Taking my dry-fire practice to the next level. Committing 6-8 weeks of focused single-handed weapons manipulation.

[TGO David]

I have decided to do a lot of one-handed dry fire practice and maybe even some range time.  I have gone the extra mile to ensure that I don't cheat on this by partially tearing my left (non-dominant) arm's bicep tendon, thereby requiring myself to be in a sling most of the time.

Gentlemen, I do not skimp when it comes to practice. 

 

In all seriousness, I managed to nearly rip that sucker apart on Memorial Day by doing something I've done numerous times lately:  Lifting a 4x8 sheet of plywood off of a cart and into my truck.

Now, you might think that what should have caused injury was the sudden shifting of weight as that much money suddenly left my wallet all at once.  And you'd be justified in thinking that.  But the reality of it is that I simply didn't grab the wood properly, missed its center of gravity, and when I heaved it yawed and that was the end of that.

I *did* manage to retain a hold on the plywood and heaved it up into the truck despite my injured arm.  Because I'd no sooner leave an expensive sheet of wood on the ground for some parking lot pirate to pick up any more than I'd leave a box of ammo there.  My parents didn't raise a complete dummy.  Perhaps a little bit of one, as evidenced by this injury, but not a complete one.

 

So, back to my single-handed dry fire manipulation.... who's going to join me?   Just go ahead and gimp one of your own chicken-wings too and we'll get started.

 

[Chucktshoes]

Ouch, bro. You know there are easier ways to isolate muscle groups and improve your shooting skills.

[Johnny Rotten]

one handed you say

 

 

 

 

[TennesseeCamper]

Dang, I know that hurt!  
 Best wishes for a speedy recovery! 
 

 

[TGO David]

2 hours ago, Chucktshoes said:

Ouch, bro. You know there are easier ways to isolate muscle groups and improve your shooting skills.

Dammit man... a real friend would have told me this before Monday morning! 

 

[Chucktshoes]

3 minutes ago, TGO David said:

Dammit man... a real friend would have told me this before Monday morning! 

 

But I’m just an unpaid intern. Crap. I guess this means I’m not getting the big money Mod job, eh? Crap n

[No_0ne]

4 hours ago, TGO David said:

In all seriousness, I managed to nearly rip that sucker apart on Memorial Day by doing something I've done numerous times lately:  Lifting a 4x8 sheet of plywood off of a cart and into my truck.

Getting old ain't for sissies.  I can also promise you, it doesn't get any better either ...

[RED333]

Sorry to hear this, praying for fast healing.

[jhc77]

Just recovered from that myself. At 43 years old, this stuff takes a lot longer to heal up than I’d like but I found ways to not activate my bicep.  Just finally got to hammer curls almost a year later. Get well sir. 

[TGO David]

11 hours ago, Chucktshoes said:

But I’m just an unpaid intern. Crap. I guess this means I’m not getting the big money Mod job, eh? Crap n

I thought @MacGyver was paying you?! 

 

[TGO David]

1 hour ago, jhc77 said:

Just recovered from that myself. At 43 years old, this stuff takes a lot longer to heal up than I’d like but I found ways to not activate my bicep.  Just finally got to hammer curls almost a year later. Get well sir. 

It's amazing that the "pain" (a weird soreness and tightness) comes mostly from my lower arm at the radius and not at the bicep.  I mean... the bicep hurts too, but where I really feel it is down there where the tendon connects to the bone and other muscles.

I'm starting to figure out some of those workarounds.  Like... flexing my arm is fine if I keep it perpendicular to my body where no real weight is being applied to the bicep/tendon, versus if I try it with my arm hanging parallel at my side.

A surprise to me is how much that whole mechanical assembly is involved in the simple act of buttoning my pants and cinching my belt.  That is a real treasure right now.  Just the joy of joys. 

[Dirtshooter]

Sorry to hear about your accident. Prayer lifted up for you. I used to shoot with a guy that had an old motorcycle injury that left his left arm useless in a sling. His buddy put a cocking spur on the left side of his pistol and he made him special mag holders that held the mag by it's mag bottom and he was a great competitor. There is a lot to be said for having 2 working arms and hands. That is why a lot of firearms trainers suggest shooting and reloading with your weak hand. Lots of times in a gunfight your strong/gun hand is shot and you have the choice of being killed or take up the fight with your weak hand. Mag changes and hitting the slide release should be practiced.

[MacGyver]

2 hours ago, TGO David said:

I thought @MacGyver was paying you?! 

 

I tried to set him up, but he got all squirrelly and bit somebody when I told him he’d have to fill out the paperwork for accounting.  

[RED333]

1 hour ago, MacGyver said:

but he got all squirrelly and bit somebody 

Y’all need to get pics of this

[jhc77]

3 hours ago, TGO David said:

It's amazing that the "pain" (a weird soreness and tightness) comes mostly from my lower arm at the radius and not at the bicep.  I mean... the bicep hurts too, but where I really feel it is down there where the tendon connects to the bone and other muscles.

I'm starting to figure out some of those workarounds.  Like... flexing my arm is fine if I keep it perpendicular to my body where no real weight is being applied to the bicep/tendon, versus if I try it with my arm hanging parallel at my side.

A surprise to me is how much that whole mechanical assembly is involved in the simple act of buttoning my pants and cinching my belt.  That is a real treasure right now.  Just the joy of joys. 

Once mine healed up then pronator ares syndrome showed up. In PT now for that. Pinched nerve in the elbow. Sends pain along the bicep to the middle of your forearm. Deodorant was a painful task at one point. 

[Chucktshoes]

3 minutes ago, RED333 said:

Y’all need to get pics of this

[TGO David]

38 minutes ago, jhc77 said:

Once mine healed up then pronator ares syndrome showed up. In PT now for that. Pinched nerve in the elbow. Sends pain along the bicep to the middle of your forearm. Deodorant was a painful task at one point. 

I'm forcing myself to do as many "normal" things with it as I can tolerate, and just generally "listening to my body" - as the doc put it.  I'm hoping this makes the recovery a little easier over the long haul.

If it feels weird, I take it as a warning to be careful.  I call this the Biden Impulse. 

If it hurts, I stop it but might try it again later.  I can't think of a good name for this that wouldn't put me on a Google search result that I don't really want to be on.

[TGO David]

41 minutes ago, jhc77 said:

Once mine healed up then pronator ares syndrome showed up. In PT now for that. Pinched nerve in the elbow. Sends pain along the bicep to the middle of your forearm. Deodorant was a painful task at one point. 

Man I tell you... the instant nerve numbness when I did this FREAKED. ME. OUT.  I mean, it felt like I'd hit my arm with a stout 120VAC shock for a few seconds.  That thankfully subsided over the following few hours and isn't a thing for me now.

Best of luck with the PT!!

[TGO David]

Update...

My activities on TGO lately have consisted largely of lurking just because typing with one arm tied behind my back wasn't all that enjoyable.   That said, I am now able to be a lot more verbose with my.... hands... so I'll be a little more present now.  Geez, that just sounds weird as I read it back to myself. 

 

I met with my orthopedic surgeon yesterday and he was pleased enough with the progress that I've made over the past two weeks that he implicitly advised against surgery at this time.  A few days ago I shed the sling just because it was driving me crazy and applying too much tension on my opposite shoulder and side of my neck, and the doc was completely unconcerned about whether I kept using it or not.

We did a few range of motion tests, all of which I passed, and also a few strength tests.  I should note that these were not the Feats of Strength that Frank Costanza advocated for during Festivus.  They did lead me to air some grievances though. 

 

The final verdict was that it wasn't a severe sprain or a minor tear, but that I had really messed it up pretty good.  It's not a complete tear but it's a solidly good one.  It is also healing on its own and I have retained a nice amount of utility with it despite the injury.  I just have to be mindful of how much I use it and pay attention to what hurts and avoid those activities.

 

Anyway, I guess the good news is that I'm on the mend.  The bad news is that I won't get any superpowers like Col. Steve Austin, my childhood hero on The Six Million Dollar Man.  

So lame.

 

 

[Dirtshooter]

Great news David, hope the progress continues. Nothing like being incapacitated.