Finger pain

[David Coulter]

#126357

Hi folks,

I’m having some pain in the first knuckle of my middle finger on my string hand. I’ll be getting checked out by my chiropractor who comes from a sports / trainer background. I known it’s not due to getting older…. nope, nope. Certainly it could have to due with form I suspect. I thought I should check here to see if anyone has any ideas from an coaching or form perspective.

By the way, I’m shooting a 62 inch, 46# r/d longbow with a black widow glove, which is fairly heavy. I used to shoot with a duraglove and it seemed my fingers needed a little more padding.

All the best to you, david

[Stephen Graf]

#126360

David,

Sorry to hear about your finger.  I’ve been through a few finger episodes myself.

For clarification,  By “first joint”, do you mean the one closest to the end of your finger, or closest to your palm?  I’m guessing you are talking about the joint that takes the string.

If that joint is suffering from shooting, it means that it is doing most of the work during the draw.  Ideally, the load should be evenly distributed between the 3 fingers.

Ray Axford, in his book Archery Anatomy, suggests picking the string up with the first and third finger, putting a slight load on the hand, and then picking the string up with the middle finger.  I’ve found this method helpful as I tend to have a lazy index finger.

[David Coulter]

#126404

Hi Steve, I figured you would have an idea for me. Thank you very much. I’m going to give the finger a couple days. My chiropractor did  some work on the finger and my forearm. He suggested that I should increase fluid intake as joints can suffer due to dehydration. What he did has offered some relief. I also discussed that I switched from a thin Duraglove to a heavier StickTight glove. With the heavier glove I get more protection but can’t curl my fingers as in as much of a hook. Perhaps there some extra leverage or pressure when I can’t curl my fingers. He suggested alternating gloves to see if that helps. I’ll definitely try what you have recommended. I appreciate your help. Thanks! David

[David Coulter]

#126410

I picked Archery Anatomy off the shelf and found the section on drawing hand and proper string location. I see the recommendation for settling the load in the first and third fingers before the middle finger.  Seems that I saw or read somewhere that the load is on the joint of first two fingers and the pad of the third. I think that’s what I do and is why the pad of the third or ring finger is sometimes sore and callused. Thanks for the tip and reminding me of that book. Good stuff. Best, dwc

[Stephen Graf]

#126414

Your welcome! Hope it helps.

One the interesting things he observed in the book was that if you have a callus somewhere on your hand from the string, it means the string is rubbing that spot.  Which in turn means the finger isn’t leaving the string correctly.

I used to have a monster callus on my ring finger.  Since learning to better balance my fingers, that callus has diminished significantly.

[David Coulter]

#126419

Steve, I have a small callus on my ring finger. That finger was getting tender and that’s why I switched to a heavier glove. I shot a few arrows this morning. With the lighter Duraglove, which feels really thin now, I can bend my fingers into a deep hook and use all three fingers more evenly. With the heavier glove I now see how I’m not curling my fingers around the string.

I’ll be doing some blank bale for awhile now focusing on my string fingers.

thanks your four help! Happy Fourth,

dwc

 

[Ralph]

#126428

For what little it may be of use David, I’ve found that a stiffer glove tends to hang a tad more on my middle finger and it is pulled more upon release.

Just me sayin!

Also it seems to help me a lot when I keep my middle finger to myself.

[David Coulter]

#126569

R2, straightening out that finger only provide temporary relief….   Deep hook and drawing down into my back helps a lot so far. Best to ya, d w c

[grumpy]

#126609

Cut off the offending finger.
Pete

[Stephen Graf]

#126618

Grumpy,  Is that why you have no appendages to spare?

[David Coulter]

#126619

Grumpy, I hope all that sawdust you made wasn’t red.  I’ll have to look for photos of those new hickory bows. Dc

[David Coulter]

#126838

Checking back in on the finger pain. That finger is a little stiff, but the pain is pretty much gone. I bought a Damascus glove to try. It’s very similar to the Duraglove in feel. I like it. Keeping a very deep hook while I shoot. Feels better and shoots better, too. best, dwc

[EJK]

#128095

I have the same issue going on as David. I use a Bateman cordovan tab, split finger, with a spacer.  I do have equal callusing on index and middle fingers. So, more finger curl on the string may help with this? I do like less curl (but just enough to keep the string there) because the middle finger goes right into the corner of my mouth better. So far, the joint discomfort there is slight, but I wouldn’t want it to start getting worse as time goes on.

[David Coulter]

#128100

EJK, for me it always seemed counterintuitive, but the deeper the hook the better. By that I mean first joint from the tip and a good curl. You might find the first knuckle a good anchor reference. For me, it’s a regular reminder. I get lazy and relax my fingers. Accuracy suffers and so do my fingers and then I remember to fix my hook. I started getting a sore finger tip on my middle finger. To take some pressure off I lowered my drawing elbow which also helped my back tension which also increased my accuracy. All good stuff.

Listen to Steve and Moebow and Jeff Kavanagh and Jimmy Blackmon.  And keep having fun. Best, dwc

[David Coulter]

#128676

I got rid of the pain in my middle finger on my string hand. Now, I’m having some discomfort on the tip of my ring finger. I’m sure it’s a form issue, maybe elbow too high. I’m concentrating on using a deep hook. Any thoughts? Thank you, dwc

[Don Thomas]

#128683

I’ll come out of retirement for a bit and put my doctor hat back on. It’s not possible for me to identify the problem on the basis of the info here, but I can tell you that the first thing you need, as in all these situations, is an accurate diagnosis. These problems could be due to any number of things and may not be due to archery at all. If it’s not that big a deal and you’re making progress doing the things you’re doing, great. If not, you should see a physician who can sort out among many possible problems: arthritis, ganglion cyst, tenosynovitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and on and on. My medical advice is worth every cent you guys pay for it. Don

[Stephen Graf]

#128687

David,

Assuming that you heed Don’s advice, and it turns out that shooting is causing the problem, then the following might help…

Earlier in the thread I think you mentioned you switched to a damascus glove.  When I shot a damascus glove, I had to add some leather to the ring finger.  I turned the glove inside out and glued a strip of deer hide to the inside of the glove where the string was rubbing my finger.

The problem is due to uneven pressure on the fingers.  As you surmised, it is a form issue.  Good form results from a good match between shooter and bow.  No matter how hard we try, we may not be able to get even pressure on our fingers based on the tiller of the bow.  It’s not that the bow is poorly tillered, it just may not be tillered for the way you shoot and how your body is put together.  That said, if your bow is adjustable, you can relieve some of the problem by making the tiller more positive.

Another problem that arrises is finger timing.  What I mean by that is that your fingers don’t leave the string together and so the last one to leave gets whipped bad.  This can be caused by muscle antagonism between the muscles that close and open your fingers.  Here is an exercise I developed to help me eliminate finger muscle antagonism and to form a better lock and cleaner release:

1. Hold your hand so that you are looking at the top edge of your hand with fingers straight.  Place your thumb along the top of your hand.
2. Keeping your fingers straight, Fold your fingers  down until they cover your palm (at some point your fingers will have to start bending so that the tips touch your palm)
3. drag your finger tips along your palm as you move your fingers into a hooked position to take the string.  At the same time, keep your pinky curled up and out of the way.

If you do it right, you should feel that your fingers naturally stay in a hook without a lot of effort to hold them.  The more you do this exercise, the more natural it will feel to take a hook without the normal antagonism we feel.

I do this exercise when I watch TV or drive or whenever I am not too busy.  At first I did it a lot.  Eventually I just did it every now and again through the day.  I found that this exercise helped me eliminate string torque as well as reduce the wear and tear on my fingers.

Finally, I have found this glove to work well at protecting the fingers and giving a clean release:

https://www.3riversarchery.com/cordovan-traditional-archery-shooting-glove.html

Go down 1 size from whatever works with a damascus glove.  You will likely need to add stitches to the glove to tighten it up eventually.  If you do try it, you will likely freak out the first time you shoot it.  Take a breath and force yourself to shoot it another 20 times.  Then you will see what I mean.

hopefully one of these suggestions will help 🙂

 

[David Coulter]

#128690

Don, thanks for your suggestion and Steve yours also. I tried one of those gloves a few years ago and didn’t like that it was so stiff. I couldn’t get the string close to my face. The pain is just during shooting. When I pull the string it starts in a deep hook and stays there for the top two fingers. The string tends to sort of roll over the meat on my ring finger and it pinches. Concentrating on the deep hook helps. It seems the exercise will help too. I tried it this morning while reading and I can really feel it in my hand and forearm.

I also switched back to my stick tight glove which is heavier. I was using that glove when my middle finger got sore. I’m working harder on keeping a deep hook. I also ordered a Neet tab to try. I tried tabs before and didn’t care for them, but it’s worth a try.

I’m sure this all comes down to operator error. I continue to work on form and will work through this aspect of it. If the pain persists I will have it checked more thoroughly. I do see a chiropractor whose background is sport therapy and he’s also an archer.

Thanks for the comments.  Keep em coming! Best, dc

[Don Thomas]

#128812

David–This now does sound like a problem related to your shooting. May be that you are letting the string roll off your fingers rather than getting a crisp, clean release. Remember Zen in the Art of Archery: the release should be without effort, like the bough of a pine tree springing upward after a load of snow melts and slips from it. I know that sounds a bit over the top, but it’s as good a description of a clean release as I’ve ever heard put into words. You glove could be a contributing factor as well. Personally, I like stiff, heavy fingers in my shooting glove. Takes a little getting used to and breaking in, but it will help the quality of the release as well as saving wear and tear on your fingers. Hang in there. You’ll get it worked out. We’ve all been through some version of it. Don

[David Coulter]

#128832

Don, thanks for your comments.  Yes, the string will roll over the meat on my ring finger when I don’t keep a good deep hook. Laziness, I suppose. I did go back to the heavier stick-tight glove and really curl the hook. That helps tremendously, I just have to remember to do. Practice, practice. It does give me a beautiful release.   I’m also doing the finger exercise that Steve suggested. I like it. It’s part of practice to learn how to fold my fingers. It makes s good combination for those interested in visualization, too. Thanks for the ideas. Much appreciated! Dwc

[Stephen Graf]

#128850

David,

I forgot to mention in the exercise to hold the position obtained in step 3 for 5 or 10 seconds, then repeat.  After several months, your fingers will develop strength you didn’t know you could have, and you won’t have to curl them around the string so much, but can keep the finger tips pointed more to the side than towards the back.  Then real accuracy progress will be made!

 

[David Coulter]

#128865

Beauty, I’m feeling like Popeye already!  Thanks for the tips. It’s making a difference. Happy turkey, dwc

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