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Ankle Carry: Damaging to the nerves???

2538 Views 8 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  bane
My wife has started carrying her P3AT in a Galco ankle holster. She carries pretty much all the time.

However, my wife is starting to doubt her ability to carry (or at least with her current method, ANKLE CARRY). Allow me to explain.

Last night we were at an educational meeting with our Chiropractor last night and learned that even the weight of a quarter placed on your palm for 3 hours can cause nerve DAMAGE. This didn't mean anything to me. But she realized her ANKLE HOLSTER causes some pain and loss of feeling after being worn all day and is now worried about it... so she's trying to figure out how to best bring the subject up with our Chiro. and see what she thinks about it.

Anyone else hear about this sort of thing with ankle holsters and/or have any insights about this issue????
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I've never heard anything like that, but I'm not a doctor either. If your wife wants a medical opinion, she should certainly ask the dr. and the best way to do that is be 100% open about it, show him the gun (unloaded of course, see Doctors and guns don't mix.)
and holster and see what he thinks. And if he says she needs a million dollar operation or something funky, get a second opinion.
What kind of pain are we talking about? Is the holster strapped on too tight or is it an issue of unbalanced weight. I've read where problems can arise from seemingly very small things when it comes to back pain.

...the weight of a quarter? How much does a wedding ring weigh...?
I wouldn't place too much emphasis on what your Chiropractor said, it's crap. Think about all the things you wear all day long: ring, watch, glasses, clothes, belt, shoes. They all stimulate nerves. Eventually the nerve inputs are filtered out by the brain and spinal column (when you forget you are wearing your glasses and search the house frantically), but that is not the same as nerve damage.

If your wife is experiencing pain or numbness, most likely she is cutting off circulation to the nerves or compressing the nerve sheath. If the sheath is compressed for too long you get pain and a reversible disorder, like carpal tunnel - the inflamed sheath may need anti-inflammatory drugs or surgery. If you cut off the blood supply for too long you get numbness (ever woken up in the middle of the night with a dead arm?) which can lead to nerve damage if the nerves are deprived of blood, oxygen and nutrients for too long.

I would seek the advice of a neurologist or orthopedic specialist. I'm not sure I would bring the gun inside the office. I would tell them what's happening, that she would like to continue carrying - perhaps with a different holster or method and then ask them if they would like to see the gun and the way she carries it (you could just leave it in the car and run out to get it) - that way, if they don't want the gun in the office, they don't feel threatened (I know, it's petty, but some people are scared of guns, that's just reality).

I don't have anything against Chiropractors, but I am training to become a physician, so my opinion may be biased. Personally, I have heard too much second-hand garbage about Chiropractic advice that I pay little heed these days. I wish your wife the best and hope she can get this problem sorted out.
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bane said:
t night we were at an educational meeting with our Chiropractor last night and learned that even the weight of a quarter placed on your palm for 3 hours can cause nerve DAMAGE.
That seems very, very unlikely to me. I've held far more weight than that for far longer than that, without injury.

My suggestion is that you ask a doctor. Not a chiropractor, a doctor. Preferably a neurologist, but if you don't have access to one, start with your GP, and get him to research it.
The only time my ankle holster causes me discomfort is if I strap it on too tight. Maybe tell her to try loosening it a bit.
GeneticsDave said:
I wouldn't place too much emphasis on what your Chiropractor said, it's crap. Think about all the things you wear all day long: ring, watch, glasses, clothes, belt, shoes. They all stimulate nerves. Eventually the nerve inputs are filtered out by the brain and spinal column (when you forget you are wearing your glasses and search the house frantically), but that is not the same as nerve damage.
+1

If the holster is causing problems it is due to something else (to tight, pressure points, etc)
First off, I am a chiropractor. Secondly my advice would be to stop wearing the ankle holster or try modifying it. Most likely if she is experiencing loss of sensation, her blood supply is insufficient to her foot and she should cease wearing it. Does this sensation occur if she wears it on her other ankle? I don't think this requires seeking further advice. Most likely she'll just get a prescription for drugs or surgery :wink:
Nate,

Thanks for the feedback (as well as the input from everyone else!).

It's good to hear similar feedback from ANOTHER Chiro. My Chiro. most definitely would NOT prescribe a drug or surgery as she's pretty much strictly opposed to those solutions, at least for Chiro-related stuff.

When our Chiro. first mentioned this my wife hadn't noticed any loss of feeling. But once she heard it she realized that at the end of the day she in fact was feeling loss of feeling. We did as others here recommended, she simply loosened it and accepted wearing it lower on the ankle. She's thinking about buying the calf-suspender for it to help hold it up.

Thanks to all!
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