Any of you guys ever had archers elbow? What treatment seemed to work best for a quick recovery?
Yes!!! I been fighing it since Oct. I have been using a elbow brace/ wrap and it seems to work when shooting. I feel your pain!! Some say cortisone shots, but haven't got to that much pain yet!lol
Some pro athletes are treated for epicondylitis by using a cold compression elbow wrap, ultrasound therapy, and a blood flow stimulation therapy wrap. Combined use of these causes healing to occur very quickly thereby reducing the amount of reinjury that occurs to the tendons in the elbow by continued use. As to where to procure said medical therapy and supplies...contact your physician!
First you need to find out what caused the problem. If it is on the side that you hold you bow it can be from vibration of the bow. I recomend skinney strings and good bow silencers. Also how many arrows you shoot before you take a break and pull arrows is very important. I took care of a guy a few years ago that injuryed him self training for Worlds and the only thing he did diferent was shoot six arrows and pull compaired to two arrows and pull.His epicondylitis was so bad he had to give up shooting for several months. The best treatment for epicondylitis is ice on the forarm for 15 minutes after shooting, massage of the forearm and tennis elbow brace while shooting. If you are not willing to take time off from shooting while things heal I would recomend you shoot one arrow then pull giving your arm more time to rest. Good luck Greg
QuoteOriginally posted by Andy Cooper:
Some pro athletes are treated for epicondylitis by using a cold compression elbow wrap, ultrasound therapy, and a blood flow stimulation therapy wrap. Combined use of these causes healing to occur very quickly thereby reducing the amount of reinjury that occurs to the tendons in the elbow by continued use. As to where to procure said medical therapy and supplies...contact your physician!
^This^
As a football strength and conditioning coach, I always recommend ICE, ICE, and more ice. Take you a basin big enough to immerse your elbow in, fill it with water and ice(mostly ice), add about 2 cups of turpentine. This will NOT BE FUN OR COMFORTABLE, put your elbow in, it will be very cold, then it will ache like nothing you ever felt, then it will simply go numb. When it goes numb, your done. Try this a couple times a day for a while and see what happens, also try supplementing your diet with vitamin B complex. Call your physician, totwotoo.
I fight the same deal and have on and off for years.Mine isnt caused by shooting,but from work related stuff that can hamper my shooting/practice time.I use the elbow wraps,and must admitt that they really help me.I am also trying the fish pills that a custom guitarmaker that is always sraping on wood suggested to me.He says you have to take them 2 times a day and will see improvement after you have been taking them for about 1 month.So its worth a try.Also,I do seem to get relief from aspercream type stuff before bed.I do know that the elbow wraps at least keep me from damaging things worse,and allow me to get out there and do the things I want.I dont agree with the cortisone shots.They just mask the pain and make money for the medical industry.If you can kepp from doing what has caused it to enflame for long enough they will settle down.If its just shooting that is lighting you up,you need to reduce poundage,lay off for a while and get some elbow wraps.Good luck,Jim.
I would also suggest the gluco-chondroitin with msm, hyaluronic acid(joint juice) and if you don't like the fish oil there is krill and shark cartilage. The fish oil and the krill have numerous benefits, especially for the heart.
My initial injury was caused when building a retaining wall at my house, offloading the block two at a time (one in ea. hand) and flipping them out of the truck. This was 8 mths ago. Since then the pain is steadily increased and especially when I started shooting trad archery. I assumed it was a muscle that just needed rest. The Dr. Just told me this week what was wrong. He gave me a anti inflammatory, cortisone shot and 1 month off of shooting (or anything strenuous on my right arm). I'm not a fan of drugs and almost refuse to take them. In this case its my hunting and archery on the line. This type of injury if not treated can apparently haunt for life. I'm also going to try out acupuncture. This was the reason for my initial post, just to see if any of you guys have tried it and if so what the results were. Thanks for the help! I'll certainly try the ice and tennis brace. Hope you guys take it seriously as well to avoid any long term damage. It not just archery it affects, but your golden years being either useful and pain free or decrepit and miserable.
I second the ICE treatment.
same troule. finally went to Dr.- Cortison shot and Ibprofen. I added ice and glucomamine-condroitin with msn. Went away very quickly. I have continued with the gluco-condroitin and have not had any problem since. I did not stop shooting or change how I shot.
I fought it last year. My Chiropractor gave me the ultrasound treatments and told me to use a elbow brace (elastic type sold at the drug store), also had me take ibuprofen. Both worked great and now I'm not having any problems. Mine was on my drawing arm.
Ice,Ice,Ice and wrap it while shooting.
For me it was rest. I stopped shooting for two weeks, then I switched to left hand shooting for another two weeks. I learned how to shoot opposite hand and turned out that I was pretty good.
The treatment will depend on your individual situation.
I injured both of my elbows in the spring of 2009 and I'm still fighting it. I haven't shot my bow since July 4th 2010 because of it.
But I had a very severe case of tennis elbow and golfers elbow in both arms due to clearing brush with loppers, kyzer blade, and chainsawing. In other words, overuse.
I went to an orthopaedic sports medicine M.D. and I've had 2 injections in my left elbow, and 3 in my right elbow. Plus 10 sessions of physical therapy. All this helped a lot. I'll begin shooting soon.
Unfortunately, I have to stretch my elbows 3 times a day.
My advice? Don't try to wait it out. Seek medical attention from a specialist.
I had it since a week or six. I do stretching exercices, (google on tennis-elbow, especially the technique with the hammer helps) and use a brace when shooting. Don't make the mistake to take Ibuprofen or something like that when you are shooting. In this case you won't feel the pain and the injury becomes worse.
I shoot for practise one day and have one day rest. I shoot no more then 50 arrows(I used to shoot a few hundred every day). I didn't use any ice.
By now, my injury is almost gone.
Hope this helps
Cortizone is not a pain-killer. It's an anti-inflammatory, like Ibuprofen.
NYArrow: sounds like you've got a good plan going. Rest and anti-inflammatories. My Physical therapist said that ice this long after the initial injury really won't do anything.
Just don't go back to shooting your bow too soon!
I am sorry, but Ibuprofen IS a painkiller besides an anti-inflammatory.
Dutch: you're right about Ibuprofen having pain killing properties.
My point was that Cortizone is not a pain-killer.
Thank you Tall Paul! It is not being about right, but I would hate to ghear that someone used Iboprofen and went on shooting because he felt no pain anymore..
BTW: one of my friends we call Little Paul. He is over 7 feet tall...
I've had it in the past and what works for me is grip/hand exercises. When I watched tv or just not doing much I would do them and my elbow was back to normal. This worked for me on three occasions in about 3-4 weeks.
I've had it in the past and what works for me is grip/hand exercises. When I watched tv or just not doing much I would do them and my elbow was back to normal. This worked for me on three occasions in about 3-4 weeks.
Same as above as far as elbow brace (stretch type for tennis elbow) and exercise and stretch before shooting, I also dropped down in Bow weight for awhile shooting one of my lighter bows, the problem started for me last summer and after doing all of the above it was gone in about a month and have had no problems since. Of coarse the sooner you do the above the better. You might want to take a break altogether for a week or two to give your elbow a rest if its on the bad side, or switch to every few days as far as shooting goes for awhile.
if you shoot a long bow stop shooting it. I had friends who has to stop shooting their longbows for the same reason. They shoot very smooth shooting recurves.(not all recurves are smooth) but they have less shock than longbows,
Not all longbows have handshock, and not all archers have epicondilytus in their bowarm. I have it in my string-arm and that has nothing ot do with a possible handshock.
Modern longbows are as smooth to shoot as any recurve.
Have had lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) once and medial epicondylitis (archers/golfers elbow) twice, on the draw arm. First go round with each not to bad, second time with medail tore it hitting a drive and dropped me to my knees. No bow shooting or golf for 6 weeks until the inflamation was gone.
Treatment was initially rest, ice, nsaids (motrin), elbow band. Required cortisone injection to quiet it down, then gentle stretching and strengthening. Been 1 1/2 years and still wear the brace shooting and golfing just in case.
I attribute mine to increasing the amount of shooting the bow to quickly and using a glove. Now I use a tab and dropped bow weight. If I shoot a little with a glove I can feel it in the arm/elbow, not so with the tab.
I am having the same problem with my left elbow. The one I hold the bow with. My forearm is killing me. I may just have to take some time off from shooting. I am going to try a little of all of these methods. Thanks for starting this tread.
I've had lateral epicondylitis as well in both elbows. Go to the Dr. and have it evaluated. I did therapy and then shots. Once the pain was under control then I could work with the strength exercises and keep it away. I would definitely stop shooting until I got it under control though.
Good luck
I got real bad a few years ago in my bow arm, left elbow. It got so bad my whole arm was acting up from my wrist to my shoulder. It took some doing, but I got it out. Now I watch out for overdoing with that elbow, and it will pop from time to time. At the Kzoo expo I shot a bunch of D LB's and got it going again. Then my right elbow, string hand, all of a sudden started bothering me. I got the left, bow arm elbow, about all healed up now with doing my exercises and taking it easy for a while, but the same process didn't help my right one at all. I have no idea what I did to the right one to get it going, but I am still having a lot of problems with it. I started PT last week. It is up and down right now. Funny it doesn't hurt a bit to shoot, and feels better after shooting, but the next day it seems to be a little worse.
I have always been told ice is for the initial injury and doesn't help after the initial injury unless you are using it after working it with therapy exercises and stretches. Then it can help keep swelling down after aggravating it with the activity. Then only to keep the swelling out and only one application. I have been told that just putting ice on it a lot can cause a reduction in circulations. It is the lack of circulation in the connective tissue due to lack of blood flow in those tissues that makes them so hard to get the inflammation out so you don't want to shut down the circulation by over icing it.
QuoteOriginally posted by xtrema312:
I got real bad a few years ago in my bow arm, left elbow. It got so bad my whole arm was acting up from my wrist to my shoulder. It took some doing, but I got it out. Now I watch out for overdoing with that elbow, and it will pop from time to time. At the Kzoo expo I shot a bunch of D LB's and got it going again. Then my right elbow, string hand, all of a sudden started bothering me. I got the left, bow arm elbow, about all healed up now with doing my exercises and taking it easy for a while, but the same process didn't help my right one at all. I have no idea what I did to the right one to get it going, but I am still having a lot of problems with it. I started PT last week. It is up and down right now. Funny it doesn't hurt a bit to shoot, and feels better after shooting, but the next day it seems to be a little worse.
I have always been told ice is for the initial injury and doesn't help after the initial injury unless you are using it after working it with therapy exercises and stretches. Then it can help keep swelling down after aggravating it with the activity. Then only to keep the swelling out and only one application. I have been told that just putting ice on it a lot can cause a reduction in circulations. It is the lack of circulation in the connective tissue due to lack of blood flow in those tissues that makes them so hard to get the inflammation out so you don't want to shut down the circulation by over icing it.
Actually, it is this slowing of the circulation that will yake the inflammation away---this is why doctors always say "No heat" on this type of injury.
We deal with these types of injuries regularly over in the fieldhouse, and with a proper ice regimen and some type of support(athletic tape works great), we are able to make the malady go away. Trick to it, don't just quit using the joint that hurts, tone it down some, but don't just lay up. Ice and turpentine, tape, and git'er dun. Ask your doctor.
I had it last year, and kept trying to shoot and ending up taking months off.
Someone already said it, but the best thing for me to prevent a reoccurence has been doing grip exercises.
Dustin,
If you feel I can help, feel free to give me a shout. I'll reply with my phone number.
David
QuoteOriginally posted by Spectre:
Actually, it is this slowing of the circulation that will yake the inflammation away---this is why doctors always say "No heat" on this type of injury.
We deal with these types of injuries regularly over in the fieldhouse, and with a proper ice regimen and some type of support(athletic tape works great), we are able to make the malady go away. Trick to it, don't just quit using the joint that hurts, tone it down some, but don't just lay up. Ice and turpentine, tape, and git'er dun. Ask your doctor. [/b][/QUOTE]
My info is according to the doctors, chiropractor, and a half dozen physical therapists I have worked with on several longer term issues like tennis elbow, bad knees and the like. That is what I have been told, but I am not an expert. I just pay a lot to those who are supposed to be experts. However, I really have concern with experts who make you sign a waiver so you can't hold them responsible if you end up messed up.
There is a big difference between working with injuries at the time of the injury and chronic issues. On joints I have always been told cold the first 48 hours after the injury to keep as much inflammation, and swelling out as possible. Tape helps keep the swelling down by restricting the tissue expansion. There is a difference between keeping inflammation out using ice and getting it out after it has set in longer term.
I have always been told to warm up an injury and increase circulation before working it and cold to keep the swelling out after use. Heat more for muscle stuff than connective tissues, but a warm up before working any injury is standard. Your body can't remove inflammation once set in if it can't carry it away from the injury site so you need good circulation to the injury. I have been told that the massaging and ultra sound of connective tissue injuries, often done by therapists before working an injury, is to break up the inflammation and get it moving so the body can carry it away.
I got it from fly casting(casting lessons, guiding, fishing). It was terrible. I couldn't cast, shoot, and even teaching school hurt when I drew at the board.
I went to the doctor and got a cotisone shot and rested it, worked like a charm.Now I just take Aleve(the wonder drug)when it flares up, which is rare.
QuoteOriginally posted by xtrema312:
QuoteOriginally posted by Spectre:
Actually, it is this slowing of the circulation that will yake the inflammation away---this is why doctors always say "No heat" on this type of injury.
We deal with these types of injuries regularly over in the fieldhouse, and with a proper ice regimen and some type of support(athletic tape works great), we are able to make the malady go away. Trick to it, don't just quit using the joint that hurts, tone it down some, but don't just lay up. Ice and turpentine, tape, and git'er dun. Ask your doctor. [/b]
My info is according to the doctors, chiropractor, and a half dozen physical therapists I have worked with on several longer term issues like tennis elbow, bad knees and the like. That is what I have been told, but I am not an expert. I just pay a lot to those who are supposed to be experts. However, I really have concern with experts who make you sign a waiver so you can't hold them responsible if you end up messed up.
There is a big difference between working with injuries at the time of the injury and chronic issues. On joints I have always been told cold the first 48 hours after the injury to keep as much inflammation, and swelling out as possible. Tape helps keep the swelling down by restricting the tissue expansion. There is a difference between keeping inflammation out using ice and getting it out after it has set in longer term.
I have always been told to warm up an injury and increase circulation before working it and cold to keep the swelling out after use. Heat more for muscle stuff than connective tissues, but a warm up before working any injury is standard. Your body can't remove inflammation once set in if it can't carry it away from the injury site so you need good circulation to the injury. I have been told that the massaging and ultra sound of connective tissue injuries, often done by therapists before working an injury, is to break up the inflammation and get it moving so the body can carry it away. [/b][/QUOTE]
It is good when we can learn something new.
Dave,
I have been having a similar problem for the past 8 months. I would like to get your help on it if you don't mind. Thanks.
There is certainly a difference between a chronic inflammatory condition and an acute one! Chronic inflammation, in joints, results in a roughening of the slick articular cartilages as well as extra bone formation (called osteophytes)at the margins of the joint. Osteophytes can irritate the joint capsule and the tendons in contact with them.
The trick is to treat early and aggressively in order to avoid the pathologic, anatomic changes associated with chronicity.
I had it,ice helped. Stopped shooting a while.
it came back,dropped 15lbs,no more problems.
If you can resist shooting and I know it's hard to not shoot our bows, it would be much better to let your injury heal. This happened to me as well and I kept shooting and reinjuring my arm.
Best to sit it out and heal.......Philip
im having the same issue now...not real bad but being only 28 yrs. old i wanna be shooting for a lot longer. my bow is 47# at my draw but i think i just injured and kept shooting thru the pain. i am now wearing a elastic brace and unstrung my hunting bow....just not my fishing bow:)
i think i will start a stretch routine...any suggestions?