Dealing with wrist pain

[HeavyDuty]

This getting old stuff sucks, but it’s still better than the alternative.

Over the years I’ve been lucky to be able to adapt to different grip angles with a little work, which is good because I’ve been a Glock guy for a long time. But in the last few months I’ve been having increasing hand pain, mostly in the wrist and and the base of the thumb. I’ve found that shooting my Glocks is getting more and more uncomfortable especially as compared to my other more grip angle neutral pistols. The little wrist angle adjustments I have to make for Glock are starting to hurt like hell, and that’s before the recoil.

I really don’t want to walk away from Glock completely. I’ve already tried making grip fillers out of cut down backstraps, that helps a little but not enough. So now I’m considering trying a humpectomy and triggerguard undercut on one or two to see if I can change the angle enough save them.

Has anyone else been down this specific road with Glock, where you were trying to get them to a wrist neutral hold?

[GJM]

Try a 19. The grip shape and placement of the hump makes it point more naturally for me. LTT grip anchor gives a full grip on the 19.

[HeavyDuty]

Try a 19. The grip shape and placement of the hump makes it point more naturally for me. LTT grip anchor gives a full grip on the 19.

19 is by far the worst, a full size is still workable.

[GJM]

19 is by far the worst, a full size is still workable.

Is your problem how the pistol points, and the wrist cam you have to do to make it point level, or something else?

[HeavyDuty]

Is your problem how the pistol points, and the wrist cam you have to do to make it point level, or something else?

Exactly that. I’ve been able to do it for years, but that motion now is really painful. Even static, and recoil doesn’t feel good at all. The cut down backstrap modifies it enough that recoil isn’t horrible, but it just isn’t working for me anymore. I’ve even tried wrapping my wrist when I shoot Glocks, no dice. None of this happens with more neutral angled pistols like my P30L, PX4s or Beretta 92s.

I’m thinking grip modification may save Glocks for me.

[Artemas2]

TL,DR: Layoff the glocks for a bit and rest like any other sport injury. It may also help to do some wrist stretches or carpal tunnel exercises.

I am (probably) more than a few years younger than you so this may not be completely appropriate, I went through a similar phase in 2019ish.
I was heavy into dry fire and live practice with glocks. I had a gun in my hand for 4-6 hours a day most days of the week, and after about 8 months of this, the pain started.
It began to progress to the point where it was affecting day-to-day life. I had little grip strength in my right hand and I could not hold anything more than a few pounds without noticeable discomfort

Once I narrowed the possible causes down and figured out it was the gun, I made some changes. One was lowering my holster, at the time I was still using a direct mount, IDPA style ride height which forced a significant wrist bend on every draw, the second was going to a CZ Shadow 2, and the third was a full 4 month stop to all practice. It sucked, but it had to happen.

I can shoot glocks again, but ended up liking the metal DA/SA life more anyway.:p

[Bigghoss]

I’ve been having increasing hand pain, mostly in the wrist and and the base of the thumb.

Has anyone else been down this specific road with Glock, where you were trying to get them to a wrist neutral hold?

A couple years ago my wrist really started hurting bad and your pain sounds similar to mine. I still haven't been able to grip my Gen 3 17 so I've been grabbing my gen 4 G19 with a cut down backstrap to flatten out the grip of the gun. I have other pistols that work with my grip better but I haven't been able to get to the range to prove them yet. I don't think I want to sell off all my Glocks and the loads of mags and holsters I have for them so I guess I'll have to have some grip work done. I'm mildly regretting my decision to sell off all my M&Ps but it happened so whatever.

[Sig_Fiend]

There's also the GripFix from OTDefense (https://store.otdefense.com/collections/stippling-products/products/gripfix-hump-eliminator?variant=39916367970453) for chopping and replacing the hump.

I feel your pain as I still deal with this myself. For me, I've found the hump exacerbates my issues. I think it's because of how it focuses the grip pressure around the base of the thumb. I think this is because of the relationship between the hump vs. the arch, the valley it creates, amplifying the pressure placed on the hump. Contrast this with something that has a straight grip profile, like a USP, which I find far more comfortable.

Also, the amount of camming forward (ulnar deviation) of the wrist to bring the sights ends up being particularly irritating and exhausting for me.

There's always the option for a grip reduction. I can recommend Texaspoff of Cold Bore Customs (https://www.coldborecustom.com/). I never dealt with Lane directly and have only bought third party used guns with his grip reductions. Had a gen3 G26 and G22 which I wish I never sold. The quality and feel were excellent and by far the most comfortable Glocks I've shot. With that G22, I never experienced the pain I normally feel after shooting Glocks for any length of time.

[Blades]

Do you wear wrist braces when you sleep at night? I have carpal tunnel in my right wrist and when it is terrible I wear my brace. It's annoying, but it helps with my wrist pain. The doctor told me driving was also bad for aggravating carpal tunnel so I try to keep my thumbs straight and not wrapped around the steering wheel. I don't know if your wrist pain is from carpal tunnel or something else, but maybe this helps. Good luck.

[BillSWPA]

For those of you dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome, I strongly encourage surgery.

Ask around and find out which surgeons in your area are doing the surgery using a small incision at the base of tbe palm. That may not make intuitive sense, but going in that way means having to cut through significantly less to get to the site of the problem. The surgery is done under local anesthetic. You will leave the surgery center with a few stitches and a hand aid.

If the nerve is being compressed, it is being damaged, and eventually the damage will be permanent. Talk to an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hands and arms before this happens.

[BillSWPA]

If the issue is arthritis, ask your doctor if physical therapy might help. I cannot say enough good things about what it has done for my knees.

[HeavyDuty]

Do you wear wrist braces when you sleep at night? I have carpal tunnel in my right wrist and when it is terrible I wear my brace. It's annoying, but it helps with my wrist pain. The doctor told me driving was also bad for aggravating carpal tunnel so I try to keep my thumbs straight and not wrapped around the steering wheel. I don't know if your wrist pain is from carpal tunnel or something else, but maybe this helps. Good luck.

I’ve been wanting to try this.

[HeavyDuty]

For those of you dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome, I strongly encourage surgery.

Ask around and find out which surgeons in your area are doing the surgery using a small incision at the base of tbe palm. That may not make intuitive sense, but going in that way means having to cut through significantly less to get to the site of the problem. The surgery is done under local anesthetic. You will leave the surgery center with a few stitches and a hand aid.

If the nerve is being compressed, it is being damaged, and eventually the damage will be permanent. Talk to an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hands and arms before this happens.

I have some other stuff going on that may be causing this, but as it progresses we are starting to think more carpal tunnel. But, even with this I can handle and shoot my more neutrally gripped pistols with a lot less pain.

I have a message in to Texaspoff now.

[358156hp]

My next step would be to defang a Glock. I've been tempted to buy one and do this anyway, I've tried probably every frame size and cannot get over the grip angle issue. M&Ps and SIGs also work well for me., but if I could only have one, it would be a 1911.

[Rex G]

The dimensions and shape of the grip can be really important. My best “old man guns” are full-sized handguns, that brace firmly against the “heel bone” part of my hand. A Glock 19 not only fails to brace against that part of my hand, but that farthest rear corner of the grip is positioned to dig into a VERY sensitive part of my hand, making a 19 worse than a smaller “baby” Glock. So, my Glocks are now either full-duty-sized, or babies. (Generally, because my right hand has not aged nearly as well as my left hand, I usually only train lefty, with the baby Glocks.)

I retired my one remaining SIG P229 pistol in 2015, my duty P229R DAK, after selling or trading several other P229 variants, starting in late 2011. The rounded profile of the P229 back strap did not brace well against the heel bone area of my hand. I do better with relatively squared-butt pistols. I returned to using 1911 pistols, and to using Gen4 Glocks. I might have been able to bet a more-squared grip set fot he P229, but I also wanted to transition to 9mm, away from .40 S&W, as soon as my chief OK’ed 9mm duty pistols, and also get away from the higher SIG bore axis.

I prefer that my revolvers have squared-butt grips, too.

We all have differing, unique hands, so what works for me may not work for others.

Edited to add: I know that a G17/G45 does not have a “square” butt grip, but it is squared enough, where it needs to be, in order to work for my individual hands.

[HeavyDuty]

A member asked me offline about hand and wrist exercises. I have some exercises that were given me a few years ago by a PT when I had a flare up - unfortunately they haven’t helped. Medical intervention needs to wait for the moment.

[Jim Watson]

None of this happens with more neutral angled pistols like my P30L, PX4s or Beretta 92s.

Am I missing something here? I think I see a simple cure.

[jh9]

I really don’t want to walk away from Glock completely.

To Jim's point: why, though?

Between carry and competition do you not have both angles covered with non-Glock options that don't cause or inflame physical injuries? Why not just transition to those 100% of the time and let the Glocks go?

[HeavyDuty]

Am I missing something here? I think I see a simple cure.


To Jim's point: why, though?

Between carry and competition do you not have both angles covered with non-Glock options that don't cause or inflame physical injuries? Why not just transition to those 100% of the time and let the Glocks go?

Because in every other way Glocks work really well for me. But, I’m finding the HKs and Berettas do, too.

One thing that doesn’t have a direct counterpart for me from other makers is a G19 with comp and RDS. I think it’s worth dehumping one of mine and seeing if it helps.

[Jim Watson]

There is a thread on tarting up a S&W PM&P that, if done to a Compact, would be operationally the same.

[HeavyDuty]

There is a thread on tarting up a S&W PM&P that, if done to a Compact, would be operationally the same.

It would, if I were still comfortable with the M&P. I did my time shooting them. Ergonomically they are great.

[Noah]

I'm only 27, but I have developed the same issue with Glocks. Notable pain in my wrists or forearms and base of my thumbs after a dry or live fire session. I spent a few years with Beretta 92s 2019-2020, then back to Glocks in 2021 since they were lighter and slimmer, then had the pain problem, so went to M&P for the first half of 2022, but couldn't make peace with the fully cocked striker after DA/SA then Glock SCD. Been carrying the PX4s since June.

[Sig_Fiend]

For those with wrist problems and considering treatment, I highly recommend seeing an orthopedic specialist. Also, get a minimum of two opinions from specialists at different businesses. If there's any ambiguity in the diagnosis and if they only did x-rays, you might see if they recommend an MRI for better detail. Your hands are worth it.

With the complexity of a lot of wrist issues, it's amazing how widely diagnoses and recommendations can be. I had one guy take multiple visits to come to the conclusion that one of my wrists might need to be fused. Second opinion from another guy clearly in his prime, within a few minutes and a couple x-rays, determined it was a simple scope procedure. 45min scope procedure later and 10-15yrs of pain was gone. ;) Extensive surgery and reduced function vs. 45min outpatient procedure. LOL ridiculous

One thing I have yet to see anyone discuss anywhere, related to wrist issues and pistols, is "grip aperture" (e.g. skinny circumference grip vs a larger one) vs strength and endurance. Maybe the size and weight differences between most handguns are too small to matter. That said, it does make me think a bit about barbells and the difference between a standard olympic spec barbell diameter vs. a fat bar. For example, given specific grip tension, might it make a difference for someone whether that same level of tension was at a much smaller grip aperture size vs a larger one? I'm no doctor but, I wonder if that grip force at different positions of tendon and extensor flex can have an effect on exacerbating certain wrist/hand issues. In my case, I shoot P30's just fine but, I find the USP grip feels a bit easier on my hands due to the larger circumference of the grip. It's for that reason I really hope HK releases an arched backstrap option, P2K style. I am excited they appear to have one coming for the VP9 at least.

[Joe in PNG]

For my hands, I find that the corner of the square Glock 19 grip really, really digs into the basal joint of my thumb. It's a problem I don't have with my Beretta 92 or 1911.

[PX4 Storm Tracker]

For those with wrist problems and considering treatment, I highly recommend seeing an orthopedic specialist. Also, get a minimum of two opinions from specialists at different businesses. If there's any ambiguity in the diagnosis and if they only did x-rays, you might see if they recommend an MRI for better detail. Your hands are worth it.

With the complexity of a lot of wrist issues, it's amazing how widely diagnoses and recommendations can be. I had one guy take multiple visits to come to the conclusion that one of my wrists might need to be fused. Second opinion from another guy clearly in his prime, within a few minutes and a couple x-rays, determined it was a simple scope procedure. 45min scope procedure later and 10-15yrs of pain was gone. ;) Extensive surgery and reduced function vs. 45min outpatient procedure. LOL ridiculous

One thing I have yet to see anyone discuss anywhere, related to wrist issues and pistols, is "grip aperture" (e.g. skinny circumference grip vs a larger one) vs strength and endurance. Maybe the size and weight differences between most handguns are too small to matter. That said, it does make me think a bit about barbells and the difference between a standard olympic spec barbell diameter vs. a fat bar. For example, given specific grip tension, might it make a difference for someone whether that same level of tension was at a much smaller grip aperture size vs a larger one? I'm no doctor but, I wonder if that grip force at different positions of tendon and extensor flex can have an effect on exacerbating certain wrist/hand issues. In my case, I shoot P30's just fine but, I find the USP grip feels a bit easier on my hands due to the larger circumference of the grip. It's for that reason I really hope HK releases an arched backstrap option, P2K style. I am excited they appear to have one coming for the VP9 at least.

In addition to this excellent information, I think that what a person has done with their hands on a regular basis will contribute to whether or not a tighter fist or a loser, bigger grip would affect different people differently.
If one has been accustomed to grabbing tools or things that make the fist smaller, he might have built tendon strength or endurance in those areas. If there are those that have lifted things or found that their hands are more open in the grabbing, they might have developed tensile strength in those areas.

Also tendon support can be better when the hand is more closed. Since tendons do not have their own blood flow and need movement of the muscles for blood flow, there are a lot of factors involved.

[GJM]

Just the other day, I took the slides off a 19 and 45. With the slides off, and holding the frames loosely in your hand, it is easy to see how the hump on the 17/45 causes it to point higher than a 19 in my hands.

[HeavyDuty]

This seems to be a common problem. In my case I have baseline nearly constant pain at the base of my thumbs, the doc still thinks this part might be from the C4-C7 issue. But I have additional wrist pain that he thinks is atypical for the cervical issue. We are taking a wait and see attitude at this point.

Yesterday’s range trip was interesting. In the recent past, when I was concentrating on G19s I’d be hurting pretty bad by about 200 rounds. I did more than that with my P30SK and P30L with no pain, and then the final 50 with my G26 was no problem.

There’s some fantastic information in this thread - thank you!

[Bernomad]

I had bad wrist pain for years. I finally gave up on steroid shots in the wrist. I saw an orthopedic surgeon who recommended proximal row carpectomy, PRC. I had bone on bone rubbing around in my wrist. They removed three little bones in there and I no longer have pain. I have all my wrist strength back and most of my mobility. I wasn’t able to shoot for a couple months in recovery. Saved a bundle on ammo though.

[JSGlock34]

I went through a period of wrist issues, and while I thought shooting exacerbated the problem, what solved it was making alterations in my work setup (such as using an ergonomic keyboard, periodically resting, adding some wrist stretches). I spend far more time on the keyboard than on the range.

[HeavyDuty]

I have both a PM and an email in to Texaspoff to see about having a G19 dehumped as an experiment.

[Texaspoff]

I have both a PM and an email in to Texaspoff to see about having a G19 dehumped as an experiment.


Sent you a PM my friend.




TXPO

[JAH 3rd]

I'm only 27, but I have developed the same issue with Glocks. Notable pain in my wrists or forearms and base of my thumbs after a dry or live fire session. I spent a few years with Beretta 92s 2019-2020, then back to Glocks in 2021 since they were lighter and slimmer, then had the pain problem, so went to M&P for the first half of 2022, but couldn't make peace with the fully cocked striker after DA/SA then Glock SCD. Been carrying the PX4s since June.

I have a PX4 compact in 9mm. I put in the Beretta D-spring (EU00043) for the PX4 and it made a world of difference. Not only a lighter trigger pull, stable sight picture, and 100% function in all aspects since adding the D-spring. Best upgrade for the buck.

[HeavyDuty]

I have a PX4 compact in 9mm. I put in the Beretta D-spring (EU00043) for the PX4 and it made a world of difference. Not only a lighter trigger pull, stable sight picture, and 100% function in all aspects since adding the D-spring. Best upgrade for the buck.

I agree with this! I also added a LTT trigger bar.

[Noah]

I have a PX4 compact in 9mm. I put in the Beretta D-spring (EU00043) for the PX4 and it made a world of difference. Not only a lighter trigger pull, stable sight picture, and 100% function in all aspects since adding the D-spring. Best upgrade for the buck.

I've got LTT 11lb hammer springs and LTT triggers bars in both guns, and the full has a full LTT TJIB. A bone Stock PX4 has a decent trigger already, a D spring (which comes in a retail PX4CC) makes it even better, but the LTT springs and bar or TJIB make it rhe best trigger I've ever felt, in both DA and SA

[PX4 Storm Tracker]

...a D spring (which comes in a retail PX4CC)...

When did they start putting a D spring in a Compact Carry from the factory? Is this new this year? It had always come with a competition trigger group, which uses a coated, but full strength hammer spring.

[Noah]

When did they start putting a D spring in a Compact Carry from the factory? Is this new this year? It had always come with a competition trigger group, which uses a coated, but full strength hammer spring.

In that case, I'm probably just wrong :D

[PX4 Storm Tracker]

In that case, I'm probably just wrong :D

I think it was a rumor that had gone around for a while when the Compact Carry first came out.

[Noah]

I think it was a rumor that had gone around for a while when the Compact Carry first came out.

So THAT'S what I get for reading all the dead 100 page Beretta threads on Pistol Forum the last time I had the flu??

[PX4 Storm Tracker]

So THAT'S what I get for reading all the dead 100 page Beretta threads on Pistol Forum the last time I had the flu??

Your false information immune system must have been weakened that day.

[maximus83]

The talk around people having better success/less pain with various pistol models, makes you wonder how the Sig P365 Macro fares in this area. Compared to say a G19.

Has anyone who's run both and had past episodes of wrist pain, noticed a difference?

[Rodney Ledbetter]

I never had the best wrists. Took Shivworks EWO in 2019 and afterwards my wrists were trashed. After about 8 months of healing I started doing pushups.
After about 20,000 pushups wrists were solid. I don't do them as much any more or keep as good of records but I'm at over 40,000 pushups since staring.
Wrists are good to go.

[Spartan1980]

The talk around people having better success/less pain with various pistol models, makes you wonder how the Sig P365 Macro fares in this area. Compared to say a G19.

Has anyone who's run both and had past episodes of wrist pain, noticed a difference?

Can’t speak to the 365 series specifically but I have P229s, along with M&Ps, HK, 1911s, and a CZ. None of those work my wrists like my Glocks.


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