Jake Di Vita

Who wants to bet that Dio has already taken command of Hell?

Overall pretty good advice. On the paleo diet (specifically with lots of meat) there tends to often be elevated LDL particles which most people are concerned with. If this is you, make sure you have the doctor run a particle density test. the small compact LDL particles can be dangerous whereas an elevated LDL count of big fluffy particles is nothing to worry about.

Get a diagnosis first. Then get a second opinion. Make sure your doctors know what the hell they are doing. Secondly, learn how to press correctly. I'd recommend Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. Find a weight that you can do sets of 5 across with, start there and move up. It will hurt, it's up to you to decide whether it is ready to work or not - you'll know when it is. In short, if pain gets worse as you go on, it's not ready yet. If the pain is fairly dull and consistent, it's ready. Chances are bench pressing is out for at least the foreseeable future. Once again, most important get an accurate diagnosis from a competent shoulder specialist. Don't waste your time with a general physician or you'll wind up like my friend who was told after an X-ray that nothing is wrong with his shoulder....apparently the fact that soft tissue injuries don't show up on X-rays slipped past this "doctor." The standing barbell press is absolutely the best exercise you can do for your shoulder.

This is a tragedy....

John, Pretty sure he actually does sell them and he's done a good job following the rules in this thread. It's honestly been a pretty long time since I fired a gun with a *thumb rest [generic]* (probably getting close to 5 years now) so I really don't remember well enough to give you a good answer. I do plan on putting one on my next blaster, I'll be able to answer your question better then.

Robert, What material are the gas pedals made of? Also, what allows you to conclusively say there has never been a failure in 15 years? If there's never been a failure you are aware of, I can dig that. But to say that there has absolutely never been a failure requires some data to back it up. Can you link me what you would consider a *thumb rest [generic]* vs. what you would consider a thumb rest?

Yes it may be haha. Actually I don't like to put pressure on it in that matter. It's more of a driving my thumb through to the target originating from the shoulder - if that makes sense to anyone but me.

I've broken 4 gas pedals so far. 1 during a stage at a major, the other 3 in practice.

Not all doctors give good advice. Most are little more prepared than their nurses. Some know what they are talking about. Find those people. As mentioned before, try the week off with ice first. If that doesn't work, find a few good doctors to diagnose your problem. Then with a diagnosis to work with, you can figure out treatment from there. Don't blindly follow any doctor's advice (or anyone on this board) without considering it carefully. I hesitate offering any further advice until these things have been done.

No it won't happen 100% of the time, but the potential for it to happen is very real. Some common ones: More than 1 pick-up shot on a steel = 2 errors...I've done that 100 times at least. Getting hung up in a stage (error) then trying to "catch up" (grave error). Missing a shooting position leading to an errant shot. Un-called shots. You could even say having to transition back to a target to make up a shot is an automatic 2 errors. One for missing the target, the other for not realizing it immediately. There are really a bunch of them when you think about it. Most you at least see several times a match. I guess USPSA matches are one big error game. You could easily make a case for a direct correlation between errors and score. Most people probably wouldn't consider the errors outside of shooting that would definitely have an impact. Not topping off a mag between stages, slipping and twisting your ankle, etc.

I had 3 errors in about 2 seconds earlier today. It's funny how they tend to compound themselves.

I'm not a big fan applying heat to an injury of this type. It works for some people, but my experience is that it can exacerbate inflammation. Your mileage may vary. The most important part is controlling the inflammatory response. Heat does nothing to further this cause to my knowledge. If heat is used to aid healing, I'm of the opinion that the body is pretty good at that by itself when we get our own over-reactive physiological responses out of the way. Obviously this depends on the severity of the injury.

You got lots of area with a large population in a pretty close vicinity. I'm confident you can find a good hand doctor that you don't have to wait 3 months for if it comes to that. And don't forget that when it comes to ice, 3 times a day gets you a C. Ice massage being the most effective way I've found of utilizing it.

Where is "here" and do you have the ability to drive to where there is one?

Also a good choice. But only if you can resist the temptation to do anything with your strong hand. Anything gun related that is.

I wouldn't say 800 rounds a week is too much. Nor would I recommend self medicating with ibuprofen. If you need to reduce inflammation, do it with ice. If you still are inflamed after icing at least 3 times a day and resting for a week, go see an intelligent hand doctor. Then go get a second opinion. Take the week off. It's obvious shooting 800 rounds a week won't help you accomplish anything with a bum finger. You also won't lose any appreciable amount of skill in that time by resting. You could also dry fire without pulling the trigger on a limited basis for that week. There is no good reason to try and push through this and a week off will likely fix your problem. I admire the dedication, but in this case discretion is the better part of valor. You'll come back better.

Why don't you take a week off from shooting and see how it feels.

Gene, I hate to say it, but that may well be some of the worst advice for nutrition you could possibly give.

That's a good start. Aim for 4 - 4.5 for optimum health.

The most effective way of stretching is called PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation). This is also known as contract/relax. Google it if you are interested in more information. If you are talking about a pre-stage/match routine so you don't tear another muscle, you are confusing warming up (which should be done before strenuous activity) with stretching (which more often than not should be done after strenuous activity).

Good stuff. Here's the low down. Ibuprofen is an NSAID (Non-Steroidal-Anti-Inflammatory-Drug) which is believed to work through the inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX), thus inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis. Prostaglandins, are like hormones in that they act as chemical messengers, but do not move to other sites. They work right within the cells where they are synthesized. Prostaglandins are vital mediators of the inflammatory response. The swelling and subsequent prostaglandin production signals all of the important cells circulating in your body to come and fix/reinforce the challenged tissues. It's this very inflammatory response that is responsible for making you better athlete. NSAIDs have been shown to delay and hamper the healing in all the soft tissues, including muscles, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage. Anti-inflammatories can delay healing and delay it significantly, even in muscles with their tremendous blood supply. As an aside, I would also avoid training the wrist (or any body part for that matter) with any type of isolation exercise. Those muscles are very small and it is incredibly easy to overdo it. And unless you are a professional arm wrestler, there are more productive things to do. Control swelling and pain with ice.

I've burned many bridges because of moral differences. I don't regret any of them.

Thinking about it throughout the day, that's exactly what I came up with. I think a big part of that was being aware gives me the same sensation regardless of what I'm doing. Very interesting stuff.

I think that's a pretty damn cool idea. I really doubt I'll catch all the errors I make...

I've been out of the loop for probably close to 3 years now...so that would make sense. Although it very easily could have always been there and I just never saw it.