About 2 months ago I started getting a nagging ache in my draw fingers - mostly the middle and especially the ring finger. There was no range of motion issues, and the fingers weren't painful during normal activities. I quit shooting and went to a hand doctor. He took some x-rays, which turned up nothing. He basically suggested tendonitis. The physical therapist made me custom splints, which I wore religiously for 2 months. I also iced and took NSAIDS multiple times per day. Needless to say, it's been torture not shooting, but I made a vow to rest it even longer than they suggested. Alas, 2 months later, chomping at the bit to shoot, I let fly about 10 arrows and the pain was actually *worse* than when it first started 2 months ago. Previously it had been a nagging ache, but now it is actually slightly painful. Very discouraging to say the least. While taking time off I diagnosed a few things to try to take stress off these fingers: an even deeper grip, lowering my elbow, a thicker glove, etc. But I didn't even get a chance to try.
My only theory as to how the pain could have possibly gotten worse after 2 months rest is that I went overboard with splinting and icing, atrophying the muscles. The fingers definitely started feeling stiff after a while. I am going to try a different approach at this point: no more splinting and more massaging and strengthening exercises, as long as there's no acute pain.
I read a few other threads about similar issues ... just wondering if anyone else wanted to chime in on fingers, or this phenomenon of an injury getting worse after rest. I'm a bit desperate at this point and worried this will be a long-term issue. With hunting season around the corner I am also concerned about being out of practice.