A few years ago I was playing a gig with the band I was with near Columbus OH (I play bass guitar in a classic rock band), and after the show, a guy came up to tell us how much he enjoyed our show, grabbed my right hand and squeezed it so hard he dropped me to my knees, involuntarily. I thought he broke my hand. I have rheumatiod arthritis in both hands, so they're sensitive anyway, but this was insane. I yelled at him, asking him what ever possessed him to grip a guitar player's hand that hard. He was a little shocked, and stammered to apologize, but by then I was so mad, and in so much pain, all I could do was basically chew him out for being so stupid and thoughtless. I basically told him that he should NEVER shake a guitarist's hand like that, or squeeze that hard, because of the damage it could cause. I told him, "Do you realize you could end a guitarist's career with an handshake like that?" He just stood there, and the guitarist and the drummer in the band had to come over and explain to him what he had done wrong, and why I was in so much pain, and obviously in a bad mood.
Because of that, I'm reluctant to shake hands with anyone. If I have to, the moment I feel it going into a vice grip, I pull my hand back, hard and fast. I'm thinking of learning how to take out someone's knee if something like that happens again, to even the score.
I hear ya! Some people seem to think even though I’m a female that they have to squeeze. I’ve had tears come to my eyes and pain for weeks from it so now I just pat the top of their hand and show them my scar on the palm and just smile.