castboolit wrist ...tendinitis

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

much like the tennis elbow ...I seem to have castboolit wrist, or tendinitis.

I've noticed a slight swelling/pain in my wrist for a few months...not really a big deal, but it was something new. I never linked it to casting til today.

This morning, I was casting some NOE 460-405-RF (two cav alum mold, so it's not real heavy mold)...and boy, oh boy, after the third pour, my wrist started hurting. I've had this swelling/slight pain there, but while casting it was exasperated 10x. I thought to myself, OK, this is why my wrist was swollen.

I looked at my log book, I haven't cast any boolits since 4/2/17, but in March I cast over thousand 38 WC and 1500+ 9mm boolits. So that must have pushed my wrist over the edge. Now I have been casting with the same bench/pot/setup since late 2010. But the way I have to hold the mold, I twist my wrist almost 180º and of course grip the mold handles tightly....that is now causing pain. So, I think I need to either quick casting (NOT bloody likely), or change my setup, so it's more ergonomic.

Anyone else ever come to this conclusion? if so, details please.
Jon

[Tom W.]

Could be carpal tunnel syndrome. But tennis elbow, without a brace, will make you let go of stuff really quick. I always wear a brace when shooting handguns. I don't cast more than 200 or so boolits at a session.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Thank's for the heads up...but carpal tunnel is more about finger movement and pain in the center of the wrist (or thumb side/center of the wrist), that was a common issue with the ladies/employees I was supervisor over, in my PCB assembly days. While it is similar, it is different than the tendinitis I am experiencing. My swelling/pain is on the outside of my wrist, on the pinky side. When I rotate the wrist 180º, I really feel it.

[Beau Cassidy]

Dequervain's tenosyphotos is the likely cause.

[dverna]

I cannot cast for very long. Decided to acquire a Master Caster. As I continue to deteriorate, I will look into automating it. I am thankful I am still not too bad

[lefty o]

could be a lot of things, and if it continues id not have it diagnosed on an internet forum. i get pain and swelling exactly as you describe along with many others , as a result of severe rheumatoid arthritis which has eaten 100% of the cartilidge in my wrists. my personal warning is oyu dont want to live in pain like this, if it hurts go see a doctor as if you catch things early you can limit the damage done.

[blackthorn]

could be a lot of things, and if it continues id not have it diagnosed on an internet forum. i get pain and swelling exactly as you describe along with many others , as a result of severe rheumatoid arthritis which has eaten 100% of the cartilidge in my wrists. my personal warning is oyu dont want to live in pain like this, if it hurts go see a doctor as if you catch things early you can limit the damage done.

^^^^^This. To me, your symptoms (as described) do not sound like typical carpal tunnel syndrome, which usually manifest in the middle of the inside (palm up) of the wrist. Try holding your hands palm up, make a fist and rotate the fist upward, curling the hand back toward your body. If you have CTS you should feel pain. Dequervain's(sp) tenosynovitis usually manifests at the base of the thumb, again on the inside of the wrist. My advise would also be to seek medical help. Hope you feel better soon.

[tomme boy]

Ulnar nerve. Have the same thing. Mine also makes your pinky and ring finger feel like it is asleep.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Oh, another thing I did in the last month, was cut, haul, stack, split, haul again, and stack one last time...about 2+ cords of heavy hardwood. It was a large Kentucky Coffee tree, about 7 trailer loads (pickup box trailer), it is hard like white Oak but seemed heavier, although this tree was alive/green/wet, that always adds to the weight. I noticed some pain during the handling of the split pieces as I was throwing them (from the wood splitter) onto the trailer...mostly, I needed to use both hands, whereas I usually can grip and throw a split chunk with one hand.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Ulnar nerve. Have the same thing. Mine also makes your pinky and ring finger feel like it is asleep.
Luckily, I don't get the "asleep" thing yet.
So I googled Ulnar nerve...and then found "Ulnar Bursitis". This seems the most likely.
http://www.aidmybursa.com/bursitis-wrist/wrist-bursitis-overview.php
if it persists, I'll have to ask the Doc at my next BP meds appoinment.

[Tom W.]

Since my surgery my pinky finger on my right hand is numb...... can't understand why.

[JBinMN]

Back in late 2014 I was having issues with my left pinky & ring finger going to sleep occasionally , but when not asleep, they hurt & ached. I had the same thing on the right side, but not as bad. I also had noticed that my grip in either hand was weakening also with the left being worse than the right. I finally took enough of it & went to the Dr about it thinking it may be CTS. They sent me to do a test where they hook up sensors to your arms & then give you shocks all over your arms from the shoulder to the hand. Then they evaluate the reactions of the shocks on your nerves to see where the issue is happening. If found out that my ulnar nerve was the issue not CTS & that my left arm was 90% pinched & the right was 70%. I ended up having Ulnar Nerve Transposition surgery on the left arm in Dec.15. They usually try to open up the channel where the ulnar nerve travels thru the elbow, but if this will not work they move the nerve over to the inside of the elbow. ( You can see this surgery actually done if ya look for it in a search engine(videos)). Well the surgery was a success, and after 8 weeks or so I got the wrap off & started working the arm to get strength back.

Now, about a month ago, the right arm/hand is giving me issue with the sleep feeling, the ache & the weakness getting worse + I was having pain in my wrist which I did not have before with the left arm. The same surgeon took a look & said it was likely that I would need the same surgery done on the right elbow, but as far as the wrist, he could not be positively certain that it was part of the ulnar nerve issue without an MRI ( xrays showed no broken/displaced wrist bones/etc.). SO, he said I should likely get an MRI done before I had my UNT surgery, so if there was a reason to do surgery on the wrist it could be done at the same time.

My right arm is my "strong" arm & the surgery was successful on the left & now my left ar/hand is becoming stronger than my right. SO, I am planning to have the surgery in Dec of this year ( Gotta be after deer season, y'know. ;) ) if I can deal with it til then. If not, so be it, but the DR. said, the longer ya wait & the older ya are, the less you will likely regain the strength ya once had back before the issue started.

Long story, but it was told to show my experience in a similar issue.

My suggestion is: Go see the Dr. before it gets worse. Whatever it is, it may not be bad yet, so just rest/ not using it much & maybe wearing some sort of a brace for a while will alleviate the issue. IF it gets worse, then ya have to figure out what ya want to do about it. BTW, it may sound strange, but you can get gout in any joint in your body, not just the big toes. It may be that you had inflamed the wrist & that is where the uric acid will go if you don't drink enough water to flush the uric acid out & you are eating foods with high purine content. Or, maybe just tendonitis. Regardless, to not lose sleep & get this off your mind a bit... like I said, IMO. Go see the Dr.
:)

I hope it is something simple that will go away with time & not the more serious **** I dealt/deal with right now. Between that, the COPD/emphysema & Arthritis, I have become semiretired due to the wear & tear I have done to my body, I am not too happy being in this condition for only being in my mid 50s.

G'luck JonB! Regardless of what ya do!
:)

[Char-Gar]

I am not a Doctor, do not play one on Cast Boolits, nor did I sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night, so my best advice is to see a real Doctor.

[MaryB]

Yup Carpal tunnel hits the center fingers worst but it CAN affect the others. I am wearing a hard brace as I type this because my right side is flaring up and I cannot have surgery on it again, they already fixed it twice! Using the garden till is what triggered it, little Honda mini tiller requires a lot of hand/arm strength to wrestle but it is a beast and can dig down 8+ inches. The spot my potatoes are going in I had it so deep the dirt was halfway up the engine housing...

[w5pv]

I use Thera-Gesic slave,It helps me alot

[tomme boy]

The test is a EMT. Along with the shocks they stick needles in a certain location to listen to the nerves. But it can give a false + or -. My test shows that the ulnar nerve is fine. But I have all the symptoms of a pinched nerve. Have to go back in a few weeks to talk to the surgeon to see what she thinks. The left palm and pinky and ring finger are giving me the falling asleep feeling almost all the time now.

[JBinMN]

The test is a EMT. Along with the shocks they stick needles in a certain location to listen to the nerves. But it can give a false + or -. My test shows that the ulnar nerve is fine. But I have all the symptoms of a pinched nerve. Have to go back in a few weeks to talk to the surgeon to see what she thinks. The left palm and pinky and ring finger are giving me the falling asleep feeling almost all the time now.

I hope ya get relief soon. Hopefully without too much needing to be done. Maybe a chiropractor if it is not the elbow? Shoulder/back issue running down to the hand?? Anyway, I wish ya G'luck!
:)

In my case...The Drs have told me that the "pinching" is indicated to be "in the elbow nerve channel(tunnel) where the Ulnar nerve runs through it", from that "EMT" testing they did on both arms. I do know that the soreness & ache went all the way up to my shoulder with the left arm , but the stronger ache/pain down to the rest of the hand, along with numbness was in the lil finger & ring finger along with the weakness made me decide to get the surgery done. My right arm has not reached the level of the same symptoms yet, but I think it is following the same course, so the inevitable solution, for me, is to have the surgery.

Hopefully JonB can go see an MD or even a Chiropractor about his situation & get it taken care of soon. I have not seen a post about it since his last one. Perhaps it is just some sore tendons/tendonitis & it will go away with time. Hopefully that is the case.
:)


------------------------------
ETA: I have started to cast a lot of bullets & started learning to shoot "lefty" with my pistols for the recovery time after my surgery when I won't be able to use my right arm. ;)

[mold maker]

Mary B, the Dr explained to me that the tight grip and harsh vibration from a tiller or mower was the cause of the tingeing and numbness in my strong hand. Even using a drill press for extended periods can cause it.
Aint having long experience fun?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

SNIP...

Hopefully JonB can go see an MD or even a Chiropractor about his situation & get it taken care of soon. I have not seen a post about it since his last one. Perhaps it is just some sore tendons/tendonitis & it will go away with time. Hopefully that is the case.
:)

my last post above was only 2 days ago. From what I read on the link, as well as everyone's suggestions/comments, I am quite sure I have Ulnar Bursitis from over working my arm during firewood cut/split/throwing/stacking, and will go away with time and rest. But as I stated, I'll ask my Doc when I see her about BP meds, sometime in the next 2 months. I will be avoiding casting and firewood cut/split/throwing/stacking, as much as possible, til then.

my last stop would be a Chiropractor...I think I'd rather see the undertaker first, before I ever go to a Chiropractor again.

[JBinMN]

Sure JonB. I realize it was only 2 days ago. I was meaning that maybe you had not posted about it since you were getting better. That is what I was "trying to say", anyway...
Apparently you are getting better & that is good. If it doesn't get better, then seeing a Dr. ( or Chiropractor) hopefully can help.
Either way, it is your arm, you decide. I hope it works out well for ya.
:)

Some people like to go to the chiropractor & it works for them. I did for a while, for issues unrelated to this arm stuff, but I haven't been to one in ten years now. It was just a suggestion... To each their own.
:)

[eck0313]

Contrary to popular belief, that condition is not from recoil, but from gripping the pistol. I developed it one winter when I was competing in the (Olympic) Air Pistol discipline. I was shooting upwards of 100 rounds a day, every day 7 days a week for several months. This is a Slow Fire event, with a lot of time holding the pistol up for that "perfect" sight alignment and sight picture.

By the time spring (and NRA Pistol season) arrived, my .45 scores were going great, but my elbow hurt. By the time the Nationals rolled around in July, I couldn't shoot through the pain any longer.

Lay off it, like the Doc says, I went to physical therapy for several months. I also got one of those "gyro balls" to exercise with, and I've not had a problem since, nor do I want to. It was not fun.

[tomme boy]

Try to sleep with your arms straight to your sides. If you have to, make your own braces so you can't bend your arms at night. It has been the main thing that has given me a little relief.

Mine came about from being a mechanic and electrical tech all my life. I have always had to use my hand everyday. I have not been able to load or lubesize anything for over 6 months. I can't pick up a bullet as it is too small for my fingers to be able to squeeze it to be able to feel it. It is driving me nuts as I can't tie knots to be able to go fishing. I have had to teach my better half how to tie a bunch of knots for me.

[fecmech]

I'm pretty sure I have Dequervain's tenosyphotosin my left hand from casting and sizing. Holding the mold handles together when I cast puts pressure on my thumb. When I size I grab a handful of bullets with my left hand and manipulate them between my thumb and forefinger so that I can place them nose down in the Star. If I cast and size too many bullets at one time the base of my left thumb gets pretty painful. An ice pack after the work is done on my wrist is very helpful in mitigating the amount of pain.