elbow is SORE

txcookie · September 15, 2016, 08:33:00 PM

My bow arm elbow is really sore. I've been shooting alot and have never felt this with a bow before. I know I need to rest it but season is 2 weeks out and I need to get a little better at 20 yards. Any advice?

fnshtr · September 15, 2016, 08:39:00 PM

Experiencing the same thing for the first time in 50 years of shooting. In my case age may be the culprit. I've been shooting a whole lot. I can push through the the first several shots and then seem ok for awhile.

Fortunately, I'm shooting really well and will probably limit myself to 25 quality arrows each evening or two.

Our season opens on September 24th.

Good luck.

bucknut · September 15, 2016, 09:45:00 PM

Buy a tennis elbow strap/brace. It saved me this summer. It will allow you to shoot without further aggravation of the forearm/elbow area. Hope this helps.

John

FlintNSteel · September 15, 2016, 09:53:00 PM

I started suffering a lot with tennis elbow in my bow arm several years ago. I tried shooting less, but it didn't really help. When I shot, it hurt! I was shooting 62#, which was my favorite pull weight for many years.

Finally early this year I dropped down to 45# and it was therapuetic. After a shooting session my elbow felt better and if I didn't shoot every day, it would start to get sore again. After a few months, I moved up to 50#, then up to #55, which is where I am now. Still a tiny amount of discomfort after shooting a while, but very manageable now.

KodaChuck · September 15, 2016, 09:59:00 PM

Are you pushing out with your bow arm causing tendinitis? Consider altering your shooting style to eliminate the pain to get into the season by shifting to more of a "pulling" motion with your string arm to get to anchor. Bracing the elbow will help but the repetitive shooting motion you have going now will continue to aggravate your elbow....so you need to find a way to shoot and hunt without stressing the elbow. Hold the bow up and pull directly back without flexing/pushing with the bow arm.

Nantahala Nut · September 15, 2016, 10:29:00 PM

Be careful with trying to shoot through the pain. Pain can cause you to subconciously change your form and create bad habits. I am a golf pro by trade and I have seen this happen in students and myself. If your body is in pain it will compensate for that.

M60gunner · September 15, 2016, 10:58:00 PM

My son wears one of those elbow strap braces when he shoots. He is down to 50# draw weight as well. He still has some discomfort. You should really get some medical attention for that elbow. Even if you do not like what your told. Shots are iffy some people have good results some donot. But like the brace it is just a cover up for a real issue.

Sam McMichael · September 16, 2016, 10:26:00 AM

Rest it! Soreness may negate your practice, because form may well be destroyed. I have recurring issues with elbow issues and rest is all that helps. Your 20 yard accuracy level is not going to be enhanced all that much in two weeks anyhow, especially shooting with pain. I would shoot just enough to remain muscle tone and no more, but whatever you do, don't make things worse.

SportHunter · September 16, 2016, 11:49:00 AM

Take a break, you may be lifting your elbow too high and have too much pressure on your lower finger. Also if you are relying more on your arm instead of your back muscles that may contribute to your pain.

monterey · September 16, 2016, 02:04:00 PM

When I started to develop elbow pain in my shooting arm It soon turned into shoulder pain and finally a frozen shoulder. My PT, who is also a Bowhunter, explained that the problem was In the shoulder all along. Took a while to get over it and I only relate the experience to illustrate that things are not always what they seem.

Pointer · September 16, 2016, 08:04:00 PM

A tennis elbow strap will help but eventually the tendonitis will win out and it may become too painful to shoot. I have experienced severe tennis elbow a few times...once in my bow arm from shooting the longbow way too much and other times in my right elbow as I happen to be an avid tennis player.
There are a lot of home remedies out there but the one that actually worked for me is something called a TheraBand Flex Bar. I got two on amazon for about $25 couple years ago. Follow the exercise routine as they describe it...its very easy to do. Basically they are called eccentric exercises. Two weeks of this a couple times each day for about 10 minutes worked so well for my tennis elbow that I cannot even put into words how impressed I was. I am skeptical by nature so I only tried the flex bar because I was desperate and they were inexpensive so I had nothing to lose. Give it a try and I will be surprised if you don't see a dramatic improvement in a short time

txcookie · September 17, 2016, 03:50:00 PM

So it appears to have been me pushing while a was drawing. I'm now drawing with a straight arm and focusing in back tension. It appears to have solved my problem

Hud · September 17, 2016, 11:53:00 PM

Physical therapist and trainers have told me not to repeat the same exercise day after day. The body needs to rest a day. If you work on upper body on Monday, do lower body on Tue, then cardio on Wed., before repeating the first. This gives your body a chance to recover. Secondly, shooting can be hard on certain muscles, and joints. We hear about sports injuries constantly and see numerous threads on Rotor Cuff surgery and other problems. This indicates we are shooting too much and not doing the right exercises to strength those muscles. This assumes your form is good. If your locking the elbow that could be part of the problem. I would go to a doctor and get some help. He may suggest icing or send you to a physical therapist.