# Fingers are numb after shooting



## Fury90flier (Jun 27, 2012)

a little is normal starting out--takes a little while for the fingers to get used to the weight of the string pulling across the finger tips. You may want to consider a different tab or modifying the one you have with a little thicker leather/padding.


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Do be careful. Although some temporary numbness is not unheard of for finger shooters, numbness in the extremities can also be a sign of disease. So you may want to consult your doctor if the issue persists. I'm pretty sure most of us on the forum are not medical professionals.

As to more mundane issues, be careful of where you hook the string. I have problems if I hook in the groves of my joints and, instead, use a deep hook on the middle segment of my finger. Also, always shoot with a tab or glove. Coach Vittorio suggests 1mm of tab thickness for each 10lbs of draw weight.


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## Viper1 (Aug 21, 2003)

d - 

A little soreness and later callus formation is normal, numbness or tingling is NOT.
It may be something as simple as soft tissue injury or may even be caused by nerve injury in your arms or neck. 
In either case, do it long enough and it may become permanent. 

Stop shooting until the numbness totally resolves. 

Make sure your tab provides adequate protection; a basic rule of thumb is 1mm of tab thickness for every 10# of draw weight. Also make sure you have the string resting in the first joint/crease of all three fingers, or closer in - and NOT of the finger tips.

Viper1 out.


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## robin smith (Jun 6, 2011)

I had the same problem. I agree that caution is needed, but not pannick get a thicker tab. if you do not have that resource go to a shoe repair shop and get them to cut you a piece of leather to thicken your tab.


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## dchan (Jun 29, 2004)

dacpac said:


> After shooting for a while my fingers become numb, should I rest? Or is it normal for them to become numb?


More information about you would help as well.

See sticky thread at the top of this forum. here.


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## dacpac (Sep 26, 2013)

Warbow said:


> Do be careful. Although some temporary numbness is not unheard of for finger shooters, numbness in the extremities can also be a sign of disease. So you may want to consult your doctor if the issue persists. I'm pretty sure most of us on the forum are not medical professionals.
> 
> As to more mundane issues, be careful of where you hook the string. I have problems if I hook in the groves of my joints and, instead, use a deep hook on the middle segment of my finger. Also, always shoot with a tab or glove. Coach Vittorio suggests 1mm of tab thickness for each 10lbs of draw weight.


the tab that i use, when i use two layers my finger gets numb, but when i usethree layers my ring finger slips when i am holding and it is hard to anchor


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## Viper1 (Aug 21, 2003)

d - 

Probably means you're not hooking the string properly.

We are, of course, assuming that you are using 3 standard thickness layers and not 3 1/4" slabs of cow hide!
Seriously, better to learn how to better engage the string than risk soft tissue injury or let a bigger problem go unnoticed. 

Viper1 out.


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## Secant (Mar 29, 2013)

I used to have the numbness at the tip/finger pad of my ring finger when I started. A few things that I found helped: 
-Correct hook like Viper1 was saying, elbow angle/height made a difference for me on the hook and distribution on each finger
-Got a better tab with more layers
-I would use sport tape on the ring finger (still do sometimes and seems it became part of my form and shoot better with it, but finger tough enough now without numbness)
-Moved up to longer length bow (eventually) so there was less pinch on the ring finger, but no numbness on the old bow these days, so form adjustment and callous helped resolve

I have a callous on the ring finger now and the tape is optional and have not hand numbness for years. Maybe some of those help? But fingertip numbness means nerve compression in the finger tips and if you do it long enough it can be permanent. Mine wore off over about 2-3 months, while shooting with the tape to avoid further damage. Good luck!


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## Thin Man (Feb 18, 2012)

"Two layers" of "X" material may vary in protection depending upon the material. 

A single layer of cordovan leather can measure 2 to 2.5 mm. I use a homemade double layer of cordovan and it measures an average thickness of 4.5 mm and is very protective with my bows. 

Some of the cordovan tabs come with a thinner second layer, such as suede or rubber. So you may have a thinner and less protective "double layer" than you would otherwise have with different materials. 

For a while I used a homemade double cowhide leather tab, each layer being an 8 oz. thickness (about 1/8"). So this tab had 1/4" inches (about 6 mm) on my fingers. Very protective, as well, and not as clumsy as you would imagine it to be during the shot.

Cordovan is a very flexible, yet firm leather. You can get a cordovan tab like the AAE Cavalier, along with an additional extra cordovan face replacement, and replace the backing layers with the extra layer of cordovan to end up with a quite protective, though comfortable, tab. 

Do a search for the "deep hook" across the forum. This configuration alone will solve many draw hand problems. Cordovan layers will probably solve the rest. 

Numbness ain't allowed on my fingers ... no way.

Good luck.


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## dacpac (Sep 26, 2013)

Viper1 said:


> d -
> 
> Probably means you're not hooking the string properly.
> 
> ...


so what would be the best way to hook and how high should by draw elbow be? My finger tab is 3.9 mm in the thinnest part and 4.3 at the thickest part and i am pulling around 37 pounds. i use one layer of cordavan and two pieces of suede backing from AAE


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## ArrowCrazy (Feb 25, 2011)

All the advice above and you could try this:

I use a thin tab and get some numbness (middle finger distal joint) after a long shooting session unless I cushion the joint with a bandaid. Just apply with the pad in the string groove of your finger and flex your fingers before you apply the loose end. Keeps it from being too tight as your finger(s) naturally flex and hold the string when drawing. 

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2


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## bradd7 (Oct 17, 2008)

Search the net for 'deep hook' or look at the KSL website to see where/how the string should be placed on your fingers. Things can happen if your string grip is too tight and the back of the hand not relaxed too and this type of grip helps with that as well.


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## Clarsach (Aug 18, 2012)

I had the same problem recently. In fact it got to the point where I had numbness in the tip of the middle finger that wouldn't go away. It started with tingling in the finger tip after shooting for awhile, and then progressed to persistent, continuous numbness. 

I added a second layer of suede to my tab and also started wrapping my middle finger in that cushy medical tape, and that helped slightly but it was still not going away. I cut down my practice to once a week and took a break from practicing music (i'm a musician on the side as well) but still no dice.

But in the end it turned out that the real problem was my computer, not archery or music. It's just that bad ergonomics with my computer set up was causing issues, but archery was just enough push the problem over the ledge to where I noticed it.

I had an ergonomicist / Chiropractor come and reconfigure my computer workstation based on my own physiology and build. He also gave me exercises and guidelines for working at the computer. Even while still practicing archery once a week the numbness was gone in less than two weeks and now it's been almost two months without any problems even back to my regular practice schedule. That's actually surprisingly fast because these kinds of problems typically take a very long time to alleviate even when you do start doing everything right.

Doing both IS work and music my hands are both important to me and do a lot of work requiring fine motor skills. I don't mess around when it comes to them. Take a look at everything that you do that puts strain on your hands. It is cumulative and you may find that the real problem isn't what you think it is at first. 

Bringing in an ergonomicist was the best decision I made. It was well worth it. Don't take chances, have an expert who knows what they are doing check you out before it is too late.


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## dylpickleeeeeee (Jun 6, 2013)

bradd7 said:


> Search the net for 'deep hook' or look at the KSL website to see where/how the string should be placed on your fingers. Things can happen if your string grip is too tight and the back of the hand not relaxed too and this type of grip helps with that as well.


When I hook, I hook with the string on the first joint of my pointer finger and behind the joint on the middle finger and on the tip of my last finger. I think it could be that my hand isn't relaxed. I have been pulling 37 before and my fingers being numb was never a problem until a couple days ago


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## Georgemay (May 27, 2008)

Just a shot in the dark: Could it be that your finger tab is trimmed to short and string gets in contact with fingers during release?
GM


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## dylpickleeeeeee (Jun 6, 2013)

Georgemay said:


> Just a shot in the dark: Could it be that your finger tab is trimmed to short and string gets in contact with fingers during release?
> GM


I'm pretty sure it isn't because I never trimmed my finger tab so it is still full length and when I hook the leather can cover my fingers all the way


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## dchan (Jun 29, 2004)

dylpickleeeeeee said:


> When I hook, I hook with the string on the first joint of my pointer finger and behind the joint on the middle finger and on the tip of my last finger. I think it could be that my hand isn't relaxed. I have been pulling 37 before and my fingers being numb was never a problem until a couple days ago


37 lbs is a lot of weight for a newish shooter (and I use this term loosely). Just because it didn't hurt before doesn't mean no nerve damage.
It can be cumulative and you finally pushed it over the threshold.


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## dacpac (Sep 26, 2013)

dchan said:


> 37 lbs is a lot of weight for a newish shooter (and I use this term loosely). Just because it didn't hurt before doesn't mean no nerve damage.
> It can be cumulative and you finally pushed it over the threshold.


So what do you recommend To be done? go back down in weight or should I take a rest until I don't feel anything to start shooting again? I think I have the same problem tht dylpickle has


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## dylpickleeeeeee (Jun 6, 2013)

dchan said:


> 37 lbs is a lot of weight for a newish shooter (and I use this term loosely). Just because it didn't hurt before doesn't mean no nerve damage.
> It can be cumulative and you finally pushed it over the threshold.


Could it be because I'm not drawing the right way as mentioned above?


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