Tendonitis in draw arm

[Tradcat]

Hey guys... Been fighting some draw arm Tendonitis on the top of my forearm. I've been using ice, ibuprofen and some stretching to relieve the pain. I have a shoot coming up soon and need any advice that I can get to try to remedy ASAP. What has worked for you and what else do you suggest that I try ?
Thanks.... Tradcat

[doubleo]

I had it in the same place and it was painful! It got so bad I could not pull my bow back. I went on light duty at work for 2 weeks before it finally got better. Ice and pain killers helped a little. The best remedy is to rest it. Unfortunately shooting your bow is not going to help it.

[northener]

Been there.  Only cure is rest,lots of it too, if you keep pushing it, it can takes months to heal.

I have to wear a compression sleeve today when I shoot

Be wise and quit while your ahead. Always next year.

[JRY309]

Maybe an elbow brace will help stabilize your forearm? Ask your doctor?

[Tradcat]

Thanks guys. Looks like I've not tried to rest it enough. How long did it take before you guys were able to shoot relatively pain free ? Northerner wears a compression sleeve while shooting now...any suggestions on a type or brand to help with this ? Is this the same injury as " tennis elbow" ?

[Killdeer]

I got "tennis elbow" from casing mail at work. Injections did nothing, pain relievers did little. What helped was a drop in mail volume (ie: rest) and a clamshell brace. The brace caused the muscles to lay off their traditional tendon anchor points, and be used a tad differently. It took time, but I have been pain free for some years now, at least in that area.

I usually have something that hurts, and as soon as I drive it out of one place, it finds a home in a spot that I was formerly unaware of for the most part.    

When we draw a bow our forearm bones twist on access at the elbow.  The most neutral place would be palm down.  This twist to get the hand matching the bow string causes the ligaments to need to take a torque load that can cause stretching and inflammation.  It is also possible for these bones to take a set in an off position which causes the tendons to not run smoothly in their proper track.  A good chiropractor that is trained to use actuators has helped me with the same condition.  Taking pain blockers is not a cure and can cause additional damage.  A friend of mine was hitting his max dosage, one day his heart went racing out of control, they had to burn a nerve going to his heart to get his heart back into rhythm.   Many people that had taken Celebrex and Viox suffered the same symptoms, that is why those drugs were black labeled.  Drugs that stop pain at the nerves are a form of pseudo neurotoxin, they can affect more than just the inflammation areas.   Nothing works as well, providing everything else is normal, than 6 to 8 weeks of complete rest.  If things are stressed prematurely, you will be quickly back to where you started.

[Bigjackfish]

If I do not have something hurting me I would think I was dead.But seriously rest is the best medicine for it and I know how hard it to not shoot my bows ,sometimes I will suffer some pain but that is not to smart on my part.

[northener]

The compression sleeve I use is actually from my wife's stay in the hospital. I believe they were meant to help blood circulation in bed bound patients.  They are about 12" long and although she had them on her legs from knee down they work perfectly on arm.

And yes tennis elbow is another name for what you describe.

[Tradcat]

Thanks guys ! Bigjackfish...I'm right there with you brother !

[northener]

Panty hose could be used as a substitute or a section of longjohns, even a tube sock would work

[damascusdave]

Just one more reason why I shoot both right and left handed regularly...most times a problem on one side can be compensated for by shooting the other way...bursitis in my bow shoulder did stop me from lifting anything other than a very light bow but it did not stop me from drawing with that arm...and eventually it cleared up

DDave

[McDave]

I've had tennis elbow on the bow arm side, which I fought unsuccessfully for a while, until I resigned myself to rest and a course of exercises specifically designed to keep the damaged area from atrophying.  My Dr. said total rest was a mistake; it increases the risk of subsequent injury when you try to start using the atrophied arm again.  I would imagine the appropriate exercises for the bow arm would be different from the ones for the pulling arm, so you have to learn what they are.  The bad news is that healing can take from 6 weeks to a year.  The good news is that success is almost 100% guaranteed if you follow the right regimen.

Find out what you did to cause it and don't do it anymore. In my case, I was shooting a bow with too much hand shock, which eventually caused microtears in the connective tissue.  Fortunately, since I switched to a bow with less hand shock, it hasn't recurred.

[Tradcat]

Great info guys... Thanks !

[green valley gobbler]

Steve,
    Sorry to hear you are dealing with this.  I developed a serious case of this in June of this past year, also in my drawing arm.  It got pretty serious throughout the summer season, even to the point were pouring a glass of water was terribly painful.  Pain was in the forearm and elbow. I used pain killers, braces, ice, and anything else I could find info on.  None of those cured it-ice did help but absolutely the best thing that finally helped was REST!  I love shooting my bow but realized that I had to decrease my shooting or stop completely or it would only persist.  One thing though that I do not do anymore, or try not to anyways, is to shoot more than one arrow at a time.  Since dealing with this, I now shoot only one arrow at a time then go and retrieve that arrow.  I actually think that that is how I developed it, shooting several arrows at a time and over doing it.  It is terrible to deal with and is with you all day long.  It took probably two months for me to heal, I'm 99% cured but still feel slight pain from time to time.  I did shoot some within that two months, but I'd go for 5 maybe 6 days of not pulling my bow back at all.  When I did shoot, they were short sessions.  That helped more than anything.  Good luck and stay positive.

[Sirius Black]

I wear a Copper Fit elbow sleeve when I shoot. It does seem to help some.

[Tradcat]

Thanks Cory ! I think the hardest part will be not shooting. I love shooting so much that I'm tempted to just deal with the pain but I know that is stupid ! Tradcat

[Hud]

Best to see a doctor and physical therapist. A good therapist will tell you what exercises will help and what not to do.

[Tradcat]

You're right Hud !

[McDave]

Originally posted by Tradcat:
Thanks Cory ! I think the hardest part will be not shooting. I love shooting so much that I'm tempted to just deal with the pain but I know that is stupid ! Tradcat

That's the best way to extend the time it takes to cure it from 6 weeks to a year.  We all understand;  I'm pretty sure all of us like to shoot as much as you do!