My name is Joe and I have arthritis...

[JoeArizona]

There...I said it.
So my hands are getting worse.  Especially the joints where my thumbs connect to my hand.  Right at the base of the "V" that is formed to hold my recurve bow. At full draw it is starting to feel like my thumb is being dislocated.
So I am wondering if a longbow would cause me less pain.  Would the straight grip be easier on the old joints?
Has anyone switched from recurve to longbow because of arthritis?  Did it help?
I have never shot a longbow but I think maybe I should give it a try if it might make a difference.
Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated!    
Thanks,
Joe

[bartcanoe]

I have friend who due to an old injury developed arthritis in his bow hand and wrist making it painful to turn his wrist and grip his bow.  He now puts the bow between his index and middle fingers and is shooting as good as ever.

[Pete McMiller]

Joe, I feel your pain.  I have it in the same place and shoot my longbows fine.  I have always heeled my bows rather than shoot a high wrist and I think that helps.  Haven't shot a recurve since I was a kid - I'll be 65 in a couple of months.

All my longbows have straight grips.

[DennyK]

Yup me too. Basil joint at the very base of my thumbs. Positioning my hand on the bow grip in more of a heel down position and that is pretty comfortable. Gotta go in for a physical in a couple of weeks and I'm gonna ask my doc about cortizone shots.

[Missouri CK]

No guarantee but look up a product called a wrist widget. They run $40-50.  One of the most minimalist braces you will ever find. The thumb and your wrist are connected and sometimes supporting the wrist helps the thumb. It has helped a lot of my patients.
If that doesn't help go see a hand therapist    (occupational therapist). If all else fails they have a surgery that is a pseudo thumb joint replacement similar to a total knee replacement.
Lots of simple arthritis medications will help so get to your doctor have some x rays done and start trying some of the options.
Good luck.
CK

The thumb has three joints just like your other fingers, the first joint is at the wrist. Sometimes the base thumb joint gets pushed back. One thing I do when this happens. Slightly moisten the wrist above the joint. Then, with the other hand, gently grip the top of the forearm with your finger tips line up the heel of the hand a bit above the joint on the wrist area. Then, abruptly, with some force snap your hand into the base thumb joint. If it is out of place, it will jump forward.
If you are having trouble with the middle joint, you have to get the preasure of the bow off of the thumb to some degree. If you go to a straight gripped longbow and place the bow so that the thumb takes most of the load, it will make your condition worse. I make certain that I get the bow deep into my hand. With some recurve grips, I have the same problem that you have, which one of the reasons why I prefer longbows.

[snellville-dave]

Might try 3 under. Dave

Besides a number of wacky things that I do to keep my hands good, I also use a product called Vital3. It is not a drug and I believe it has helped me.

[JEFF B]

Buddy i have it in every bone of my body and i shoot a horse bow no problem the bow is 50# @27" and has a slight curved grip i all so  shot longbows with no problem. i rub lavender oil on my hands and man that stuff is the bomb kills the pain for sure and then there is good old moonshine that kills everything  

[Mr. fingers]

I too have arthritis psoriatic arthritis. It sucks for sure. Are you on any meds. They can do wonders I took embrel for about 3-4 yrs  then my insurance quit covering it . Then my work dropped my insurance. So I went with out meds other than over the counter NSAIDs . My hand got so bad I went back to my wheelies. For a few seasons. I got insurance again and started taking methotrexate along with lodine  which has been working well and I was able  to retain full function in my hands again and I'm back shooting trad. Full time. I Even sold my tricked out compound . And bought a new big Jim longbow which I love.
Now weather a longbow grip will cause less pain than your recurve? Of course it will       I like you angle  using your arthritis to justify buying a new bow          

[redfish]

Got it in my index finger fist knuckle, or whatever you call it.  Might try that lavender oil...or moonshine.
Anybody got any other solutions. Mine is getting pretty bad too.

[screamin]

Take this for what its worth. From what I have heard, arthritis is basically caused by calcium deposits because the calcium is not going into the bone. The solution is to take 3mg of boron twice a day until its under control then 3mgs a day there after. I don't know if this actually works, but it might be worth a shot.

[Bob Stager]

I had the same problem in both of my hands and finally.had surgery on both of them. They took the bottom half of the joint out and replaced it with a tendon (or ligament?) from my arm. It has been 5 years on the left and 2 1/2 years on the right and I have had no problems with them since they healed.

[njloco]

Most of you can probably get rid of the arthritis, but you will have to change your diet slightly, PM me if your interested, I'll give anyone who is interested the info.

Good luck

[Stumpkiller]

Knees, knuckles, wrists and elbows.

I couldn't do the Hill style longbow because the low grip bothered my wrist even 20 years ago.  I find high grip recurves much more forgiving  . . . and I have toned down my draw weight considerably from what I was shooting 20 years ago as well.  

Now I finesse deer to death.   ;-)

[halfseminole]

My hands were shattered and put back together, so yeah, I have severe arthritis now.  I can handle the bow end, but I have to shoot either pinch or thumb style-I cannot use my fingers to shoot mediterranian or three-under.  I found the thumb ring to be the most useful.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I'm not sure if going to a straight grip and heeling down more would be the right way to go about it or not. I have the same thing going on after years of abuse in construction work. I've found that finding just the right wrist rotation with a medium wrist angle to be the best for me.

You don't really have to switch from recurve to long bow to get some relief bro... If you can have a bowyer work with you to shape a custom grip. that would be the answer. The shape of the limbs doen't dictate the grip shape at all.....

I have helped a lot of guys get a perfectly shaped grip to help their accuracy and make shooting more comfortable. I would be more than happy to help ease the pressure on those aching joints. Please feel free to contact me. If you are not in the market for a new bow, i may be able to alter your grip shape on the one you have and get you shooting more with less pain...

Here is a good example of a lower wrist grip on a take down bow that can take either long bow limbs or recurve limbs.

 

 

[JoeArizona]

Thanks for all the great replies.  Much appreciated.

njloco - A pm will be comming your way.  I have experimented with diet changes and would like to compare notes.

Mr. Fingers - I guess you outed me on the new bow angle. Hope my wife doesn't read this    .

halfseminole - I know how those cold damp winters in Alabama can seep into your bones. I was born and raised in Cullman. Hope you got bread and milk before this last snow!

Kirk - Thanks for the info. I will try to find a longbow to shoot and see if a straight(er) grip helps. Also need to see if a longbow is for me.  Otherwise, I may be in touch to take advantage of your expertise...either new bow or modifying my existing.

Thanks again everyone!

[bamboo]

that's some stove lighter kirk!!lol
  --must get r done!!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Originally posted by bamboo:
that's some stove lighter kirk!!lol
  --must get r done!!

You've heard of "Liquid boy scout" i'm sure...

I call that set up "Boy Scout Millennium"  2 minutes max and you got heat.