Grip Force

[BillD]

Not everyone can develop the 'grip of steel'. I was overly enthusiastic about this, using a bunch of hand-grip trainers (including the powerball), only to end up with tennis elbow in both arms.

That happened about 8 months ago. I felt no better after months of therapy, anti-inflammatory pills, cremes etc. - probably because I continued shooting 2-3 times a week. That was non-negotiable.

Then, I was introduced to the 'weak hand index finger on trigger guard' grip, by a disciple of Eric, no less. It felt awkward at first, but I got used to it in a couple of weeks. That was over 3 months ago.

Today I'm almost pain-free. I grip the gun forward to back, not side to side. This leaves my trigger finger loose to do its thing. My palms are still covering the grip where they're supposed to (less so for the weak hand because of the index finger being elsewhere), but they are holding the grip lightly. Yes, I do have less recoil control because I don't cant the palm of my WH downwards, but I had to accept this to stay pain-free.

Sorry for being off-topic, I just wanted to warn against overdoing grip exercises from the get-go, especially if you're an older dude like me.

Sorry that you're having tennis elbow and that the pain pills and creams didn't help but have you ever used the strap around your forearm? I did not believe it would work but after about 36 hours of it, I felt relief. It;s really just a strap with Velcro and it is only tight enough to hold it just below the elbow. Check you pharmacy for it. It's much simpler than anything and works great.

EW

I wore the strap for two years. I am currently going through therapy and it helps a lot. I still have pain but I have less of it, more strength and more range of motion..

The strap is just a bandaid covering your underlying problem. It doesn't fix anything, it just masks it.