Hey guys, I went out today and shot a few arrows with my 45# longbow.
This past fall I did a WAY too much practice in too short a time with my 55# longbow and ended up with tendonitits in my bow arm (which I have bent when I shoot, like most guys), it was a combination of shooting too much and jumping from 45# to 55# without slowly building up tolerance and strength, I kept shooting well after I got tired. I asked my doc about it and he said that if I take it easy the irritated tendons will eventually settle down and all will be well.
Well it's been several months since then, I havn't shot my bow very much at all, and I have been swimming on the high school swim team since the end of Nov., which I imagine would help strentghen and heal the tendons.
Today when I shot my arm was sore, only for a minute and not like it was in the fall.
But this is VERY frustrating...To be afraid of doing something you are passionate about and love for fear of hurting yourself more and just digging a deeper hole, a hole that someday I may not be able to climb out of. :(
I've heard horror stories about guys here on the gang that shot too much and just ignored the pain. Eventually they couldn't pick up a coffee cup because it hurt so bad.
I'm still young and hopefully have a long life filled with bowhunting adventures ahead of me. But not with this dark cloud over me that I can't seem to shake.
If you've been in my situation; How long did it take for your arm to heal? What did you do in order to get rid of this curse?
Thanks for any and all input.
Bakes
I've been battling it real bad for 4 months now.Got to the point I couldn't pick nothing up without alot of pain.Went to the Doc & got a cortazone shot to help me get through bow season.Been having to wear a brace(below the elbow to stabilize it) & trying to take it easy & it seems to help some....
And I can't just ignore the pain. It's not that kind of pain, if I ignore it...it will only get worse.
BlueGrass- I remember reading something about those shots that wasn't too positive, something like they're not worth it or they won't help much in the long run...I don't know. I don't think I want one right now though.
You're right though, taking it easy does help.
Not sure if I have had your exact problem but have had 3 or 4 injuries that kept me from shooting over the last 15 years.Some have been fairly bad.
i usually take some time off ofcourse.Then do rehab with light wieghts and high reps.I do them slowly with strict atteention to form and getting a good burn.I have overcome these setbacks with consistant training.
An example would be when I had a shouder problem.I did high reps of lateral raises.say 25 or more.4 sets every 3rd or 4th day.I would stress getting the mind in the muscle and joint and really concentrating on working the ligaments,tendons and muscles.I have cured myself of more than one aggravating injury by training this way.
working out a bit is good prevention as well.
you might seek some proffesional advice for your rehab from physical therapist.
For the arm thier would be many exorcices that you may fing beneficial.From tricep extentions to hammer curls to bicep curls and simple pushups.try different ones.If one seems aggravating try a different one with a different angle.I like dumbbells because it gives you more freedom of movement and varying angles.So you can find a comfort zone where things feel smooth with minimal stress.
The key for me is go slow,high reps and get the mind in the muscle and area you want to strengthen.Thats my best advice.Like I said seek proffesional advice if you need to.
I had some pretty painful shoulder tendonitis and cured it with rest, ice and Aleve on the advice of my physical therapist. I had bicep tendonitis, this is where two tendons in the shoulder become inflammed and chafe against each other. I was in misery !
I cannot stress enough to you how much the ice helped ! Most people just do not ice as they should and as the doc tells them to. You need to ice the joint for 20 minutes 2-3 times a day when you can. I was amazed after a solid week of icing three times a day how much better I felt. The combo of the Aleve, ( anti inflammatory drug ), and ice knocked it out for me.
Now, if I overdo it and feel the inflammation rearing it's head I simply rest the joint a few days, ice and Aleve before it gets out of hand. If you let it get that bad it will take 2-4 weeks to get rid of it again.
As others have said, weight bearing exercises are good too. Just make sure you have the inflammation under control before starting the weights. Hope this helps.
:readit:
nocams
Ice and Ibuprofen. The best cure is REST (maybe weeks or few months). Then limited stretching and excercise after it heals a bit. In my research I came acoss tennis elbow. A KEY part of the prevention is learning to hit the ball correctly.
I suspect this is the same with some of our shooting styles. I had to learn to shoot different when I had elbow problems (like locking my arm and regularly using a hand gripper to mimic the locking of my arm when I shoot.) Since healing then changing my form I have not had a problem in ten years. My shooting got better too.
Hope you work it out. . .
Dan
I had tendonitis in my right elbow pretty bad. Doc told me only one way to get rid of it - stop doing whatever it is that is aggravating it. For me that was holding an angle drill while I was sanding woodturnings on my lathe. I was stubborn and wouldn't quit. Then I ended up dislocating my shoulder in a fall and tore it up bad enough I had to have some fairly major surgery. I was off the lathe for about 5 months and didn't shoot a bow for about 8 months. But guess what? No more tendonitis... I guess doc knew what he was talkin' about.... :readit:
Is the way I bend my bow arm when I shoot bad form. I think I've seen pictures of Howard Hill shooting like this. Could it be part of my problem?
Zack
Zack- I hate to call it "bad" form as I am not a professional archer. I will say that I shoot pretty well, even placing in a few local/regional 3-D shoots over the years. With that said: I suppose we each have to figure out what works for our particular body shape and style. But, I found that tightening/locking the muscles in my arm to keep it rigid when I shoot alleviated the tendonitis problem and gave me a stronger consistent shot. My bow arm may even look very slightly bent- but it is locked that way with strong forearm muscles from the beginning to the end of the shot. I would say I no longer do the push-pull style. I suspect (at least for me) that the pushing with my bow arm caused the tendonitis. This is the same stress put on the elbow area for tennis players.
Others may have better technical form advice than me. . .take my ideas with a grain of salt!
Dan
Oh yea- I regularly work on my bow arm muscles locking as such by using a hand gripper as I drive. I squeeze the gripper, then keeping it squeezed, I slowly raise my arm as if I were raising a bow and visualize a shot. I do this throughout the year as I drive. I think it has made a huge difference for me.
I have a touch of it in my right arm right now. Doc said ice was the best thing to use. It doesn't bother me to shoot my bows (I'm right handed) but what hurts the most is using this computer. The angle of my arm the way it lies on the desk and holding the mouse is the problem. I'm trying different ways of doing it so we will see. Don't discount the computer as a potential aggravator of tendonitis.
There is no strengthening while you have tendonitis.
You have to wait till the inflammation is gone. Then you have to slowly build strength. As soon as you feel even a twing in the tendon you have to stop immediately and take an extra day.
The big thing is always stop immediately as soon as you feel it. If you didnt do this it means you will have to wait longer for it to get better and and that means it will take longer to build to where you want to be.
I agree on healing first. Though I said it in the earliest post I placed here. . . I completely agree- gotta heal FIRST.
I also wonder about the computer as I have developed some in my right arm (non- bow arm) and I was wondering about this computer (and addiction to tradgang) :bigsmyl:
Don't screw around with it. Get to a doc and get the inflamation under control. Then get some PT to strengthen the muscles surrounding the elbow.
I had it bad. It took over a year to go away entirely. About 6 months worth of PT got it under control. Now I do regular strengthing exercises to keep the elbow stable and under control.
As an Orthopedic Massage Therapist, I've been providing injury rehabilitation bodywork for the past 15+ years (full time).
Since you have already seen your doctor, if you wish, shoot me an Tradgang email. I'll give you my phone number. We can talk about your concern(s) and some very simple solutions... if you just do 'em. (most probably tendonosis... not "itis").
Regards,
David Bartholomew
I had really bad inflammation of the right shoulder, which I believe was a result of going from a 70# compound straight to a 65# trad recurve...too big a jump. I was 21 at the time and was the fittest ive been in my life, doing martial arts, rock climbing etc. You have to find a balance between excercise and rest and dtermining your own limits. In my case I simply over extended myself and didnt rest enough.
As the shoulder wasnt getting any better and I couldnt stop shooting (too much fun:) I sold the bow and took a year off archery. After 12 months the shoulder was still painful and eventually I went for a cortisone injection. I hate any kind of invasive therapy but I must say I think it reduced the inflammation enough for the natural healing process to start. Oh yeah and Ive also heard that enough of those cortisone injections and it can actually cause your cartilage to deteriorate prematurely, so Im glad I only had the one!!
But Im back to shooting a bow now, started with a much lower poundage 55#, and now can fling 50 arrows a session with no pain...its awesome!!! I still cross-train as I believe thats imperative to keeping your body in good shape overall, and I dont over do it. If ive had a hard MMA session or workout, I'll fling maybe 10 arrows just to keep my eye in and then give it a day to recover.
As an athletic activity Its almost to be expected your going to pick up an injury along the way, but If you manage it right you'll get back into shooting no probs! But Im afraid to say you may have to cut right back on archery for now until your body heals up. Like the guys have said see your doctor and get a good rehab programme going now, before you over do it and it it takes a year to recover instead of a month.
Good luck Bakes, let us know how you progress.
If a person gets this don't wait, get to a doctor right now! Chances are a couple Cortisone shots and a couple months of physical therapy will clear it up for good.
I know because I had exactly the same thing and lived with the pain & frustration for near onto 10 years! I also had the added joy of a "trigger lock" finger on my drawing hand that locked up when curled in, making a consistent smooth release nearly impossible.
I figured it was all just a factor of getting older combined with the abuse I had done to the body with HS & college sports, a lifetime of martial arts, and close to 30 years of street police work. Three years ago I finally went in to see a doc about it, when it got to the point it looked like I would have to hang up all forms of archery for good.
I'm here to tell you brother, a couple Cortisone shots and 4 months of PT, and it's all gone. I've been shooting pain & joint lock up free for about 2.5 years now, and there's no sign it's coming back...
Apart from rest and rehab, might I suggest you pay particular attention to getting enough key nutrients in your body to rebuild and strengthen your tendons and joints.
MSM and Glucosamine are key for lubrication and ease of movement, magnesium to allow for proper muscle relaxation, and colostrum to help build lean strong muscle (and for a whole host of other miraculous affects.)
We tend to reach for the pain killers and anti-inflamatory meds, but nothing beats mother nature and the wisdom of ages... Isn't that why we're here?
Best of luck.
Juan
Moral: don't over-do-it! Shoot bows you can comfortably pull and if you go higher, make it a brief session! Good luck.
I also had bad shoulder pains but mine turned out to be cysts in there that would occasionally burst, Ice and Tylenol and rest were the ticket for me. I also had to learn to quit when you're tired no matter how much fun you're having.
Have had tendonitis problems for 15 years. Real bad at first had to hold fork in left hand. Developed it at work and archery kept it inflamed. Doc put me on some naproxen for awhile and it cleared up. I can still agravate the elbow but can clear it up in a couple of weeks taking naproxen. IMO Shooting a "speed" (over 190fps)stickbow or shooting with out a bow quiver is fastest way for me to flair it up again. Have not found a longbow that works for me.
I had it bad 2 years ago in the summer. I got it at work and couldn't lift a six pack without pain, it was 3 months before the season opener and I couldn't practice, I was bumming. I took 2+ months off and it helped in recovery. If I didn't take the time off from practice, which was killing me in itself, I wouldn't of been able to hunt that season! Take the time and rest it and do what the Doc says!
Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think anyone who is still in high school shoot be shooting 50lbs+. No matter how fit you are, shooting that much weight while you are still growing will put you at high risk for injuries like this.
Mark
had the same thing rest advil and cortozone helped me a lot but unfortunately REST was the biggest component of getting better and i dont mean a few days off.
It took about a year for mine to clear up but I still feel a twinge sometimmes so I stop immediately and lay off a few days. Bad stuff.
I had 2 cotrezone injections in that year but don't know if they helped a whole lot.
The doctor put me on Celebrex which finally helped get the inflamation down . It took about a year and I had to drop down in bow weight . I still get a flare up from time to time and have to back off shooting awhile . If yours is not real bad you can take ibprofen daily for awhile which will get the inflamation down .
Mike
Stay away from cortisone if at all possible. Take Ibuprofin or Naproxin Sodium for the pain and give it rest. And give the heavier bow to someone else.
I switched to left handed......literally. Thought I would switch back after my elbow quit hurting, but haven't done so yet. Found it too much fun to be able to shoot a bow for hours without pain.
Oh yeah......I did go from 65# to 55#. That seemed to help more than anything.
QuoteOriginally posted by BRITTMAN:
The doctor put me on Celebrex which finally helped get the inflamation down . It took about a year and I had to drop down in bow weight . I still get a flare up from time to time and have to back off shooting awhile . If yours is not real bad you can take ibprofen daily for awhile which will get the inflamation down .
Mike
I too was taking the Celebrex for the inflammation. My doc also kinda refused to give me the cortisone shot, wanted it to heal up with out it! When ever I feel any of the slightest pain there in the elbow I stop shooting for a few days!
Have tendonitis from 25 years of windsurfing. Ice, Ice, Ice, and more........cortizone shots have helped a lot too when it has gotten real bad. Ice several times a day. Styro cups filled with water in the freezer.
The anti inflammatory medicines make my butt fat!
Got to wildernessathlete.org and click on the WA Rehabilition link. There's a lot of good info.
I just had the cortizone/lidocaine cocktail shot for my tennis elbow before Thanksgiving. It was where I couldn't lift a cup of coffee or shake hands the pain was too much. The shots worked wonders. Of course I'm 50 and we older guys don't heal too fast. One thing that has benefited me is a wrist brace that prevents rotation that strains the tendon.
Take the offer for the PT advice.
Depending on your longbow type, I found some are shocky enough to irrate my elbow (which I broke badly when young and probably now has a little arthritis). I made a R/D hybrid takedown longbow with a fairly heavy riser and very little shock and it helps alot. Just a thought. Or maybe a recurve would help.
It's all been said in here, but...
Bow weight and handshock are murder on your bow arm elbow. I let mine get bad enough that I couldn't pick up a cup of coffee without help from my right hand. Took me five months of alleve, a drop in bow weight, swearing off my selfbows and three months without shooting an arrow to get it under control again.
I have battled with tendonitis for about 12 years now off and on. I get it in my elbows, hands, knees and it is annoying and painful when it flares up. Take the advice of many here and put your inflammed extremities on ice or in ice water. I hold in there until you basically cannot feel anything anymore and when the feeling comes back in it burns! That, and ibuprofen (800mg tabs, perscription strength) from the doc 3 times a day.
As said, a daily regimen of Ibuprofin, ice and rest works wonders. Lay off the ibuprofin as soon as your able, long term use can be bad on the liver.
Thanks a lot guys, this really helps. :D
Zack
Had a spur + tendonitis = surgery (Still recovering and not any fun!!) Tore tricep muscle off bone!!
I had the same problem a year ago. It was bad for a couple months. I stopped shooting for two weeks and then resumed but only shot 3-5 arrows at a time and gradually built back up to 25 or so.I also bought a Bowfit.
ALEVE helped a lot for the pain(Naproxene:an anti-inflamatory).
A year later I feel no pain at all and can't even tell it was ever inflamed.
I had the same problem in my other elbow from fly-casting but it too went away with time and exercise.
I developed it in both elbows. Therapy did not help, only resting it made it better. Also, I stopped shooting as heavy a bow as before. When it starts feeling a little sore, STOP - or else it will get really sore again really fast. For another neat trick, I tried to move my bow hand more to the side, rather than on the base of the hand as you normally hold a Hill style bow. That resulted in tendonitis in by thumb. So far that has been a bigger problem than the elbows. Don't mess around and try to train through the pain. Rest it and build back up carefully.
I am not a doctor nor do I work in the medical field, however I have had Tennis elbow myself in the past, but it wasn't due to archery, it was from actually playing Tennis.
First, you have to identify which injury you have. If it's on the inside part of the elbow then it is known as "golfers" elbow. If it is on the outside part of the arm, that's tennis elbow. There are a couple of ways to go about treating the injury. First you needed to stop what you were doing and allow the area to heal and it sounds like you did that.
Some people opt to go to a Doctor which will do one of a couple of things. He can prescribe anti inflammatories, a pill. These serve to bring down the inflammation in the tendon and with time off allow it to heal. The only problem with these drugs is that there IS some side effects and it is not a long term fix. The Dr. could also give you a cortisone shot. These shots work by destroying tissue. The tendon is inflamed and scarred and the cortisone shot works by destroying the inflamed area and scarring.
I personally did not want the cortisone. Maybe one shot wouldn't do too much harm but anymore than that I can see it destroying tissue that should NOT be destroyed. I just did not like the idea.
Physical Therapy is another, more long term solution (more on that later.)
Another option, and one that might get me flamed like crazy here, is acupuncture. It is an alternative medicine and therefore controversial. This was an alternative which was acceptable to me, however. My tendonitis was so bad that I was starting to lose feeling in my arm from my elbow down. I was told that the tendon in my elbow was so bad that the tendon was pinching the nerves going to my lower arm. I went to a chiropractor (another controversial decision) that practiced acupuncture. I underwent three treatments a week for about three weeks, then went to once a week for a while. My elbow over that time began to get MUCH better. I had already cut way back on the activity that was causing the problem, but I didn't stop playing and yet still I got better. It worked for me, that's all I can say. The draw back is if you don't like needles, even though there is not really any pain involved, then it's not for you.
*Physical Therapy / exercises.
These can help strengthen and stretch the elbow to help heal the elbow and also strengthen it so you don't injure it again.
Here are a few exercises you can do to help. First, stand with your injured arm straight out in front of you and make a fist. Slowly take your fist and point it toward the floor, keeping your arm straight, as if you were going to punch someone with the back of your hand. You will feel it stretch the outside of your elbow. Hold the position a few seconds, and then recover, doing this a few times, twice a day.
There are other exercises you can do, to strengthen the area like twisting. Take a bath towel and roll it up and hold it out in front of you a bit, then TWIST the towel as if you were wringing out a wet towel.
Get a tennis ball and squeeze the ball with your hand.....this helps strengthen the elbow.
These are just a few tips to help with an injured elbow. The information on the exercises came from a brochure from the Syntex Sports Injury information center. You may want to talk it over with your doctor before doing the exercises. I hoped this helped and good luck with your shooting!