Arthritis in neck, a real PITA !!

[fx77]

Can I use it with kidney disease and high BP?
Isn't Voltaren a cream? If so, I have some in Perscription strength.

Not advisable
It is both a topical gel and a pill
Both however are absorbed. Best ask your Physician. Risk benefit ratio

 

[akajun]

Physical therapy, traction, and mobility exercises. My neck is all jacked up with arthritis at 35 from years of sports, martial arts, and vehicle accidents. Was so bad it would lock up my left arm
my gym is connected to a PT who stated me off with dry needling and manipulation / adjustments to get it busted loose, then showed me several stretches, exercises, and rolling out things to do to loosen up the traps, shoulders and arms to stop the muscles from pulling your neck down
I roll my traps out daily with a barbell, lats and scaps with a foam roller.
He also prescribed a Saunders traction device to use at home.
I’m 48 now and have still not have the fusion surgery they were telling me I would eventually get. I still workout, shoot prone, and live life normally.
Find a good PT to get you moving again

 

[Shooter13]

Consider offset rings. C6and C7 surgery forced me to use them.

Harrells has offset rings, they work wonders and you don't have to cant scope!

 

[Herzo]

Is there a prismatic scope out there that would allow offset viewing with the objective centered over the bore?

 

[Retired shooter]

Just did the first series of test shots yesterday , like Powder Brake. Spinal stenosis
C4 C5 & C6 . Short acting med. Lidocaine I believe. Worked for maybe 3 / 4 hours. 95% improvement. Now waiting for second series shots. Then nerve ablation. 6 areas. Voltaren and or Lidocaine patches on neck work well.
600 milligram. Gabapentin 3 to 4 times a day no fun.
Shoot from bench works well.

Getting old socks, & ain't for sissies. !!

 

[Dave M.]

I've gotten to a point where I can't get a full image thru the scope. I have to cock my head far to the right. I can't hold that position but a few seconds without severe pain. Even then I only get about 1/2 the correct sight picture.
Went to Dr. He shot x rays and said I have Arthritis in my neck.
I've tried changing my body position, cheek riser height, etc etc. Nothing helps. Going to range today to try shooting off the bench. Maybe I won't have to bend my neck as much as in prone. This sucks.

Anyone have a similar situation?
What did you do about it?

I can't take Ibuprofen due to Kidney disease, can't load up on asprin due to BP meds.

Take two aleive and get some biofreeze or china gel to rub on it one hour before doing anything strenuous with your neck. Arthritis is a bitch and every day brings something new.
Dave

 

[Dave M.]

Just did the first series of test shots yesterday , like Powder Brake. Spinal stenosis
C4 C5 & C6 . Short acting med. Lidocaine I believe. Worked for maybe 3 / 4 hours. 95% improvement. Now waiting for second series shots. Then nerve ablation. 6 areas. Voltaren and or Lidocaine patches on neck work well.
600 milligram. Gabapentin 3 to 4 times a day no fun.
Shoot from bench works well.

Getting old socks, & ain't for sissies. !!

Had C5-C6 neck fusion 7 years ago, and two back surgeries in the last 10 years. Radio frequency ablation on several back nerves over the past 5 years.

 

[DiffEQ]

I have RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) that essentially cripples the whole body. Last two years have made my shooting far more challenging. My solution...

...a steroid pill and Gabopentin.

For your neck: blue emu oil or DMSO.
Exercise : yoga stretches. I kid you not.
Sleeping : sleep on the floor with minimal padding and not much pillow fluff.

I too have Rheumatoid arthritis, since 1993.
I have always managed it with diet and exercise. It got so bad last year, my doc wanted to put me in Remicaid, a chemo drug. I thought, I'm not doing *my* part. I went cold turkey on coffee, cut my sugar and wheat consumption down to 25% if what it used to be. Rarely drink sugar sodas and absolutely never to diet or energy drinks. Now I pay attention to what makes me feel bloated when I eat, and restrict the ones that make me feel bloated.
Lost a bunch of weight and now I feel great. My stiffness and aching bones are gone.
You may say "no way!" to sleeping on the floor. I broke my L5 when I was 20 and have undergone years of PT for neck injuries.
Whenever my back or neck get out of whack, I'll sleep on the floor (just a simple camping bed roll), and my neck and spine will naturally realign. It works.

 

[RRoe]

I've got the same problem a stiff neck hurts to lean over to the right RANDOLPH MACHINE makes a off set ring that's 1 1/2 to the left of the gun I'm a right hand shooter all I do raise my head up look straight ahead no leaning kanking none of that stuff all for 100. Best I've spent in a long time hope this helps you

 

[RRoe]

Going to range tomorrow I'll post picture of my set up

 

[ISS]

Bette Davis once said "gettin' old ain't for sissies...". I am beginning to believe her.
Compression Fracture of L3 in February of 2022. VA missed diagnosis. I can still shoot a few rounds offhand, but bench is my new best friend. Burnt a little charcoal today with my Shiloh 50-90 OH. I spent more time scrubbing the black powder residue out of the barrel and soaking/cleaning the brass than shooting.
Pistol shooting is less of an issue, especially since I got the 7 and 9 year old great nephews to scrounge brass. I bought them 10-22's for a combined Birthday present at end of school in May. They keep me young...

ISS

 

[K22]

I haven't been able to shoot in the prone position for many years due to a lower spinal condition which has been aggravated by arthritis. Been through the specialist routines and the bottom line they told me is that there is very little surgically they can do for my condition.

With arthritis, properly design exercises by a medical professional can help. It has helped me tolerate the pain and keeps me limber and somewhat active.

Regarding shooting, perhaps this not a specific solution to your shooting discipline but the principle applies. I started shooting off a chair and shooting stick many years ago. This creates zero stress on my back. Since I am a varmint hunter, this also offered an additional benefit of giving me a greater range of vision and more shot opportunities. It is not a stable as prone and it took me a while before I became proficient, but this change enabled me to remain active in my discipline.

So perhaps you can find a shooting position / style that will keep you in some phase of the sport. I would experiment with different positions and find one that is comfortable then adopt a shooting discipline that is compatible with that position, even if it is just recreational shooting, it's still keeps you in the sport and you may even enjoy it more without all the match pressure.

 

[338 Mollett]

I need to invent an angled eye piece for scopes .

 

[RRoe]

Here's a picture of a pair of 1" by 1 1/2 off set form RANDOLPH maybe this will help you it did me

 

[Downhill]

Spent 38 years looking down at the pretty blue light through a 2"x4" window. The old welders neck does not like prone anymore. Need some type of horizontal periscope. My fix is Iboprofen. Just take it before needing to bend my neck up for a match then cold beer after the match.

 

[Bill Clifton]

I have to shoot from bench because of 4 levels of neck fusion and severe arthritis on top of that. It sucks because I don't feel like it's nearly as solid and consistent shooting position but got to play the hand we're dealt.

 

[D Coots]

Right, look around, it makes you feel lucky.

 

[BountyHunter]

two neck surgeries and 4 fused vertabra. My pain management doctor used botox injections(mine lasted 3 months) and then finally figured out where to give a steroid injection that has lasted a year. See a pain management doctor.

 

[n.c.outlaw2024]

op, i get visits from uncle art in my knees and should. hurts like dickens. i can only imagine how painful it is in your neck. good luck and god bless.

 

[mike mccormick]

Just did the first series of test shots yesterday , like Powder Brake. Spinal stenosis
C4 C5 & C6 . Short acting med. Lidocaine I believe. Worked for maybe 3 / 4 hours. 95% improvement. Now waiting for second series shots. Then nerve ablation. 6 areas. Voltaren and or Lidocaine patches on neck work well.
600 milligram. Gabapentin 3 to 4 times a day no fun.
Shoot from bench works well.

Getting old socks, & ain't for sissies. !!

That gabapentin is a brain eraser. I took it for a year. Had to carry a notepad and write down every thought, or it was gone. Took a long time afterwards to come back. Still forgetful now.