@#$% Tendonitis

[Labs4me]

Otto,

No real words of wisdom to share, but believe me, you're in good company here. I've been dealing with recurring bouts of bow arm tendonitis for years. And frankly, nothing but LONG periods of rest  (read- long periods of NO fun) seem to work. I've found that going to see a doctor is an exercise in wasted time and money. Doc says, "Labs4me- my recommendation is that you give your elbow a rest. Try, icing it and Ibuprofen will help too." Wow Doc- thanks for the advice!

Ice helps. Medication helps. Reducing bow weight helps. All just common sense suggestions that you don't need to pay a Doctor $100 to hear. Really though, the only way to get it under control is to refrain from shooting for an extended period of time. Unfortunately though, once you start shooting again the discomfort will probably creep back again to some degree. I found that by switching from shooting my recurve with a locked elbow and strait wrist grip, to shooting a longbow with a bent elbow and a medium wrist grip I'm able to shoot with considerably less discomfort.

When all else fails, don't discount the medicinal value of JACK DANIELS!!!

[Jeff Strubberg]

Steve;

Went through this two years ago.  Had it so bad I couldn't pick up a cup of coffee with my arm extended.  Mine was aggravated by a birth defect that I guess I have in BOTH elbows.  In my case, it was a good three months before I could shoot regularly again and I had to drop from 65 pounders to 55 pounders.

It's also the reason you don't see me building selfbows anymore.  Working a stave for an after noon gets me a week off from shooting.

[Ausable]

I have it in my draw arm, not my bow arm. It doesn't hurt when I shoot, just when I pick up things at odd angles or away from my body. I too have been icing as much as possible, seems to work along with 800 mg ibu. Very frustrating though.

[AllenR]

I've been fighting this for about three years.  I had the cortisone shot, did physical therapy, did the stretching and the hardest of all I put down my bow for six months.

It probably will never be cured, but I've worked out a program that keeps me shooting without pain in my elbow.

1) about an hour before shooting I take two motrin.
2) before and after shooting I do the stretches
3) after shooting I ice down the elbow for about 20 minutes.
4) twice a week I use a dumbbell to strengthen the muscles in my forarm.  I started with one pound weights and have worked up to 15 pounds.
5) Even with the above, I still get a little pain sometimes and that's when I use my most effective technique which is Trigger Point Massage. It would take more time than I have right now to explain this.  There is a book by Clair Davies that explains this.  It's easy and it has worked for me.  It won't cure every muscle pain problem, but it will definitely will work often.

Whatever you do, don't try to shoot through the pain.

Good luck
Allen

[Khayyam]

Wow, much more common than I realized.Lots of good info. I follow pretty much the same regime as AllanR and it seems to work. Another thing I would add is to make sure you stay well hydrated. If I'm even slightly dehydrated all musculo-skelatal problems are magnified. Also Ester-C(vitiman) will help with the healing process. And ice immedieately after shooting.Arnica Montana(homeopathic)also helps a lot for me.

Best, Ron

[CREOLE]

I suffered a bout of tendonitis two summers ago.  It was miserable.  The doc prescribed steroids, an air-cast/splint, and high doses of ibuprofen.  I got very little relief UNTIL I began to take Glucosamine and Chondroitin.  I absolutely swear by the stuff and now take it EVERY DAY.  Good luck.

[laddy]

Long term meds can catch up with you.  I still suffer from erratic heart rhythms caused by caused by Bextra and Celebrex, I understand that ibp and aleve can beat up your liver pretty bad.  Laying off is important to recovery, as others have said, going to a more fluid and less jammed up form helps a lot down the road.  An accurate shot with a 160fps arrow is plenty deadly for most game, don't be ashamed to drop the bow weight.

[Otto]

Well it's nice to know I'm not alone in this but it also sucks to hear of so many with the same issue.  

Jeff...haven't dropped a coffee cup yet but I can't pick up an aluminum skillet or a jug of milk.  Pretty pathetic.

I believe mine came from just shooting so much.  I don't pull much weight.  All my bows are 50#'s at my 29 inch draw.  And I'm able to draw and even hold 50 lbs. for quite a while without getting the shakes.  OTOH, I tend to shoot for hours on end, literally.  It started to bother me right before hunting season and while I cut back on the shooting to maybe 15-20 minutes per day, the damage had been done.  I've been on Prednisone for 3 days now and it has helped significantly in terms of reducing the inflamation and the pain.  I'm not going to so much as pull a string back for another 2 & 1/2 weeks.  I'm off work for 10 days from Chrstmas till after the new year.  The plan is to start back slow and see what happens.  I'm going to try the stretching that some have mentioned and the ice packs as well.  I appreciate everyones input.

[sagebrush]

Hi Otto, I had bicep tendonitis back in '93. I wouldn't put the bow down even when it hurt. It was pretty sore for about three years because I only slowed down the shooting. I would have been better off taking 6 months off. It took at least five years before it didn't hurt any more, but part of that is because I have a job where I am always lifting stuff so I think that probably aggravated it.I took aleve for about three months and then when my stomach started hurting I quit that. Good luck, Gary

[Jeff Strubberg]

Steve,


You ain't gonna like this, but the fastest way for me to get mine to act up is to overextend my bow arm while shooting.

Once the pain dies down, you need to be really careful to keep that bow arm bent while shooting.

[ZIP-R]

I actually put down my bow for a year, and went bonkers goose hunting.

Shooting waay to much, like for hours on end had my shoulders, and elbows all messed up. Getting back into the swing of things right now, and its going good, but I really have to limit my shooting sessions, or the pain begins again.

The rest should do you good.

B

[Otto]

Jeff

I believe what you say.  I've shot recurves almost exclusively and I do tend to overextend my arm when I shoot.  Thanks for the info.  When I do start shooting again in a couple of weeks I going to be trying this new little JK Traditions Kanati and then a Thunderstick Mag from Jim Reynolds.  I'll have to remember to try to keep the elbow bent just a bit.

[cjones]

Steve, Since all your bows are a perfect fit for me. Just send them over and i'll shoot em for ya and let you know how great they are! Don't wanna see ya hurt yourself any worse.   :D

[Golden Hawk]

Whatever Chad can't shoot for ya Bud I 'll help with.LOL!!

[dosbow56]

Steve,
I went to a chiropractor for mine and worked great. She said the nerves and muscles and tendons get all bunched up in there and have to be kneaded out. She brought me to my knees and made me cry but it only took 2 treatments. Never had a problem with it again.
OSBTW, does anybody know the dates for C-Dale yet?
Dave

[Otto]

"She brought me to my knees and made me cry but it only took 2 treatments."

Okay Dave....exactly WHAT kind of treatment did you have?  Was there rubber or leather involved???

[draco]

Years ago I had trouble at one time or another with shoulders and elbows. Then I read that Howard Hill shot bows in the 80# range nearly till he died. I studied every picture I could find of him,from every angle and tried to copy his form as best  I could. I quit shooting high wrist recurves and shoot lower grip longbows,keep my bow arm bent and most important in my opinion,keep the bow arm shoulder low. I have`nt had any arm joint problems in 20 years now and still shoot in the 60`s and 70`s,poundage wise,and I`m 58. These same changes have helped several friends as well.

[Orion]

Lots of repetitive stress syndrome stuff going on here.  In addition to the rest and ice when inflamation occurs, it's a good idea to see a physical therapist.  There are a number of stretching exercises that can be done to stretch the tendons in your bow arm, shooting arm, shoulders, wherever the tendonitis strikes.  I've been there.  Rest, exercise and a little  lower poundage bows helped me get over it.  Haven't been bothered now for about 4-5 years.  Good luck.

[dosbow56]

Family site Steve.......:^)