Medical Question

Abuelo · 07-20-2006, 02:52 PM

I'm experiencing some minor pain in my left elbow and shoulder. I'm a right handed shooter. Anybody else experience this? If so, what did you do to deal with it?

lte_622 · 07-20-2006, 03:07 PM

i too have felt it before the best thing to do is let your shoulder rest for a few days and after that only shoot a couple of arrows everyday.

mobow · 07-20-2006, 03:15 PM

Ite, that's good medicine right there, depending upon if shooting his bow is actually what's causing the problem. Sounds like tendonitis, tennis elbow, to me.

MASTERDIVER · 07-20-2006, 03:22 PM

ICE and Heat along with proper stretching to inprove flexibility. Shooting a bow is not a common action/stress/position we do all day everyday. I experience the same from time to time but being in the ARMY there are other factors behind my aches and pains. Personally I just play through it. Ice/Heat/Massage and continue shooting. I agree with everyone else.

Finch · 07-20-2006, 03:49 PM

I had a lump appearat the point where you shoulder and neck meet last fall. I was shooting a great deal and it stayed there for quite a while until hunting season got into full effect. I hope I never have any problems out of my shoulder.

Good luck on healing up there buddy!

Matt/TN · 07-20-2006, 04:08 PM

i have tendinitis in my right shoulder but i shoot left handed so its all ok, give it rest if it doesnt get better go to the doc

Paul L Mohr · 07-21-2006, 08:29 AM

Normally shoulder pain will be in the draw arm, and elbow pain will be in the bow arm. No way of knowing if it is caused by the bow without seeing you shoot. If you had bad form and were not relaxed I could see this happening. However if you had proper form and were relaxed while shooting I can't see it being the bow.

One of the things that effects your elbow is recoil or shock in the bow when you shoot. I don't think it is a big issue with the newer bows since they are pretty shock free. The best fix for this is shooting with a relaxed grip. If you have a death grip on the bow it can transmit the vibration into your arm giving some wrist and elbow problems. If you grip the bow properly and have good follow thru this shouldn't be an issue either.

If you suspect the bow I think you need to have someone watch you shoot that knows something about good form and bow fit. You may be drawing too much weight, too much length or your form is all messed up, like having your bow shoulder too high when you shoot and or too much bend in your elbow, or having your elbow locked.

The only thing I ever hurt while shooting was when I first started I shot waay too much and messed up my back. Working in a factory didn't help any either

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BobCo19-65 · 07-21-2006, 08:53 AM

Quote:

I'm experiencing some minor pain in my left elbow and shoulder. I'm a right handed shooter. Anybody else experience this? If so, what did you do to deal with it?

Yes, I get it with my longbow. And I know (for me anyway) why it happens. It happens when I lock out my elbow. The shock from the bow goes right up the arm.

If you are not using them already, you may want to get a good stabilizer, and limb savers or anything else that can tame the bow a little for you. Also, don't shoot with a locked elbow or keep a real tight grip on the bow.

Bulzeye · 07-21-2006, 11:29 AM

The high shoulder that Paul mentioned was my problem last year.
I was practicing a lot and I was hunching up my bow arm shoulder towards my ear. It messed up all kinds stuff with my groups, but the main problem was the pain. I took a few weeks off and made a conscious effort to keep it low when I shot again. Just like magic, everything went back to normal.

Elkcrazy8 · 07-22-2006, 09:15 AM

I get that same pain when I am not shooting much. It seems to stay in check as long as I keep it active. I guess you could say that I am shooting for medicinal purposes. I wounder if I could get a doctors order for this????