Pinky Pain

[AaronAbn]

I use a modified power grip with the ring finger stacked on top of my pinky finger (really locked in until disc rips out)- Pads of fingers against rim of disc. Thanks to forum advice and countless hours of field practice, 400' holes became reachable. After a couple months of enoying new distance the pinky pain set in.

It is centered in the outside of the pinky, just above the knuckle in the first finger segment. The pain gets sharp when I put a disc in my hand and I bend my finger down into place on the disc's rim. Still have full range of motion, but hurts to bend finger down with its own force.

Anyone else have finger pain? How do/did you deal with it?

 

[GripEnemy]

Have you tried temporarily not stacking your ring/pinky finger to see if it alleviates the pain?

EDIT: I've gotten FH finger pain before...grip adjustment helped me there.

 

[sidewinder22]

You are probably gripping too tight too early with odd pressure. Only need to grip hard in the power zone for split second and mostly between the thumb and index finger. You should be able to throw nearly as far with two or three finger grip without the pinky. I only lose accuracy without the pinky. Play around with different grips and pressures and timings. You ultimately want something comfortable and controllable.

 

[AaronAbn]

right now it hurts just to put my pinky into position, so am adjusting to a 3 finger grip. timing's off so I'm getting less spin/ distance, but working on it. Still feels foreign.

 

[sidewinder22]

I get more spin with less fingers.

 

[Mulligan McGee]

Is your ring finger actually pressing on your pinky? If it is then your gripping your finger not your disc and thus hurts the pinky.

 

[AaronAbn]

You are probably gripping too tight too early with odd pressure. Only need to grip hard in the power zone for split second and mostly between the thumb and index finger. You should be able to throw nearly as far with two or three finger grip without the pinky. I only lose accuracy without the pinky. Play around with different grips and pressures and timings. You ultimately want something comfortable and controllable.

I think you hit it. I was really gripping hard with from the moment I placed the disc in my hand and that wasn't the healthiest position to lock my pinky down then to have the torque hit it from the disc. That pinky lock was, I'm guessing, compensating for lack of developed timing.

EDIT: This may also be why I'm getting less spin with less fingers.

 

[krooster]

AaronAbn:

I'm curious if you completely overcame your pinky pain. I'm just getting back into disc golf after a few years hiatus. Started using the Feldberg power grip with pinky and index pads against the rim. Was having amazing luck with accuracy and power, but after less than a week of using that grip my pinky started hurting. Can't even get the pinky in the position where the pad is against the rim without pain. Feels like the last joint on the pinky finger needs to be hyper-extended to get the pad against the rim.

I changed my pinky so that the tip is curled under and pressed against the rim, but now I can't get rid of off axis torque.

Seems like having the pad of the pinky finger against the rim may be necessary for me, but I can't throw like that without injuring my pinky finger. So annoying...

 

[notroman]

I had some finger pain in my middle finger after doing a lot of forehand field work earlier this year and I just ignored it and kept playing. It progressively got worse and my joint got super stiff and inflamed. After a day of disc I my finger was usually in a lot of pain. Throwing distance drives, forehand, and any deep rimmed drivers made it worse. Basically any torque on the finger during the rip made it worse.

I read up on it a bunch and I think I may have sprained the finger overdoing the forehand field work and probably made it a lot worse by continuing to play with it like that almost every day. Probably did some damage to my tendon. I'd go get it checked out if you have insurance, at the very least just give it a week or two rest (really, don't throw at all) and let it heal. It could get worse if you just let it be.