I was fully recovered in less than 4 months, when he had projected 6 to 8. My wife still brings it up.

 

[creekerdoug]

I had open heart surgery in June '06 and the doctors cracked open my chest. It hurt to shoot anything, even 9mm handguns, for about 4 months. It was six months after the fact that I worked up the nerve to shoot anything bigger than a .223. Almost two years later it still hurts to shoot any major centerfire long gun with a lot of padding.

Best of luck to you.

 

[dmickey]

Back in early February my left eye for some unkown reason started to bleed at the retina! Been going to a specialist since who unfortunately knows nothing about shooting. The only thing he knows is the term "recoil" so he has told me not to shoot for a while. Here it is April and I still am not allowed to shoot anything! Yeah, I've loaded 1,000 .22-250's, 250 .41 Magnums, and 650 .22 BR Remingtons. Running out of things to reload! :banghead:
What's worse is that I recently got in my Remington 40XB Thumbhole Rangemaster that had been on order for 10 months and I also bought a Savage Mark II BVTSS. Put the scopes on them and they are ready to go. In another three weeks or so will get back a Remington 40XB Thumbhole Rangemaster that's been at the gunsmith's being rebarreled to 6mm/250 Savage! I've got the mounts and rings to mount the Leupold 6.5-20x50 scope on it and it will be ready to shoot!

 

[trailgator]

shattered my right wrist last July 29. Felt like you do. I recovered enough to take 3 deer last November. It took a lot of therapy, plus a lot of determination/stubbornness on my part to come back that quick. I'll never have full motion again, and definitely some loss of dexterity. There's also that pesky arthritis thing. But I can do (and shoot) pretty much anything I want. You learn to live with it. I got some good suggestions here right after it happened.

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=302192&highlight=broken+wrist

good luck, be patient, and do what your doctor and therapist tell you.

 

[Andy W]

I had tennis elbow so bad that I couldn't practice drawing my gun. It only lasted a little over three years.

 

[Eric F]

I burned both my hands in a house fire kept me from shooting for about 2 months. but the pain medication made everything better!

 

[JesseL]

Back around 2000 I had a drill press grab a piece of sheet metal and slice (though not completely sever) 2 or 3 tendons in my left wrist. I'm left-handed and it was a difficult few months of waiting for surgery, recovering from surgery, and going through physical therapy, before I could shoot (or drive, or swim, or write, etc.).

If I were you, I'd take it as an opportunity to practice all your weak hand skills, including shooting.

 

[Geno]

Oh yes. An automobile accident, not my fault, and 35 surgeries later, I have returned to shooting.

I went from firing the biggest magnums to firing nothing for about 1.5 years. I finally returned to firing a Marlin bolt-action rifle in .22LR, to a T/C Contender pistol in .22LR. I then fired various centerfire in Contender and Encore pistols for a couple of years. By 2000, I was back to centerfire rifles.

Keep the faith. You'll make it back. In closing, attitude is a huge contributor to recovery. Make a return to shooting your goal. Believe that you WILL make it back.

Edit to add:

Locate a physical therapist who is a shootist!!! I did!!! He or she will help you to that end...same goes for the doctor. They need to know that you are an avid shootist. If they do not support you, fire them and get a shootist. I am being serious.

Also as you go through the recovery, continue to read about shooting. Continue to go to the range with your family and friends...be there, and you will return there.

Doc2005

 

[M2 Carbine]

Like nicholst55 I injured my left shoulder then years injured my right shoulder.

The results are I can shoot with either hand decently.

 

[herohog]

My eye doc told me I had to give up big rifles due to the fact that my retinas are close to being detached. I sold all the rifles above .22 caliber. My back issues keep me from walking and standing much but my wheelchair lets me shoot all my pistols!

 

[Lurp]

I had surgery for a torn labrum in July of 2007 and that put me out of commission for a couple of months. I didn't go shooting again until about November of 2007, but I'm backto normal now.

 

[CountGlockula]

Ear drum popped!

After taking SCUBA courses...and getting certified, I had a major ringing in my right ear.

After the doctor notice a nice hole, he sent me to an ear specialist. My ear is actually healing.

Oh by the way, I work at a shooting range during this whole time.

And I'm still there. I just add extra cotton balls to it and keep on shootn'!!!

 

[icebones]

yep, i broke two fingers on my right hand, and fractured two of those small bones in my wrist.

you see, instead of punching the a-hole in the face, i punched a wall
i soon after learned to shoot left handed

 

[MKEITH]

Yeah. Broke my right wrist on February 12 of this year.Still in a cast up to the elbow.Now is the time to work on your weak hand skills.

 

[Radagast]

I tore the Spina Spinata (sp?) ligament in my strong arm shoulder, went from being on the Australian IPSC team to shooting one major match in the last three years. I sold all my centrefire rifles but kept my handguns. I'm gradually getting back into shooting on a regular basis, first with .22s & .17HMR, now with 9mm & .38 in limited amounts.

 

[lanternlad1]

I'm sitting here right now with a cast on my left arm. Have had it for two months, don't know how much longer I'll have it. I slipped and broke my wrist and tore a tendon. Which sucks, because I'm left handed. Have been shooting once or twice with my revolver, but I can't shoot rifles or shotguns.