Elbow Pain - Tendonitis

[crazyhorse86]

I'm sure there's something in here about the topic, but haven't found it yet so here goes.  I can't get rid of my tendonitis from shooting.  I've tried not shooting for a couple weeks, but it comes back after the first long session.  Trying to focus on more back and less arms, the tennis wrap helps but it's still pretty brutal and makes it hard for me to do normal chores during the day.  The good thing is that the pain goes away once i start shooting some, but then it's alot worse the next morning.  Trying to avoid cortisone shots, any advice would be helpful, thanks!

[NDTerminator]

I went through this and figured it was just a factor of getting older so just put off getting it looked at. The longer you wait the more damage you do & the tougher/longer it is to treat.  Long story short, I put myself through years of needless pain and darn near ended my archery & bowhunting career, all of my own doing.

Don't screw around, get it properly diagnosed ASAP. Unless the problem is accurately diagnosed you can't fix it and any self treatment based on a guess can cause more damage than it repairs.

If it's inflammation and not a damaged tendon requiring surgical repair a combination of a few months of physical therapy & maybe some cortisone will bring it around like new.  Took me 3 months of therapy & a little cortisone and I've never had a problem since.

Needless to say, I was out of the bow shooting racket for those 3 months, but by that time I couldn't draw & release a bow anyway.

Cortisone gets a bad rap but trust me, if the choice is a cortisone shot or never shooting bow or bowhunting again, you'll take the shot...

[newell38]

i have the same thing and being active helps me.  if i dont go to the gym or do pushups for a day or 2 it stiffens up and is painful.  the more i push the better it feels.  plus i make sure i practice both right handed and left handed incase of an emergency.  shooting the opposite way may seem impossible but its not;)

[George D. Stout]

You may need to lay off shooting for a few months actually.  I had it and went a whole spring without shooting.  It cleared up and hasn't returned.  Only go to cortisone as a last resort....that stuff will do as much damage, over time, as it will help.

[xtrema312]

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=082869

[JRY309]

It takes some time,I went on the net and found some Physical Therapy exercises and did them,used ice and rest.I also used an elbow brace when shooting and didn't shoot as much may 2 days a week.And after a couple of months it went away but everyone is different but this work for me.

[lpcjon2]

You can do the gym but be careful not to over do it you can acquire fluid retention in the joint.Some of the aged crowd I hang with say that aleve is the best for older worked joints.If you do get swelling Ice for 20 min.and then heat for 20 min.Other than that chase around a young woman that will make you forget about the pain...LOL

[Spectre]

Originally posted by George D. Stout:
You may need to lay off shooting for a few months actually.  I had it and went a whole spring without shooting.  It cleared up and hasn't returned.  Only go to cortisone as a last resort....that stuff will do as much damage, over time, as it will help.

This is good advice here. And be sure to ice your elbow down every once in a while to keep the inflammation down.

[woodbender]

Dont feel alone crazy horse im in the same boat i have not shot in 3 weeks and is killin me.i wander if they are different ways to cause it. because when i first did this i could still shoot fine but really hurt to pick up coffee mug.im curious to see after laying off if shooting will cause pain. i got mine from trying to untwist a union on my pole saw.

[NoCams]

crazyhorse, I know it may not seem like ice does any good but give it a honest try. You need to ice the elbow 2-3 times a day for 15-20 minutes at a time for 3 weeks. Don not skip a day and do your best to get it on at least twice a day. Take all the Aleve you can for those some three weeks and I would bet your tendonitis is cured ! If not it will be 100 % better. I had bicep tendonitis two years ago and thought I would die with shoulder pain. The ice and Aleve fixed me in three weeks. Them Major League pitchers get iced as soon as they come off the field. Post back in three weeks with the good news.

nocams

[Cherokee Scout]

Here is what fixed me. I dealt with this for years. Every kind of shot and meds available. Finally fixed with with exercises. The exercise is short fast and easy. Put the palm of your hand (same hand as bad elbow) flat against any surface, a wall, floor, the side of your face, roof of care while driving etc. Push the hand back over the wrist as far as you can. You will be strching the forearm muscle. The Dr says the forarm muscle has something do it with the tendons of the elbow. Do this for a few seconds as often as you can.
I tried to did it at every opportunity, at least once per hour. After about 2 weeks, the pain in the elbow began to fade, it was all gone in about 3 weeks. That was 7 yrs ago. It starts to return from time to time, and I begin doing the stretching exercises again. I know of others who have done the same thing with the same good results. Try it, it works!

[joevan125]

This one is easy start shooting a lightger bow, real light.

[David Bartholomew]

Why do you say it's "tendonitis"?  Were you already diagnosed by an M.D.?  If you wish to talk, give me a shout.
David

[Stinger]

Had this a few years back in both elbows at the same time.  It wasn't just the bow that was causing my problem.  Much of it was caused by computer use.  Some good advice in the posts above, but the best is to see a professional first to sort out what you really have.  It took me nearly a year and a half of anti-inflammatory meds, therapy, exercises and yes, cortisone shots.  I ended up with about 3 shots in both elbows over that time  all closely monitored by the doctor.  After much patience and effort I've been doing well since then.

[BRONZ]

You've got some good advice here, but truthfully we're missing details that would help in properly treating a specific problem.  Treating tendonitis (and other diagnoses) in elbows, shoulders, wrists, and hands is how I make a living.  I'll send you a pm...

[Paul Mattson]

I had it so bad that I could not pick up a coffee mug.  Got a cortizone shot and that fixed it right up.

[lpcjon2]

When it comes back it will be worse,  cortizone is like turning the lights of with an ugly chick,she will always remember your face and see you everywhere.      

[leatherneck]

Been there 3 times. I've had surgery on  my right elbow once and my left twice. They both feel great now but I would try therapy first. Talk to BRONZE, he does this for a living.

[Lechwe]

Go see a doc. I had the same problem and kept hoping it would just go away. Not much chance of that. If it is truly tendonitis the doc will likely send you to therapy first and use cortisone as a last option. Trust the doc. Cortisone is really bad in the joints but that isn't where you would get it and could help if your doc decides to use it. I needed a couple shots in one elbow and none in the other. I still have to do the exercises but everything is working fine.

Probably the most important thing is to see an Ortho who works on elbows every day.
Good luck

[Shooty1]

Exercise sounds counter intuitive when your elbow is in pain, but that's what has worked for me.