well, after almost a year of reoccurring chronic elbow pain, I sought out a sports medicine physician to get a 2nd opinion on my elbow problems.
Last summer, probably around june, I started having elbow pain consistent with tendonitis in my bow arm. It got to the point where every time I released the string, the pain in my elbow got worse, to the point it felt like my elbow was coming apart. Rest, ice, etc, exercises, showed little improvement. Went to see the ortho doc that did my shoulder surgery, he gave me a cortisone injection, and within a couple days pain was all but gone. This was late October.
Good to go the rest of archery season, then late November it flared p again while butchering deer, but settled down again in a week or so with rest and motrin.
This winter while building cabinets for my workshop, it began to flare up again. Not as bad, I guess on a 1-10 scale its about a 4-5. But it hurts to shoot. Over the past 10 months, my shooting is all but none. A couple arrows here and there. Not good for a trad archery junkie.
Went to see the doc, and he took xrays of shoulder and elbow. Nothing much there, ordered MRI and ultrasound therapy. He said being that its not my dominant arm( Im a lefty, r elbow hurts) its likely not tendonitis, but better chance there is a partial tear of one of the muscles facia or the tendon.
He asked if I wanted a crossbow prescription- to which he didnt much like my answer. I told him being seen with one of those would rate right up there with being seen naked with another man. No, I'll pass on that thank you.
So, Im hoping beyond hope that the PT helps. In the meantime, he said it needs rest( how much more does it need for cryin out loud). I have an elk hunt to prep for, and need to be shooting.
Im gonna continue to not touch my bow till Pt is done, and see what the MRI shows. Surgery would put an end to my hunt Im sure, and very well may end my trad shooting all together. Needless to say, Im pretty worried.
These white coats dont seem to undertand that trad archers have for the sport. I tried to explain it to him, but he didnt want to hear it.
It bugs me to no end that they can just tell you , well sometimes you just have to find something else to do. Really? Bowhunting and traditional archery isnt something I do, its what I am.
Worse case scenario if I absolutely HAVE to, I could hold my nose and hunt with wheels this year. But.......man thats a tough pill for me to even think about swallowing right now.
I feel for you man!
I had similar pain in my bow elbow too. Not sure if its the same problem or not.
I started shooting trad again this winter after another year with wheels. Shooting wheels hurt the heck out of that elbow too.
Had a guy at work turn me on to a kettlebell work out. That and a fair amount of stretching, and my elbow pain is alot better. Last fall at the peak of my wheel bow shooting I could not straighten my left arm because it hurt my elbow.
Find a good doc to work with and stay the course. A good doc should be able to work with you. Provided your insurance will let you have a good doc. Mine won't. So I have to self medicate with my own stretching and kettlebells.
Good luck!
Brian
Can you simply go way down on draw weight? Maybe some kind of elbow brace to help absorb any shock to your bow arm?
That is the pits, man, surely there is some sort of answer for you out there somewhere.
Sorry - Poor scenario!
Just some thoughts.
Possibly go down in draw wt and try drawing and shooting with a little more bend in your bow arm.
Possibly consider trying shooting a left handed bow and giving it a worthy effort.
Spectre, I cant drop weight, Im shooting around 55 and I dont want to go less for elk. Deer, sure, but not elk. I wear an arm band when I do shoot, which helps a lot.
From what he explained to me, the 'power grip" used when holding a bow- the cant of your arm etc puts a lot of pressure on the muscles and tendons in the forearm. Im not talking a hard squeeze grip, but the way we hold the bow.
It causes the muscles in the forearm to contract when loaded, and the muscles around the elbow and just above to stretch. On release, they snap back. With my workouts in prep for the hunt, I know Im strengthening those muscles. But if the tendon is partially torn, it wont heal without rest. Kind of a catch-22. I just gotta be patient at this point.
Fortunately, Ive shot for long enough that my aim is still pretty good, so I dont have to shoot a lot of arrows to prep, just a few quality ones. Once I get in the mountains, I only need 1 shot. But we all know practice build confidence, and removes doubt. When doubt creeps in, accuracy suffers. Thats what concerns me.
At least I know the very few shots I do take are right in there.
Friend, I am a lefty- I tried shooting right handed, it hurts worse drawing with the right arm.
QuoteOriginally posted by Autumnarcher:
Spectre, I cant drop weight, Im shooting around 55 and I dont want to go less for elk. Deer, sure, but not elk. I wear an arm band when I do shoot, which helps a lot.
From what he explained to me, the 'power grip" used when holding a bow- the cant of your arm etc puts a lot of pressure on the muscles and tendons in the forearm. Im not talking a hard squeeze grip, but the way we hold the bow.
It causes the muscles in the forearm to contract when loaded, and the muscles around the elbow and just above to stretch. On release, they snap back. With my workouts in prep for the hunt, I know Im strengthening those muscles. But if the tendon is partially torn, it wont heal without rest. Kind of a catch-22. I just gotta be patient at this point.
Fortunately, Ive shot for long enough that my aim is still pretty good, so I dont have to shoot a lot of arrows to prep, just a few quality ones. Once I get in the mountains, I only need 1 shot. But we all know practice build confidence, and removes doubt. When doubt creeps in, accuracy suffers. Thats what concerns me.
At least I know the very few shots I do take are right in there.
Dood, the old timers had no problem hunting big stuff with a 40#er and a sharp broadhead. Some of these "modern" traditional bows shoot mighty fine at these lower weights, just design an arrow for yourself.
From what he explained to me, the 'power grip" used when holding a bow- the cant of your arm etc puts a lot of pressure on the muscles and tendons in the forearm. Im not talking a hard squeeze grip, but the way we hold the bow.
It causes the muscles in the forearm to contract when loaded, and the muscles around the elbow and just above to stretch. On release, they snap back. With my workouts in prep for the hunt, I know Im strengthening those muscles. But if the tendon is partially torn, it wont heal without rest. Kind of a catch-22. I just gotta be patient at this point.
Autumnarcher, I feel for your pain and dilemma.
Can you find a good archery coach???? The reason I pasted your comments about the forearm is that if you have tension in the bow arm forearm you are doing it incorrectly. If you can correctly establish bone on bone support in that arm there should be zero/zip/nadda tension (or at least VERY little) in your forearm. It may be worht looking into for you.
FWIW.
I shoot with a pretty heavy cant to my bow, Im working on reducing that quite a bit and see how that feels, but for now no shooting.
I had a pain in my elbow a few years ago to the point I could hardly move my arm.I went to a doctor and they had this new thing they tried. I cant remember the name of the procedure. But it looked like a dentist lamp but were the light bulb would be it was more like a rubber ball. When he would apply it to my elbow it felt like my arm was going to blow apart. But after a few weeks of this I have not had problems sence.I also had seperated my tendion from the bone.You might ask a doc about it.I wish I could remember the name.Good luck
I was having a tendonitis problem with my bow arm elbow. It would flare up from time to time, especially when I spent a lot of time shooting a D-shaped longbow. I guess it was the hand shock that aggrevated it. At it's worst I couldn't even lift a cup of coffee.
I wore a wrap with one of those little air pillow pressure thingys and only shot my recurves sparingly. In a few weeks it let up.
I have since dropped draw wt on all my bows and have not had a reoccurance in about 3 years.
GOOD LUCK,AND GET BETTER,,,IF U SHOOT OR WHEN U SHOOT LIMIT UR ARROWS,,,MAKE ALL UR SHOOTS QUALITY SHOOTS,SO THAT WHEN UR HUNT COMES AROUND YOU'LL BE READY...EVEN IF YOU STILL HAVE SOME DISCOMFORT...
Do you have a trad bow that you can put a stabilizer on? That may soak up some of the shock until it is feeling better. Just a thought. Wish you well.
Stay with the PT and doing strengthening exercises. Every time I have had a problem like that whether it was back or knee or whatever, I would let it rest and then try to find the right exercise that would strengthen that area. Have had some remarkable improvements.
I'm recovering from my second surgery to my left shoulder and it's not going well. I think there is a good chance that I may be done with a longbow and it's a tough pill to swallow.
If I could stand (painwise) to pull and shoot a compound, that will be my second choice. Last will be a crossbow.
I figure at my age and with the time I've shot trad, switching won't be fun and a bitter pill to swallow, but I'd rather switch than give up hunting.
I think you will have to consider what's more important. For me it's being out there hunting.
Do you still shoot a longbow John? I wonder if a recurve might be different? It changes the hand placement on the bow, and might just help take some of that tension off that he was talking about. But of course, rest and PT for now is the best course of action. You still have plenty of time to get this back in shape for your hunt.
I would suggest that you get a well designed static recurve. Of course I will reccomend my Talon 11 ., I would also reccomend RER, Druid, Sasquatch, QuikStyk ect. You will get a more even draw force curve. I just got one from another bowyer, Kirk Lavender who makes Sasquatch that is just an awsome bow. It pulls as good as mine, Is quick and shock free and he is a sponser here as are most of these others. If I have left out anyone building statics or reccomended someone that is not making them then please forgive me. I know however that a longer static recurve like a 62 to 64 inch is like pulling butter. They are just unbelieveable.
God Bless and good luck with the arm. Steve
Autumnarcher, Crazy as it sounds try glucosomine/condrotine (spl)? viatamins.I had bad joint pain a few years back,started with that and it keeps me ok. if I stop taking it I'm good for a month or two . Maybe all in my haed though.JG
Do not worry about dropping bow weight for elk. Three years ago I took a spike bull with a 47# Pearson Hunter. To keep shooting you may have to drop bow weight. Good luck with your PT and God bless.
Just some more information: stay with your PT until you have completed the process. A lot of elbow/shoulder injuries mirror injuries to baseball pitchers, torn cuffs, sprains, tennis elbow, tommy john surgery, etc...the strength and conditioning programs used by them to rehab is excellent for recovering archers. there are several maintenance programs available on the web. There are several PT'S on this site and I am sure they could recommend some good training/maintenance programs. I would also check with "RAGING WATERS" here on the site, I believe he trains for heavy bows and would have some fitness/ training advise. Good Luck.
Like stated a few posts ago. If you need to switch to a compound or crossbow do it. No shame in keeping yourself not only healthy but hunting. Right now I am dealing with a hand injury & can't shoot my trad bows for a couple of weeks. I went to the range & watched my buddy shoot yesterday & it drove me nuts! I dug out my wheelie from 06 & shot that with him. It felt so wrong but like he said before we left.... At least you know you could still hunt $ kill anything if you had to. I would hate to switch back but way better than not bow hunting at all. Sometimes it is easy to forget the big picture. Getting out & enjoying the hunting lifestyle. Trad, wheelie, crossbow or gun. We all belong & need to get along. I will be back to trad soon if I let it heal correctly but I don't look down on other folks who are not trad guys. Trad is in my soule but so is just being out there healthy. Good luck
Shoot left handed.
Been there bro and feel for you as it was a strugle for me to get back in the saddle. I finally just had to listen to the Doc and not shoot for a while and let the inflamation subside totally. I went months of taking a couple Naproxin to reduce the swelling and just going bowfishing all night when I shoulda been resting my elbow. Mine was to the point that the weight of the bow in my left arm would make me wence. My Doc prescribed me some big mg anti-inflamatories and I also found a forearm band used to help w/ carpal-tunnel (sp) was such a HUGE help in keeping the tendons in the forearm/elbow where they were supposed to be w/ light pressure.
Mine just miraculously went away one day, but it took getting rid of my hard head and not shooting to do it. Rest it up and be ready for the Fall!
Good luck!
Mike
I held a Boblee with a real high wrist that might help you out. You could also put a wrist strap on your bow and learn to shoot with a loose grip.
You put bowhunting in front of traditional archery. I wouldn't rule out other options if you enjoy hunting that much. Hunting is hunting, it really doesn't matter what weapon you carry.
Sorry to hear about this John.
Along the lines of what Whip said, have you tried another bow?
If you are shooting a longbow, could the SLIGHTEST amount of shock aggrivate your elbow a bit?
I have two bows for hunting. My faithful Predator recurve, and a Great Northern Bushbow I got last summer. The Bushbow is a very smooth shooting bow, but after a few months of shooting it exclusively, I strung up the Predator and put a few arrows through it. It was THEN that I really understood the term "dead in your hand".
The Bushbow produces a very mild, pleasant, thump felt in my bow arm, and the Predator transfers NOTHING to my bow arm.
It is just a thought. Regardless, I`m pulling for you.
Out with the bad, in with the good. Eat right, keep yourself fully hydrated, and follow the advice the docs give you.
Keep on planning just as you have been. Your dedication to traditional archery through the years will keep your shooting skills stored between your ears. It will just be a matter of fine tuning when you CAN pick your bow up again. The flight path of your arrows IS stored up there.
There is lots of time between now and then...but there is absolutely NO time for negative thoughts. Just a bit more to do before you go is all.
I`m pulling for you!
I'm with the folks who suggest dropping bow weight and finding the smooooothest bow you can. After the therapy and healing, of course.
My best hunting buddy had to go with a crossbow because of similar problems, which he ignored for too long. Consider it an option- they are not Satan's spawn, regardless of what you hear. My buddy is hunting Osceola turkeys this week with his Xbow, much better than not hunting!
I feel for you. Doing what the doctor says is probably a good idea and what everyone says. However, I'm in a situation right now (since Oct. 9) where I followed the directions of two doctors (except for the part where they say "act your age"). My third doctor has politely pointed out where the last ortho guy went wrong in my therapy. I should be about 3 months ahead of where I am right now. So, not all doctors prescribe correctly and frankly, we patients have no way on God's green earth of knowing.
My issue is a knee so no problem shooting (a lot). But, I laid off because of a shoulder for 7 months in 2009. I realize we are vulnerable. I have faced the fact that I might live longer than I can shoot a bow. If I get to the point where I can't shoot a vertical bow (compounds don't bother me)I will turn to my .308 which I have ignored for way too many bow seasons. I won't go to the horizontal arrow pusher though.
I used to have a similar problem. My problem was an old D-style that i loved to shoot but it didn't like my elbow. I switched to a recurve at the time and it slowly went away. I'm now back to longbows but I'm particular with which ones.
cheers
On another thread someone mentioned Indian Clubs. I googled it as I have been having left shoulder pain. Very interesting workout for the elbows and shoulders. I am going to get a pair and try them out. Might help you recover more quickly.
QuoteOriginally posted by duncan idaho:
Just some more information: stay with your PT until you have completed the process. A lot of elbow/shoulder injuries mirror injuries to baseball pitchers, torn cuffs, sprains, tennis elbow, tommy john surgery, etc...the strength and conditioning programs used by them to rehab is excellent for recovering archers. there are several maintenance programs available on the web. There are several PT'S on this site and I am sure they could recommend some good training/maintenance programs. I would also check with "RAGING WATERS" here on the site, I believe he trains for heavy bows and would have some fitness/ training advise. Good Luck.
HooYah! This is great advice. I am the strength/conditioning coach for the mighty Halifax Blue Comets football program, and I agree completely with this reply.
I've had the pain you speak of. Actually I've had shoulder and elbow surgery, along with the knees. I was to the point that I had to switch picking up my cup to the other hand to have a drink because of the pain.
I got the xbow permit and used it one year. Not my cup of tea but I couldn't pull a bow back. Compound bows aren't the way to go. Actually they are worst than the trad bows.
With the compound you still have to pull all the weight, then a sudden let off, not good. With a trad bow you can just pull nice and smoothly till the pain says no more, and letting it down doesn't bother you like it does on a compound.
Do all the therapy and exercises without too much weight. Don't push it. The elbow wraps with the little air pillow on them will really help, but if surgery is needed do it.
I ended up dropping my draw weight to about 30# then slowly went a little heavier. It took me at least a full year to reach 50+#. Now I shoot 55-60# most all the time.
I still have to pay attention to the pain, but now I have pain in all my joints due to Arthritis, Fibromyalga and Neuropathy. I still can shoot my bows though, most of the time anyway.
So if ya need surgery, do it as soon as ya can. The sooner it's done, the sooner ya can start healin'. Therapy, exercise, and rest, oh yeah don't forget the ice, will get ya back to shootin' and enjoyin' it. Good luck, have faith, and just forget about them compounds, they won't help ya. Good luck... :archer2:
I agree with the suggestions to drop in bow weight and shoot with a relaxed grip, using a sling. There's a form issue somewhere here- I had tendonitis in my draw arm elbow and fixed it by correcting my form.
Only thing I would add is to train with an elastic like a "bowfit". Mine is made of surgical tube and a piece of PVC pip for a handle. This will help you identify where the pain is coming from and work around/fix it.
Having gone through tendonitis on my shoulder and wrist, I feel for you. What worked for me was solid PT, laying off anything that made contributed with the pain. Used everything I could to reduce the inflammation, except painkillers. Whipped my self into the best shape I could, ate better, took my fish oil pills and now I shoot pain free, been this way for three years. Now I always use and exercize band before I shoot.
Had an interesting conversation at the gym today with a younger fella who just happens to be a chiropractor. We got talkin, and he asked if Im doing any ultrasound treatments, and cold laser therapy. The PT script I got is for the ultrsound, but never heard ofthe other one.
His practice does both, and also has a sports therapist on staff. He said that this type if injury can go on for years if not treated properly. He was very understanding of the muscles used and form with archery, which in itself is a big bonus.
I have an appt Monday with the PT place by me, and will also be making an appt with the chiropractor as well. He said he'll look at my elbow to see if its out of alignment, which he sid it sounds like it is to some extent, and get it back where its supposed to be.
So I think with Pt, and some work with the chiropracor and sports therapist, Im heading inthe right direcion .He said its rare to need surgery, butto definitely lay off the bow for a couple months. Also told me some stuff to not do at the gym- no curls, pullups, etc. pushups I can do, and I'll just focus on my legs, which is the most important for them mountains.
Mine did that too. I quit shooting for several months and when I statred back I used a straight up bow...no cant... And I don't hurt anymore.
Canting really put major stress on my bow arm/elbow. If I cant my bow for just one session I can feel it coming back.
I'm staying with the no-cant form and I am now healthy. :archer:
Give it a whirl man...I think it will fix you, but you really need to lay it down for a few months for it to work.
Also...shoot with a totally relaxed grip...relaxed all the way till the arrow hits the target. I think that is a big key to success also, plus it will improve your accuracy.
GOOD LUCK!
I'm the opposite of Robert Honaker. If I don't cant the bow it's more uncomfortable. People are made differently, and you have to find what works for you.
Being I just had surgery on my left rotorcuff. The bicep I'd torn off couldn't be repaired. My right shoulder was torn already and messed it up even worse this winter on ice. That's to be done in May. I love to hunt to much to rule out any option at all. I'm currently try to procure a Bradley Fighting Vehicle for spring bear.
For those of you who are using pullups in your rehab or training routine:
for long term shoulder health use a "neutral grip pullup" It places less strain on the shoulders and bicep/elbow tendons, while still improving strength.
google: Youtube/ Men's fitness and there will probably be demo.
Besides following through with your PT, and your appointment, look at the Manuka Honey website: www.manukahoneyusa.com (http://www.manukahoneyusa.com)
They sell a product that includes bee venom, that has helped myself and several family members with inflamations. Granted, they were not chronic, such as your case, but the bee venom cream helped a lot.
Good luck on your recovery.
I had this same issue last year and I think I have it beat. This is what I did.
1.) I exercise on my offside by pulling a bow of the same weight 10 reps x 3 every other day
2.) I do arm circles like this http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/arm-circles but I do them with my palms up!
3.) I do tennis elbow exercises like these http://www.tennis-elbow-treatments.com/pages/tennis_elbow_exercise.php especially the stretching with the palm up.
I am not a Doc, nor therapist. But I tried all sorts of stuff, including getting some advice from Docs like you and this is what helped. I also think that number 1 is what helped the most.
Good luck. Dave
Al, interesting stuff, might have to give that a try. lt-m-grow, in talking with the chiropractor, he said assymetry in muscle development is common among archers, and doing just as you said, working the opposite side will help keep from having the back and shoulder muscles pulling things out of alignment. I was shooting right handed quite a bit before my elbow flared up, and for sure when I can resume I'll be shooting both left and right to keep the muscles happy.
Im not opposed to trying anything I can.
I have the same probs.I've been fighting it for 2 years now.first year went to 45pds.and didn't have a prob. Last year went back to 55 and couldn't pick up a cup of coffee by augest.I had a hard time not shooting all those sweet bows at denton but talked to ron pittsley from predator bows,said he had a few peaple order bows with 2 sets of limbs.light for practice and heavy for hunting.trying it this year with my t.d. Dan
Do not know if anyone has mentioned it yet but you could try acupuncture. My girl is a TCM( traditional chinese medicine) practitioner and acupuncturist I occasionally over do it and get a bought (sp?) of tendonitis, acupuncture , chinese herbs and time always seem to work. But be aware acupuncture is not a quick fix miracle cure. The more chronic (long term ) the challenge is the longer and more sessions you will need. But eventually your body will get back in balance and "heal itself". Which is the only thing that eventually happens with any type of medicine. Good luck,7C
Started taking Glucosmine w/msm 3 days ago, its definitely helping. MRI/PT tommorrow.
I'm suprised nobody has mentioned it yet...find another doctor. LOL
Amazing how a multi-tiered game plan is showing results in a hurry. In a matter of a few days, Im seeing good improvement. Doc put me on a steroid dose pack to knock the inflammation down. That, along with rest, glucosimine, and the PT and I see good things on the horizon.
I'm doing PT 3x/week for the next month, along with home stretches. Couple that with some chiropractic treatments,as of right now my elbow is pain free. Still have some tightness, and some scar tissue to work on. PT consists of cold laser, ultrasound, deep tissue massage, stretching and exercises.
My therapist knows being onthe archery disabled list for bowhunters is akin to a pitcher being out of the rotation. I made sure they understood fully the importance of archery to me.
For now its recommended to not even touch a bow at least till I finish PT. From there, continued home exercises, and stretches. Resume shooting with a light bow, and just afew shots a day, and work up to the hunting bow. I cna surely follow that.
As a side note, I researched a lot of info online, and downloaded an exercse program several months ago. When I showed the PT girls what I was doing ( and it was written by a PT) they said OH NO- what you were doing actually made it worse!
Good luck and contiuned progress. Patience with it and do not rush it. A few more weeks or months will do a world of good, instead of running back and making it worse. Remember your long term goal, getting back to shooting your bow. And not too many 12oz. curls while watching TV either.
Take your time John!!! Rest that thing so you can chase elk.
If you do end up having to shoot wheels, don't let it bother you. ;) I would much rather see you hunt comfortably and not in pain. A medical condition may take away your longbow but it will never take away the hard core traditionalist inside. :thumbsup:
John,
Sent you a PM
I went ten years without being able to draw a bow due to severe, chronic shoulder dislocations. Hang in there and sit it out for a few seasons. Tendinitis can take a few years to subside, but subside it will. Hang in there.
And there is always the camera. Just limit yourself with glass a bit, then you have to hunt pretty hard to get close enough for good shots.
If you drop way down in weight, say 30# even, you would at least be able to keep your form up and not get too rusty. My friend has a bad elbow and he uses one of those bands, it seems to help.
Chris, got it, and replied. Thanks.
QuoteOriginally posted by Autumnarcher:
Started taking Glucosmine w/msm 3 days ago, its definitely helping. MRI/PT tommorrow.
The glucosmine is great stuff. a natural WD 40 for the joints.... just don't take it on an empty stomach.
here is another idea for you when you get back into exercising with a light weight bow. try rotating your grip hand in different positions when applying the pressure. high wrist vs low palm pressure. then do the same with rotating your grip putting more pressure on the life line vs the thumb pad....
This is something you could do at you doctors office, or PT guys too. take a bow into their office and show them how you like to grip the bow, then ask them what position you can place your hand on the grip when applying pressure that will use a different muscle configuration.
like a few other guys here have already mentioned using a different bow with a different kind of grip location could be the answer to prayers.
This doesn't mean you need to go out and buy another bow either.... although it's going to take a light weight bow to get started.
The point i'm trying to make is that getting a grip custom shaped to your hand that forces you to hold it where you are not re injuring yourself may be the ticket.
i have been building custom riser shapes to fit an archers hand to exact specifications for quite awhile now. i would gladly volunteer to provide you with a lighter weight "PT" bow and do some grip alterations until you come up with something you can draw putting the pressure in the right spot. it may take a bit of shipping a riser back and forth. but I'll bet i can get you fixed up with a trainer bow that you can shoot comfortably.
And would be glad to do it pro-bono to help a fellow archer out.
if this works out well it may be possible to reshape the riser on your hunting bow and drop the poundage a wee bit too.....
Please let me know if i can help out. I've built "PT" limbs for a few guys in the past, and can fix you up here I'm sure.
BTW... Sixby mentioning that a static tip recurve bow could benefit you in higher poundage, is spot on..... these static tip bows put a whole new meaning to the description of a Smoooooth drawing bow. Without getting into a bunch of technical stuff, they feel like you are getting a let off in weight half way through the draw, and are smooth drawing right out to anchor. A standard long bow draws 2.5 - 3 pounds per inch increase through the draw. these static tip curves dip down to as low as 1.5 PPI. A 53 pound bow actually feels like you are only drawing 47#... i kid you not.
at 61 if it comes to i cant use a recurve,i mean i physcally can not do it ...i will use what i have to continue hunting in the archery season...my challenges will be still very tough as i hunt 140s and up basically and they will be shot at around 20 yds...i love my recurves here more than anybuddy and have since i started hunting with a bow in 1964...but i love hunting the early season too...its not all about killing for me,never was and more so now...i enjoy getting up close while hunting...i enjoy the fall woods...and i enjoy deer camp but most of all i enjoy finding and getting within 20 yds. of a bigboy buck,for me thats great satisfaction...hopefully i'm able to shoot recurves til i'm gone...but i will be hunting in the fall woods one way or another...
Kirkll. thats a mighty generous offer, and I thank you for it. I shoot 1 piece bows, so switchin limbs isnt gonna work. Found out today I have a torn tendon, partially detached. I meet with a surgeon next week to see where it goes from here. But Lookin like a date with the knife.
I will see if the PT therapists can make some recommendations, and go from there. I have several lighter recurves, I used those after shoulder surgery a few yrs ago to build back up. Only took a couple weeks to do it.
I'll certainly keep your offer in mind, and thanks so much for your generosity.