Medical Question
#11
RE: Medical Question
Heres a good tip from pro-staffer I learned when I started bow hunting, before you shoot, make sure youre reaxed, then do some shoulder and elbow excersies, do about 3 minuterotating shrugs with both shoulders, alternate both directions. Then lift your arms straight up and go air swimming. This will work both elbows and shoulders along with most of your upper body muscles do this for 3-5 minutes. Then wait about3-5 minutes before shooting. If you still get some pain,wich im sure you will, do this everyday, not just before you shoot. If It doesnt go away, contact someone in physical threorapy.
#14
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Nicholasville, KY
Posts: 655
RE: Medical Question
It sounds like what you are describing is lateral epicondylitis. Without being able to see the area and actually touch and stress the area, that would be my guess. It can be caused from overuse and by repetitivelifting of something too heavy. It can happen at the ligaments at the lateral epicondyle or the tendons originating at the radial head and lateral epicondyle. I would suggest decreasing your shooting for a while, take an NSAID like ibuprofen or naproxen, and ice, ice, ice. This is a nagging injury that can takes months to resolve, but you have to eliminate the cause. My guess is the bow being held out for extended periods of time and the slightshock transmitted to the arm is aggrevating, if not causing your symptoms. They make a strap for "TennisElbow" that actually puts the tension more in the belly of the muscle than at the origin to distribute the stress where it is better tolerated. It may help for a while to get you over the hump. Just my educated$.02 worth.
#15
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Eastern PA USA
Posts: 1,398
RE: Medical Question
As others have mentioned, rest is a good idea, as well as ice after shooting, stretching, and perhaps otc N-saids. I have found low resistance, high rep strenth training to be the best way to reduce shoulder pain. BTW, I had a class 3 separation of my bow arm shoulder, which was only partially fixed with surgery, and tend to get tendonitis in my draw shoulder, especially with late peak draws, or bows that are too long a draw length for me.