Elbow Issues??

[Bullfrog 1]

Let me start this off as saying I am a Physical Therapist. I have gone to a style where my draw is VERY relaxed. I have what seems to be Ulnar nerve irritation. My question is has anyone had problems from keeping the draw hand TOO relaxed during the draw? Thanks.  Bill

[nineworlds9]

What style do you shoot- split, three under? I wonder which of your fingers are doing the majority of the work? While you don't want to use much of your arm/hand strength to draw to avoid unnecessary inputs to your release I'm wondering if maybe you're not keeping a healthy amount of tension in your lower arm/hand and it's maybe causing 100% of the pull to go into your connective tissue vs some of it into your muscles/ something to that effect.  Also, watch for rotation...you might be rotating your hand/forearm as you pull back compressing the nerve somehow?  You also may want to increase the amount of push vs pull you put into the draw to balance things out?  Problem could be in your elbow directly or could be referred pain from compression happening in wrist/forearm?

[Orion]

Hmmm.  Several years ago, I began to get a lot of pain on the outside of my bow hand forearm. Just looked up ulnar.  I think that's where it's located.  Put a compression strap on it, which helped while shooting, but was pretty painful after that.  A couple of weeks of stretching exercises suggested by a PT and it went away, so far never to return.

Now, my elbow makes a fairly loud crack the first time I draw the bow in a practice session.  Doesn't really hurt, but I can tell that something is moving around in there. This just started a few months ago.  Hope it doesn't carry into hunting season.  The crack is loud enough to spook a critter at 20 yards.

[ChuckC]

You're just getting old Jerry.      

I have that same thing happening, I have also had the issue with the ulnar nerve pain.  Yup, the compression strap made life less painful.  It finally went away, not sure why, but it was part of life for a long time.  

Re draw hand ( I presume you are speaking arrow hand here).  I have developed into making a fairly pronounced and deep hook prior to even putting pressure on the string, then pulling straight back using my back, to the stop ( my back) and settling into the fingers.  I can do this the same every time and I seem to get my best releases this way (remember the back).

As I feel it, I make the hook and seemingly no other part of my hand is under any tension at all.  Feels much more relaxed than I used to be, and much more repeatable.
ChuckC

[Orion]

Oops.  You're talking draw hand.  I misread it as bow hand.  (I am getting old.)  I do the same thing Chuck does with the drawing hand.  Have never had a problem with it.

The bones and muscles can do a number on nerve pressure and ligaments in the wrists and elbow when rotated.  The twist test to demonstrate resistance by making a fist with the hand twisted one way and the other compared to a neutral position, applies to many activities.  I have seen  many shooters, including myself, start to turn the palm down when drawing, heavy index finger, and a few with it the other way, a heavy ring finger.  Pressure in the neck can fire up the ulnar nerve and can result in symptoms through the shoulder, to the inside of the arm, elbow and even in the fingers.  Now I also know that the word chiropractic is a cuss word in the PT field, but that is the route I took, followed up with PT and it is what works for me.  I have an old neck injury that flares up every so often, which can cause muscle spams and nerve pain and at times that electric tingle above and behind my elbow when the right contact is made, like when I lay my arm on a sharp corner.