Gun recoil injury prevention

Posted: November 4, 2024

If you're new to hunting and are worried about your gun's recoil because of shoulder or arm injury, worry not. While recoil is common, the risk of and likelihood of injury from recoil can be reduced using firearm safety tips. Recoil is the reaction of the firearm due to the force on a bullet as it's launching forward. The recoil creates backward movement of the firearm toward the shooter's body when the trigger is pulled. "A gun you use for deer hunting is probably not going to cause serious recoil injury to your shoulder or arm," said Dr. Warren Dunn, orthopedic surgeon with Marshfield Clinic Health System.

Does gun recoil hurt?

Gun recoil could hurt, but the risk of serious injury is low for many hunters. [caption id="attachment_18832" align="alignright" width="450"] While recoil is common, the risk of and likelihood of injury from recoil can be reduced using firearm safety tips.[/caption] "Realistically, there aren't that many recoil injuries a hunter could suffer, unless they're involved in a lot of shooting in the field or on the range," said Dr. Dunn. Repeated impact can cause bruising, tendonitis and shoulder bursitis. Repeated recoils over time can also cause wrist, back and elbow pain. "Improper form while using your firearm may escalate the worsening of a condition or the pain you are noticing," said Dr. Dunn. "If you aren't aligning your foot properly, you may notice knee or back pain."

Gun recoil injury treatment

The best and easiest treatment for these conditions is rest. Think of the word RICE when treating a bruise.

• R: Rest the area
• I: Immediately apply an ice pack to the hurt area
• C: Use compression on the area with an elastic bandage (if needed), but do not make it too tight that it would restrict blood flow. Another option is to put pressure on the ice pack when holding it to the impacted area.
• E: Elevate the injured area, if possible.

If that doesn't work, you may need to talk to your doctor about physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, and in some cases a cortisone injection. "This applies to standard-size humans with standard-size weapons but if you're going to Africa for big game hunting using really large-caliber guns, that's a different world. These guns have higher risk of causing injury without taking many shots," said Dr. Dunn.

How to shoot a rifle without hurting your shoulder

For the typical deer hunter:

• Don't over-caliber for the game you shoot at. You don't need major magnum rifles for white-tailed deer.
• Press the rifle firmly against your shoulder. Severe bruising or even a broken collar bone can result from holding a hard-kicking rifle away from your shoulder.
• Check into accessories such as a recoil pad or padded shooting vest. These can provide additional padding between the firearm and your shoulder to reduce the amount of felt recoil and to prevent slippage on the shooter's clothing while aiming.
• If you do a lot of range shooting, consider investing in a device that holds the weapon in place.

"For new hunters, familiarize yourself with the proper shooting stance and technique," said Dr. Dunn. "Not using proper form increases your risk of pain or injury from recoil." Have fun hunting, but if you do feel shoulder pain, give it a rest. [divider]

For shoulder injury help, talk to a Marshfield Clinic Health System provider.

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