elbow pain and corison shots

[dtarbell]

Ive had tendonitis in the elbow of my bow arm for about 5 months,the doctor has suggested a cortison shot in my elbow,Im curious if any of you have gone this route?Any information would be appreciated,as soon as I start drawing my bow my arm starts to hurt and at 57 Ive got alot of bowhunting left to do.

[Stumpkiller]

I had a flare up of bursitis in my right elbow (swelled up to about twice normal) after trying to work into my 70# Quillion Patriot.  The cortisone shots are just a steroid that reduces swelling temporarily.  It will not help the root cause.  Mine was a combination of arthritis and strain/aggrivation from the bow and other sources.

I sold the bow, dropped down to a 62# draw and it hasn't come back.

[pdk25]

I agree that it doesn't address the cause of the problem. If other conservative measures aren't working, a steroid injection usually does a great job. To keep the problem from returning you may have to change your shooting habits.

[dtarbell]

Thanks for the replys,ive shoot straight grip longbows and selfbows mostly,going to try a recurve if I can get rid of the elbow pain.

[stevewills]

you are more likely to hurt yourself more with those shots...i am a prime example of that and my knees,coach said it would be fine..jerk

[traditionalman]

I did have this done once and it did help but remember do to over do at first for a good period of time. If you feel better you may shoot the bow or lift things that would hurt if the shot was not killing the pain. Easy to do more damage and not be aware of it.

[Jeff Strubberg]

I had to stop shooting my selfbows and go to  a smoother hybrid because of elbow pain.
 
Cortisone is good for a one-time pain reduction, but cortisone shots have some really nasty side effects.  I'd be very careful about having more than one shot.

[Gil Verwey]

I am 56. I had the shots in my back for 5 herniated disks several times and they helped. Eventually the pain went away permenantly after 5 years.

I had tendonitis in my drawing arm and working out with the Formaster got rid of it.

Then I bought a bow and was told it scaled at 69#. When I got it, I shot against my 70# longbows and thought - Wow does this bow stack, but boy is it fast. I sold the bow to someone else that had a scale and loves heavy bows. He scaled it at 80.3#. Shooting that bow I got a cyst in my bow arm wrist and tendonitis in my bow arm elbow (stinks getting old). Let me know if it works, because this time my elbow pain isn't going away in my bow arm.

[ron w]

I have had the shots in my Shoulder and both knees....never did anything to help. Knees needed surgery and the shoulder was fixed by therapy.

[wtpops]

Ive got a case of it now but the werid thing is i cant even pick up a plate or do anything that requires me to grip somthing but i have zero pain when shooting my bow.

[RC]

Ive got a case of it now but the werid thing is i cant even pick up a plate or do anything that requires me to grip somthing but i have zero pain when shooting my bow.

WTPOPS, I wonder if that`ll work on my wife here around the house?...just kidding. I had kinda the same issues and I dropped down in bow weight a bit and all is well.RC

[sswv]

I've had shots in both elbows and VERY glad I did.  the right elbow took one shot about 14 years ago and the left one took two shots about 11 years ago. these shots are NOT a miracle in any way BUT, in my case they worked. don't get me wrong, the elbows are not like they were when I was younger but, I can tolerate them a LOT better since the shots.

[JRY309]

When I had some elbow pain,my doctor told me I had some tennis elbow.He told to to get an elbow brace.I picked up an elbow brace,that relieved the pain when shooting.I also went online and found some Physical therapy excercises for my elbow.I did the exercises,used ice,and rest,used the brace when shooting.After a couple of months it cleared up,I didn't have to get any shots.It worked for me,but everyone is different it may work for you and may not.I just followed my doctor's advice.

[Reaper TN]

My 75 year old father has a steroid shot in his shoulder about once a year, really helps him with the pain.  Doesn't fix the problem, but relieves the symptoms.

[dtarbell]

Thanks for the information guys,due to get the shot tommorow,this has been ongoing since July and have shot my bows very little,mostly just hunting,guess we,ll see.

[Bjorn]

I have been pleased with the results from cortizone shots. Probably had 7 or 8 over the past 20 years of tendonitis.

[mahantango]

Pain is your body's way of telling you to back off. Be very carefull of anything that masks pain as you can easily make the injury much worse. Take it from someone who has suffered from tendonitus in both rotator cuffs and both elbows at various times due to 30 years in construction. Rest, ice, therapy and most important of all- muscle building excercize to support the joints once the inflammation has healed.

[prh]

I had it once about 2 years ago, tried accupunture, it worked and has never come back. I was told by a specialist that too much cortisone reduces your bodys immune system ? cheers prh

[Stinger]

You asked for our experiences and opinions, so that is what I will give you.  Everyone's treatment for pain is different depending on the underlying cause and the individual's condition, age, etc.  Only a qualified doctor can tell you what is best for you.  Now, in my case I developed tennis elbow in both elbows at nearly the same time.  The determination was that the origin had to do with the way I use a computer and mouse.  I had been seeing an orthopedic surgeon for a different issue (I had just had major surgery done on one of my thumbs) and I discussed the elbow issues with him.  On his prescription I went through the ice and Motrin regimen with no success.  He ended up giving me 3 cortisone shots in one elbow and 2 in the other before the pain went away.  I got these over a period of about 5 months.  He was quick to tell me that he would not give me any more than the amount he did as the cumulative affect FOR ME would not be good.  I followed all of this with physical therapy and have not had a major issue in 2 years.  Whenever I do get a little pain, I stop shooting for a day or two and put on one of the wrap around your arm pressure pad devices that the doctor gave me that relieves the pressure on the inflamed tendon.  I also ice the elbow up twice a day and take an Aleve.  I'm good as new within a day or two.  The key is to treat it immediately rather than wishing it away.

Those shots are not pleasant, but the pain relief was near instantaneous in my case.

Good luck!