posted
I have shot for years and never had a problem with injuries. All of a sudden I am having pain in my drawing arm elbow and forearm. It doesn't hurt at all when I am shooting, but I can't grip or pick up much weight with my arm afterward. Its weird. The pain is really bad when I try and pick things up when my palm is facing the floor and the weight is mainly supported by the grip of my hand. My grip becomes weak and there is a lot of pain in the forearm near the elbow. Any ideas why I can shoot without pain, but can't pick things up well?
-------------------- He (Jesus Christ) is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Col. 1:17).
-------------------- Pronghorn Longbows Compton Traditional Bowhunters Professional Bowhunters Society Member Posts: 1232 | From: Northeastern CA | Registered: Jul 2005
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ToxophilitePaster, I am going thru the same thing(for two years plus) I had a steel door slam on my funny bone, and elbow has not been the same since. On june first I was playing golf and tor a tendon and the muscle that is attachet to the funny bone. I have been off of work and no bow shooting since. Finally got in to the u Of M hospital. Having lots of tests done on nerves and bones. I have had cortazon shots in the past wich possibly weakend the area. I would make a oppointment with a elbow specialist in your erea asap.
Posts: 196 | From: michigan | Registered: Mar 2006
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As was suggested above. Go see a specialist. Pain is natures way of saying something is wrong here.
Posts: 397 | From: Sioux City Iowa | Registered: Sep 2005
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Sorry to say I have the same thing going on right now, so bad I have a hard time lifting a glass of tea. Bow season starts tommorrow and I am not shooting, gonna lay off for a while and see if it gets better. Chris
Posts: 226 | From: Fayetteville, NC | Registered: Apr 2005
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If you can't grip anything, it sounds like it tennis elbow (a repetitive motion injury to the tendons). I had the exact same symptoms from swimming and shooting a bow.
Do not live with it hoping it will go away because it will not without the proper treatment. The tendon needs to heal, be stretched and strengthened. My Dr. and physical theripist advised against "resting" it and waiting, you need to keep it active so that you will regain strength. It can be easily treated in about a month. Go to a sports medicine Dr. and they likely will get you into ultra sound treatments and physical therapy. Avoid cortisone shots as they will make it feel better for the short term but increase healing time. It is a fairly simple cure, you just have to spend the time doing the exercises and stretching. they may also recommend a tennis elbow or similar brace. Also, they likely will encourage you to keep shooting on a limited basis as you strengthen your elbow. You will need to ice your elbow after shooting. The Dr. also recommend a two week period with a high dose of Aleve to help the inflammation around the tendon.
Once again, do not wait, get it taken care of.
Good luck
-------------------- "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are" T. Roosevelt
Michigan Traditional Bowhunters TGMM "Family of the Bow" Posts: 524 | From: West Olive, Michigan | Registered: Nov 2005
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I had a bad bout of tendonitis...almost couldn't draw the bow. Dr gave me 2 cortisone shots 2 weeks apart, rested the elbow for about 3 weeks and all worked out.
Go to your Dr..nip the problem early before it develops into something worse.
-------------------- Kempf Stealth (Stealth) Kempf Longbow ("JK") Groves Spitfire (Killer) Fedora H560 ("Lefty") Bill Stewart Multi Cam ('Ol Friend") Browning Cobra (Cobra) Posts: 6092 | From: Renegade Archery, Highland, NY | Registered: May 2003
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Joe hit it right on , I bet you have tendionitis . I had a BAD case in fact so bad they checked me for everything you can think of . I let mine go for so long it became a serious problem because I kept shooting and I have a physicial job , rest and ibprofin will more than likely get you fixed up in a week or two .
-------------------- " Live long and prosper " Posts: 1230 | From: Troy , N.C. | Registered: Oct 2005
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I had what sounds like a similar issue about two seasons ago. Tennis elbow. Had to go back to wheels for a season - love trad but wasn't going to miss the whole season.
My brother is a PT and helped me out. Two biggest things were getting a cock-splint (who named that?) and one of those tennis elbow straps.
I wore the splint most of the time. Sleeping, work, etc. The strap I used when doing anything that might strain my forearm (yard work, gunning, etc).
Took the whole season, some stretching and a whole lot of icing and ibuprofin to cure it.
-------------------- "The encouragement of a proper hunting spirit, a proper love of sport, instead of being incompatible with a love of nature and wild things, offers the best guaranty for their preservation."
-- Theodore Roosevelt Posts: 402 | From: Sussex County, NJ | Registered: Aug 2007
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Lost Arrow hit the nail on the head. I've had tendonitus before and my chiropractor gave me the ultra sound treatments and it straightened it right up. I also wore the brace while shooting and working as he prescribed. I fought mine for months before seeking help and suffered thru alot of unneccesary pain. Go get help from a quality professonal.
-------------------- I would've taken better care of myself,if I'd known I was gonna live this long! Posts: 1456 | From: Paola,kansas | Registered: Apr 2006
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I am a Certified Hand Therapist and agree with the tennis elbow diagnosis. Follow up with your physician and get a referral to an Occupational Therapist and a CHT if possible. Lay off shooting for at least two weeks. If this more or less just started, use ice (no less than 20 min at a time). Get on an anti-inflammatory regiment and purchase a tennis elbow strap. PM me if you have any questions. Good luck!
-------------------- "He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze." 2 Samuel 22:35 Posts: 866 | From: Butler Co. Kansas | Registered: Dec 2007
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I have had that same problem before and I'm having it now. I fully believe it is not so much the shooting that does this to me as it is pulling arrows from my targets using my string hand/arm only. If I put my bow down, put my butt against the target and pull arrows with both hands I don't have a problem. When I stopped pulling arrows one handed the pain went away eventually.
This summer I shot in the Tradgang Fun Shoot and pulled arrows with my right hand while holding the plate on the foam target with my other hand and now my elbow hurts again. Since I stopped shooting at a paper plate my elbow is starting to feel better again.
-------------------- B.Glass, aka Mom, aka Longbowwoman Greg, forever 18. Gregory R. Glass Feb. 14th, 1989-April 1st, 2007 TGMM Family of The Bow To John Muir, "Where do you want to go?", John, "Anywhere that is wild" Posts: 3084 | From: Indiana | Registered: Jan 2004
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-------------------- Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. (NIV) Posts: 3575 | From: Sunny Rio Rancho, New Mexico | Registered: May 2004
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