Bow arm tendonitis...HELP! And read this so you don't end up like me.

[Bakes168]

Hey guys, I went out today and shot a few arrows with my 45# longbow.
This past fall I did a WAY too much practice in too short a time with my 55# longbow and ended up with tendonitits in my bow arm (which I have bent when I shoot, like most guys), it was a combination of shooting too much and jumping from 45# to 55# without slowly building up tolerance and strength, I kept shooting  well  after I got tired. I asked my doc about it and he said that if I take it easy the irritated tendons will eventually settle down and all will be well.
Well it's been several months since then, I havn't shot my bow very much at all, and I have been swimming on the high school swim team since the end of Nov., which I imagine would help strentghen and heal the tendons.
Today when I shot my arm was sore, only for a minute and not like it was in the fall.

But this is VERY frustrating...To be afraid of doing something you are passionate about and love for fear of hurting yourself more and just digging a deeper hole, a hole that someday I may not be able to climb out of.  :(  
I've heard horror stories about guys here on the gang that shot too much and just ignored the pain. Eventually they couldn't pick up a coffee cup because it hurt so bad.
I'm still young and hopefully have a long life filled with bowhunting adventures ahead of me. But not with this dark cloud over me that I can't seem to shake.

If you've been in my situation; How long did it take for your arm to heal? What did you do in order to get rid of this curse?

Thanks for any and all input.

Bakes

[bluegrassbowhunter]

I've been battling it real bad for 4 months now.Got to the point I couldn't pick nothing up without alot of pain.Went to the Doc & got a cortazone shot to help me get through bow season.Been having to wear a brace(below the elbow to stabilize it) & trying to take it easy & it seems to help some....

[Bakes168]

And I can't just ignore the pain. It's not that kind of pain, if I ignore it...it will only get worse.

[Bakes168]

BlueGrass- I remember reading something about those shots that wasn't too positive, something like they're not worth it or they won't help much in the long run...I don't know. I don't think I want one right now though.  
You're right though, taking it easy does help.

[Steelhead]

Not sure if I have had your exact problem but have had 3 or 4 injuries that kept me from shooting over the last 15 years.Some have been fairly bad.

i usually take some time off ofcourse.Then do rehab with light wieghts and high reps.I do them slowly with strict atteention to form and getting a good burn.I have overcome these setbacks with consistant training.

An example would be when I had a shouder problem.I did high reps of lateral raises.say 25 or more.4 sets every 3rd or 4th day.I would stress getting the mind in the muscle and joint and really concentrating on working the ligaments,tendons and muscles.I have cured myself of more than one aggravating injury by training this way.

working out a bit is good prevention as well.

you might seek some proffesional advice for your rehab from physical therapist.

For the arm thier would be many exorcices that you may fing beneficial.From tricep extentions to hammer curls to bicep curls and simple pushups.try different ones.If one seems aggravating try a different one with a different angle.I like dumbbells because it gives you more freedom of movement and varying angles.So you can find a comfort zone where things feel smooth with minimal stress.

The key for me is go slow,high reps and get the mind in the muscle and area you want to strengthen.Thats my best advice.Like I said seek proffesional advice if you need to.

[NoCams]

I had some pretty painful shoulder tendonitis and cured it with rest, ice and Aleve on the advice of my physical therapist. I had bicep tendonitis, this is where two tendons in the shoulder become inflammed and chafe against each other. I was in misery !

I cannot stress enough to you how much the ice helped ! Most people just do not ice as they should and as the doc tells them to. You need to ice the joint for 20 minutes 2-3 times a day when you can. I was amazed after a solid week of icing three times a day how much better I felt. The combo of the Aleve, ( anti inflammatory drug ), and ice knocked it out for me.

Now, if I overdo it and feel the inflammation rearing it's head I simply rest the joint a few days, ice and Aleve before it gets out of hand. If you let it get that bad it will take 2-4 weeks to get rid of it again.

As others have said, weight bearing exercises are good too. Just make sure you have the inflammation under control before starting the weights. Hope this helps.


   
nocams

[KSdan]

Ice and Ibuprofen.  The best cure is REST (maybe weeks or few months).  Then limited stretching and excercise after it heals a bit.  In my research I came acoss tennis elbow.  A KEY part of the prevention is learning to hit the ball correctly.

I suspect this is the same with some of our shooting styles.  I had to learn to shoot different when I had elbow problems (like locking my arm and regularly using a hand gripper to mimic the locking of my arm when I shoot.)  Since healing then changing my form I have not had a problem in ten years.  My shooting got better too.

Hope you work it out. . .

Dan

[markfromark]

I had tendonitis in my right elbow pretty bad.  Doc told me only one way to get rid of it - stop doing whatever it is that is aggravating it.  For me that was holding an angle drill while I was sanding woodturnings on my lathe.  I was stubborn and wouldn't quit.  Then I ended up dislocating my shoulder in a fall and tore it up bad enough I had to have some fairly major surgery.  I was off the lathe for about 5 months and didn't shoot a bow for about 8 months.  But guess what?  No more tendonitis... I guess doc knew what he was talkin' about....  

[Bakes168]

Is the way I bend my bow arm when I shoot bad form. I think I've seen pictures of Howard Hill shooting like this. Could it be part of my problem?

Zack

[KSdan]

Zack- I hate to call it "bad" form as I am not a professional archer.  I will say that I shoot pretty well, even placing in a few local/regional 3-D shoots over the years.  With that said:  I suppose we each have to figure out what works for our particular body shape and style.  But, I found that tightening/locking the muscles in my arm to keep it rigid when I shoot alleviated the tendonitis problem and gave me a stronger consistent shot.  My bow arm may even look very slightly bent- but it is locked that way with strong forearm muscles from the beginning to the end of the shot.  I would say I no longer do the push-pull style. I suspect (at least for me) that the pushing with my bow arm caused the tendonitis.  This is the same stress put on the elbow area for tennis players.  

Others may have better technical form advice than me. . .take my ideas with a grain of salt!

Dan

[KSdan]

Oh yea- I regularly work on my bow arm muscles locking as such by using a hand gripper as I drive.  I squeeze the gripper, then keeping it squeezed, I slowly raise my arm as if I were raising a bow and visualize a shot.  I do this throughout the year as I drive.  I think it has made a huge difference for me.

[Flinttim]

I have a touch of it in my right arm right now. Doc said ice was the best thing to use. It doesn't bother me to shoot my bows (I'm right handed) but what hurts the most is using this computer. The angle of my arm the way it lies on the desk and holding the mouse is the problem. I'm trying different ways of doing it so we will see. Don't discount the computer as a potential aggravator of tendonitis.

[Dartwick]

There is no strengthening while you have tendonitis.

You have to wait till the inflammation is gone. Then you have to slowly build strength. As soon as you feel even a twing in the tendon you have to stop immediately and take an extra day.

The big thing is always stop immediately as soon as you feel it. If you didnt do this it means you will have to wait longer for it to get better and and that means it will take longer to build to where you want to be.

[KSdan]

I agree on healing first.  Though I said it in the earliest post I placed here. . . I completely agree- gotta heal FIRST.

I also wonder about the computer as I have developed some in my right arm (non- bow arm) and I was wondering about this computer (and addiction to tradgang)  

[Otto]

Don't screw around with it.  Get to a doc and get the inflamation under control.  Then get some PT to strengthen the muscles surrounding the elbow.

I had it bad.  It took over a year to go away entirely.  About 6 months worth of PT got it under control.  Now I do regular strengthing exercises to keep the elbow stable and under control.

[David Bartholomew]

As an Orthopedic Massage Therapist, I've been providing injury rehabilitation bodywork for the past 15+ years (full time).

Since you have already seen your doctor, if you wish, shoot me an Tradgang email.  I'll give  you my phone number. We can talk about your concern(s) and some very simple solutions... if you just do 'em.  (most probably tendonosis... not "itis").

Regards,
David Bartholomew

[Matabele]

I had really bad inflammation of the right shoulder, which I believe was a result of going from a 70# compound straight to a 65# trad recurve...too big a jump. I was 21 at the time and was the fittest ive been in my life, doing martial arts, rock climbing etc. You have to find a balance between excercise and rest and dtermining your own limits. In my case I simply over extended myself and didnt rest enough.

As the shoulder wasnt getting any better and I couldnt stop shooting (too much fun:) I sold the bow and took a year off archery. After 12 months the shoulder was still painful and eventually I went for a cortisone injection. I hate any kind of invasive therapy but I must say I think it reduced the inflammation enough for the natural healing process to start. Oh yeah and Ive also heard that enough of those cortisone injections and it can actually cause your cartilage to deteriorate prematurely, so Im glad I only had the one!!

But Im back to shooting a bow now, started with a much lower poundage 55#, and now can fling 50 arrows a session with no pain...its awesome!!! I still cross-train as I believe thats imperative to keeping your body in good shape overall, and I dont over do it. If ive had a hard MMA session or workout, I'll fling maybe 10 arrows just to keep my eye in and then give it a day to recover.

As an athletic activity Its almost to be expected your going to pick up an injury along the way, but If you manage it right you'll get back into shooting no probs! But Im afraid to say you may have to cut right back on archery for now until your body heals up. Like the guys have said see your doctor and get a good rehab programme going now, before you over do it and it it takes a year to recover instead of a month.

Good luck Bakes, let us know how you progress.

[NDTerminator]

If a person gets this don't wait, get to a doctor right now!  Chances are a couple Cortisone shots and a couple months of physical therapy will clear it up for good.

I know because I had exactly the same thing and lived with the pain & frustration for near onto 10 years!  I also had the added joy of a "trigger lock" finger on my drawing hand that locked up when curled in, making a consistent smooth release nearly impossible.

I figured it was all just a factor of getting older combined with the abuse I had done to the body with HS & college sports, a lifetime of martial arts, and close to 30 years of street police work.  Three years ago I finally went in to see a doc about it, when it got to the point it looked like I would have to hang up all forms of archery for good.

I'm here to tell you brother, a couple Cortisone shots and 4 months of PT, and it's all gone.  I've been shooting pain & joint lock up free for about 2.5 years now, and there's no sign it's coming back...

[NorthernCaliforniaHunter]

Apart from rest and rehab, might I suggest you pay particular attention to getting enough key nutrients in your body to rebuild and strengthen your tendons and joints.
MSM and Glucosamine are key for lubrication and ease of movement, magnesium to allow for proper muscle relaxation, and colostrum to help build lean strong muscle (and for a whole host of other miraculous affects.)
We tend to reach for the pain killers and anti-inflamatory meds, but nothing beats mother nature and the wisdom of ages... Isn't that why we're here?

Best of luck.
Juan

[Overspined]

Moral: don't over-do-it! Shoot bows you can comfortably pull and if you go higher, make it a brief session! Good luck.