Neck injuries and shooting...

[Anonymous]

Looking for a little info...after a long bout with a couple of docs, it turns out I've got some old neck injuries coming back to life and as a result have a degenerating 5/6 disk in my neck. I'd like to avoid surgery as it seems invasive and not really prone to successfully resolve much. I will likely get there eventually but would like to put that off for as long as I possibly can.

Regarding shooting (among a longer list of stuff I should stop doing)-
Doc has strongly suggested that I lay off the hard kickers and stick to softer shooting rifles. Anybody else had a similar issue?

He didn't give me a recoil level to work with but I'm assuming the 375 and up is out....the heavy .270 and down is likely in. Don't know about the lightweight .300...

 

[DrMike]

Spinal osteophytes, narrowing of the foramen and degenerative discs is part of the aging process. Most of these symptoms begin to manifest themselves by the time we reach our forties. Men more commonly have these problems than do women. I have lived with marked scoliosis and an L-step deformation of the spine since my teen years, courtesy of an auto crash. In these later years, I have experienced considerable neck pain at C 6-5. Perhaps I will require surgery eventually; for the moment I control pain with anti-inflammatories. I will put off surgery so long as I can, as any relief is transient at best. I am less concerned about shooting heavy recoiling rifles than I am with cranking my neck into uncomfortable positions. Consequently, I make certain I have good support and a high enough bench to avoid rotating my neck into uncomfortable positions. Thus, I am able to continue to shoot some marvelously heavy recoiling rifles. My days of shooting prone are almost past as I am unable to life my neck enough to comfortably sight the rifle. I can, however, still shoot from sitting and kneeling. Almost always I have been able to find a steady rest that permits me to either stand or sit when shooting game. I do carry shooting sticks and/or a Bog-Pod, which is an aid to accuracy for me. I should think that most of us won't have serious difficulty shooting rifles that produce recoil in the range of 30-35 ft-lbs., which means a lot of rifles to choose from. If the problem precludes such, there is still the reliable 30-06, 300 WSM, 7 RM, 7WSM, 280 Rem, 270 WSM, 270 WBY... Well, you get the idea.

 

[LD375]

Looking for a little info...after a long bout with a couple of docs, it turns out I've got some old neck injuries coming back to life and as a result have a degenerating 5/6 disk in my neck. I'd like to avoid surgery as it seems invasive and not really prone to successfully resolve much. I will likely get there eventually but would like to put that off for as long as I possibly can.

Regarding shooting (among a longer list of stuff I should stop doing)-
Doc has strongly suggested that I lay off the hard kickers and stick to softer shooting rifles. Anybody else had a similar issue?

He didn't give me a recoil level to work with but I'm assuming the 375 and up is out....the heavy .270 and down is likely in. Don't know about the lightweight .300...

Sorry to hear about that..I would go muzzel break for sure!..Lou

 

[Oldtrader3]

I have scoliosis of the neck and have lost 2 inches of height in the past 15 years as a result of this. Plus, I am growing a pronounced hump on my back from this condition.

I also have impacted C2, C3, C4 as the result of a 10 foot fall, landing on my head, when I was a teenager. This has left me with advanced arthritis in my neck and some neuritis and neuralgia as well. I have elected not to have surgery as the scoliosis is too advanced. I have had nerve ablation in my neck (twice) without any success.

One thing that has given me some relief is Lyrica which is a fairly new drug for treating neuralgia and neuritis pain and symptoms. Lyrica has given me a great deal of relief from the neuralgia pain in my neck and associated stiffness as well. It even has restored some range of motion in my neck which I have not had for years. You might consider using Lyrica to give you some relief. It does have some side effects which you need to discuss with your doctor. Mainly with me, it makes me sleepy which is the only side effect that I have. Others may react differently.

 

[Dr. Vette]

My hunting partner (and business partner, another MD) had cervical disc surgery a few years back. He now uses a taller bipod as well as a muzzle brake, and doing this has no issues. He can't get down on a stock when prone like I can, and the higher bipod helps. The brake also helps keep his neck from jostling around.

Patrick

 

[Oldtrader3]

I think that muzzle brakes are a wonderful invention for we older and old injury hampered shooters. They put us back in the game even when our infirmities interfere. I also put a Limbsaver pad on my new Number One, 9.3x74R. I hope that I can shoot it without a brake but will add one if need be.