Overuse Injuries From Work, Shooting, Reloading

Sorry to say, problems like this get worse with age. Try ice on joint pain .

I get good results for osteoarthritis related right shoulder joint pain using Capsaisin creams but get the roll-on kind to keep it off your hands, don't touch your eyes if you've touched where you put it on. The Lidocaine creams give faster relief, but for me the Capsaisin lasts longer, I often alternate, and occasionally use both on really bad days. My doc is frankly amazed I haven't heed a joint replacement yet, ye said "whatever you are doing, keep it up" -- lots of stretching and low weight high rep exercise to maximize range of motion. I generally shoot 20-40 rounds of .308 a week when the weather is good without it having any noticible effect on my shoulder.

I've heard good reports about the HempOil/Canibus creams but haven't tried any yet (pretty pricey compared the generic Capsaisin and Lidocaine rubs) but we give an Omega-3 HempOil concoction to our 16 year old cat and it sure seems to help.

Other than for the initial acute injury, I've always had better results with heat instead of ice for general soreness.

20 years of carrying mail, 10+ miles per day, 4000+ steps up and down.

My knees, elbows, hands, and hips hurt a lot. Arthritis runs in the family. My right shoulder is screwed up.

I broke my back in the Corps. Continuous lower back problems since. Now I've got three herniated discs in my upper back.

Growing old isn't for the weak.

There are days I can't reload anything smaller than 45 ACP since I can't seem to hold on to those smaller bullets.

Arthritis in both elbows that has taken away about 35% of my range of motion, bum wrist from the same thing plus some carpal thing, both rotator cuffs repaired, bum lower back that I’m really considering having fixed when cold weather arrives. That’s the big stuff. We wear out from use as we age and there is no way to avoid it.

OSHA had a very short lived ergonomics standard that was aimed specifically at the type of injuries that you are talking about. The injuries were subjective, cumulative, and not easily distinguishable as personal injuries or work related injuries, so under intense pressure from manufacturing they rescinded the standard. Having been trained in recognizing ergonomic risks, it’s not too hard to see how to make things better. It’s usually not working too much or working too hard, it’s more about working in awkward ways. Keep work roughly belly button height and 1-2 ft away from your belly and your good to go provided that the wrists are not rotating more than from a palm down horizontal position to a palm up horizontal position. Seems silly the way it’s worded, but there are a lot of really awkward twists and reaches that do far more than simple exertion do when reaches are proper.

tool grip size and shape are big. For reloading, a roller handle is great. General rule of thumb, a grip that does not let fingers overlap is best.

Repetitive or cyclic motion of all kinds can cause pain and injury.

Obviously, the best remedy is to give yourself a period of rest to recover and heal.

Next would be to alter the economics involved. Many things can be used for this.

Switch hands/arms, for example. In you're pulling a lever a lot, change the handle so you grip it differently, it's in a more natural position, it changes its angle through as range of motion that reduces stress, etc. Motorize some functions.

We often get comfortable with equipment and procedures and resist change for a lot of reasons, even if it causes pain and injury. But don't be afraid to think outside the box for this kind of stuff.

Drive a fence line of Tee posts around five acres. That'll do it.

John Joseph said:

Drive a fence line of Tee posts around five acres. That'll do it.

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Oh man... I know this feeling.

I'm a desk jockey by day, firearms instructor by night, ranch hand on (most) weekends.

Those weekends can sometimes leave me pretty sore.

I do custom fabrication work, and have done for around 15 years. Between that, and injuries from Brazilian jiu jitsu, rock climbing, plus the shooting reloading, yard work etc. I know how you feel.

I hope this doesn't come off as condescending, because it's not intended to be. Work smarter (so you don't have to work so hard physically), learn to use your non-dominant hand more, take rest days where you just don't do any of this stuff, and try to sleep on your back so you don't compress the blood vessels in your shoulder and restrict blood flow and therefore healing. Also try and get good sleep as much as possible.

That's all I've got. Unfortunately, physical labor causes degradation to our bodies. It's part of what we in the trades get paid for.

This is going to sound like hippie stuff, but when I keep my carb intake below 20 grams a day, 90% of my joint pain disappears.

Takes a few weeks, but gradually feel 10 years younger.

p404445 said:

This is going to sound like hippie stuff, but when I keep my carb intake below 20 grams a day, 90% of my joint pain disappears.

Takes a few weeks, but gradually feel 10 years younger.

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Diet does matter.

As does weight and fitness.

If it works, right?

Hartkopf said:

All good advice.

Yea my problem is speed and volume. I work quick and abruptly because of pressure cooker deadlines. I seriously might need to change my line of work.

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I think the same thing on about a weekly basis. If you look around, you won't see many old guys working skilled labor trades. Some get promoted, most of the rest find something that's easier on the body. The ones that stay in, all looked physically trashed by retirement.

John Joseph said:

Drive a fence line of Tee posts around five acres. That'll do it.

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Try drilling holes in rock for t-posts around 10 acres in one day with an air drill. I did that and the compressor ran out of fuel as I finished the last hole. I couldn’t blow all the cuttings out of the hole and was so tired I couldn’t manhandle the drill out of the hole by myself. Between my wife and I we managed to remove the drilI. I did nothing but lay around the house the next day. I had one more session with that drill but only a dozen shot holes so I could dynamite them to dig them large enough for 3” posts and I have never touched an air drill since. I won’t go into detail about how much work it took with a rock bar to make then useable.

Keeping your work at a reasonable height and distance is great if your work makes it possible. It’s not doable with many occupations.

When I was 15 I worked on a crew that built and installed center pivot irrigation systems. I also bucked bales. That was a really painful summer.

Yup. Been on the road for 38 years sitting in driving position for hours. Plus tore both rotator cuffs in two separate work injuries. Had surgery on both. That was at 47 and 50yo. I,ll be 60 this year. Things constantly hurt to the point I don,t do alot of stuff I used to including shooting. Been furloughed since March and may be called back in the next couple weeks. Not looking forward to be back on the road. But I am happy to get my job back,

Hartkopf said:

Anybody else overwork their hands and forearms between work, shooting and reloading ammo?

I work in manufacturing and thankfully a robot or foreign country has not replaced me yet but between 40hrs+ and reloading ammo, I'm constantly fighting overuse injuries. It has even hit my elbow/bicep from too much twisting of my forearm. Sometimes it takes months of thought and counter movements/exercises to fix the imbalance. It can really gets in the way of a fun hobby.

This post is 2 paragraphs shorter than intended because my right wrist hurts!

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Have you been tested for Rheumatoid Arthritis? ( An auto immune disease) I was checked about 10 years ago and found out I had the RA. Its a curse but!!! I take a medication that helps reduce it quite a bit, and If it gets really bad, the Doc puts me a Prednisone Pulse pack, ( A high tapering dose ) It woks great and I get a lot of relief! SO if you haven't been checked for RA please do so! It is totally different from Osteo Arthritis!
Even after 10 years of R.A. I am still reloading a heck of a LOT, Good luck!!

Hartkopf said:

Anybody else overwork their hands and forearms between work, shooting and reloading ammo?

I work in manufacturing and thankfully a robot or foreign country has not replaced me yet but between 40hrs+ and reloading ammo, I'm constantly fighting overuse injuries. It has even hit my elbow/bicep from too much twisting of my forearm. Sometimes it takes months of thought and counter movements/exercises to fix the imbalance. It can really gets in the way of a fun hobby.

This post is 2 paragraphs shorter than intended because my right wrist hurts!

Click to expand...

Ice and aspirin. Ice and aspirin.

The choir is singing; the graveyard is full of worn out bodies - this planet is very hard on bodies and the planet always seems to win. In the meantime prior to my predictable fate, I am going to enjoy this hobby. Then I will pass with my worn out body that had fun wearing my body out - “Every birth comes with a death warrant.” (Walter White)

pbearperry said:

Sorry to say, problems like this get worse with age. Try ice on joint pain .

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And 800 mg Ibuprofen.......repetitive motion injuries are nothing to overstress.......got the carpal tunnel scars and shoulder "ITIS" (pick your favorite) to prove it.