Last Wednesday I had my bicep tendon screwed back to where it belongs. It's my drawing arm. If anyone has had this surgery, how long was your recovery and how long was it before you were able to shoot again? Just wondering about how long I'm going to be down.
Steve I had the surgery on 12/16/13 and I was out deer hunting with a 58 lbs longbow in October of 2014. This was the second surgery in eight years on the same shoulder, the first surgery was for a different issue . The best advice I can give you is find a good physical therapist and do as they tell you.
Steve I just saw from your profile that you are a union carpenter so am I.
I sure am Alex, I tore my tendon installing a 7'x7' window. It was in a attempt to keep it from falling out of the opening which I did,but injured myself in the process. I hope I can be shooting in a few months.
Thanks for your info Brother :thumbsup:
Good luck I'm sure you will be back at it no time. I've worked most of my career doing form work and at 52 years old its finally caught up to me I had back surgery recently and am being told that I will never return to that line of work, still holding out hope at least i can still draw a bow lol.
Hopefully you have a speedy recovery .
I had it done to my drawing arm, as well as an AC joint resection, an achromiumplasty and a rotator cuff repair back in the spring of '02. I was in my treestand for the opener of bow season. If I remember correctly, I was shooting by mid July.
Man Sean, that sounds like a lot! I will tell ya construction is tough on a Mans body. But that's just part of the business. I just turned 50 in May and I have been feeling it lately. Life goes by quick. Thanks for the well wishes Graps.
My bicep tendon was torn where it attaches to my labrum. called a slap tear. I had it repaired may 3rd. My doctor told me last week I could start shooting first of September, so basically 4 months.
As others have said, very important to do your P T. Good luck.....
Have a coworker who tore his while on his side job, amateur wrestler. He was out 6 months (surgery and rehab) if I remember. He doesn't shoot bows but we are firemen and he was back to work. Pretty sure if he was released for work then he could have shot a bow.
Good luck with your surgery and recovery.
Jeremy
QuoteOriginally posted by Steve Jr:
Man Sean, that sounds like a lot! I will tell ya construction is tough on a Mans body. But that's just part of the business. I just turned 50 in May and I have been feeling it lately. Life goes by quick. Thanks for the well wishes Graps.
Yea Steve, power lifting and playing football from the age of 9 to 27 did a number on me. I just turned 48 in May and I feel "it" every day!!! I have to have my left shoulder done, It doesn't hurt when I shoot, so I'm going to hold off as long as I can. Good luck
Sean, having had 3 rotator cuff repairs, I can say healing goes faster, and BETTER, the younger you are. JMHO
I will not see the Dr until next Friday then hopefully start therapy the following week. He said it looked like I may have had some tendonitis before this happened so he wanted me to give it a little extra time to heal before I did Any P/T. We will see
It took me well over 6 months before I could even start to think about drawing a bow.
Wow Tracy, I sure hope it doesn't take that long.
I had rotator cuff and bicep tendon done in late January and was pulling my 55# bow by early May. I was 51 yrs old at the time. The trick is to do exactly what the Dr. and Physical therapist tell you to. Don't push it or it will weaken or tear again.
Steve,
Best source of information will be your surgeon. Dr. knows the full nature of your repair, but may not know much about the mechanics of archery. So fill him/her in and see what they say. Follow the advice carefully. Do over surgery may not be an option.
Hey buddy, get well soon and continue that PT at home, ill give you a call later. Jim
Thanks Jimmy, I will stick with it once they start me on it.
Ive broken both of mine in separate accidents, both hunting related with complete separation on each at the elbow area.. the first was my left arm and I did it October 20th a few years ago. I shoot left handed and we were nearing the rut. I knew what I had done by the POP and muscle balling up, but like a DA I found I could still draw my 63 lb recurve by hooking the string and just using my back and shoulder to draw, it hurt but not bad. I did kill 3 deer with it broken. Climbing a tree was a different story,that hurt and forced me to do it 1 handed, and ground hunt. I waited on the repair until late December, after the rut to go to the orthopedic surgeon, who I have used in the past and had a good relationship with.. anyway he wore me out for waiting so long, the tendon had withdrew up to my shoulder and I have a heck of a scar where he had to retrieve it and make the repair. I was back to shooting in about 3 months. Then the 2nd break was a couple years later on my right arm, on almost the same date, same deal, the pop and muscle balling up .. I went to the Doc the following week and asked how long I could wait on the repair, he told me 6 weeks max, it was my right arm, which is my bow arm. this created a issue as the bow's recoil even though unnoticeable normally it was just to painful to shoot. so I just guided my wife and had the surgery 6 weeks later. Recovery was again about 3 months.. I still have issues with my left bicep when I pull or twist it just right, and have lost strength in both arms with some deformity in both biceps, good luck to ya, as others have said listen listen to your doc...
its a big deal but not a huge one .. oh im 62 yrs old if that makes any difference Dave
Here is my left arm scar from the doc having to retrieve the tendon from waiting so long (http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj94/stykbow1/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsf0fjstq0.jpg) (http://s270.photobucket.com/user/stykbow1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsf0fjstq0.jpg.html) . And my right one which will be similar to what you should have if its at the elbow (http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj94/stykbow1/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpszn3dbjfq.jpg) (http://s270.photobucket.com/user/stykbow1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpszn3dbjfq.jpg.html) .
Wow Dave that's a big scare. The Dr said he my have to do the s cut like you have but he was able to just make the 2" cut. I only had to wait about 4 weeks to get my surgery done. I will see him this Friday and will find out how things look. I'm definitely not going to push it.
Thanks for your response,
Steve
I tore the labrum and ruptured my bicep tendon at the shoulder of my left arm (bow arm) last summer. Had surgery beginning of June. After 8 weeks, I started shooting a 30# recurve. After 6 more weeks, I was up to a 50# longbow. It took about 6 months before a could draw my main bow which is a 59# Pronghorn. If it hurts stop.
Do what your PT tells you and by all means, stretch constantly. You will heal your shoulder faster.
I have always been physically hard on myself like others on this thread.
Both my biceps are torn at the elbow although I never had surgery to restore them to their original shape because they were only partially torn.
I tore the right arm first at an armwrestling competition 38 years ago. It wasn't too bad and I didn't know any better so I just let it heal. It looks slightly shorter and I did lose a little strength because of the change in leverage I believe.
Then I tore my left bicep about 15 years ago pulling/launching a wooden boat stuck on a gravel beach while I was guiding at caribou camp. That was a little worse and like the first one, the shape and strength changed a little. However, considering that it was fully functional, the orthopaedic surgeons were not very enthusiastic to repair it.
But, while in heavy training in 1985 I completely tore my major pectoral tendon off the bone - they fixed that immediately.
I believe the problem is genetic since strength runs in the family and the surgeon that operated me said that I had tendons like large steel cables... in the case of my pec, the tendon didn't rupture, it puled off the bone... with my biceps, the actual muscle fibre is what tore.
Both my mother (lifting a big rock out of her garden) and my brother (carrying a dirt bike motocycle on his shoulder) pulled tendons off the bone or tore muscles.
Today the injuries I discussed are absolutely fine and at 63 I comfortably shoot a 75 # longbow.
This thread has given me a good platform as to what I can expect.
Steve good luck with your recovery , don't rush the shooting and do what the DR and PT guy tell ya , you will be back to normal in just a very months
^^^x2