Shoulder Pain?
 

Alright guys, I am brand new to bowhunting. I shot my bow for the first and so far only time 2 weeks ago. I shoot right handed, and now have some sharp shoulder pains in my left shoulder, which is my holding arm. I believe the pain is from letting the bow down slowly without shooting while the archery pro that was setting me up was measuring my draw length. I had to let down slowly like this multiple times, and noticed a sharp pain during the let down action. After he finally had me squared away, I shot about 30 times before the pain kept me from drawing my bow anymore. My bow is set at 70 lbs of draw, which before the shoulder pain was absolutely no problem for me to handle. I am an experienced and competent weight lifter, so my shoulder was/is in good shape, besides the pain from drawing.
I have let my shoulder rest for two weeks and it felt good. I attempted to draw it back tonight, but failed because of the pain. I can easily draw with my other arm without any pain or effort whatsoever. I also have no history of injuries in my left shoulder.
Any of you guys experience the same or similar thing? I am hoping that there is a ligament or tendon that does not see much use outside of the very act of drawing a bow that I may have pulled and just needs time to heal. What do you guys think? Thanks for your time.

RE: Shoulder Pain?
 

Wish I could help you out. I at times in the past have got some pretty sore muscles in my drawing arm shoulder from over shooting. I know exactly what you are talking about but have always had it happen in the other shoulder.

I just give it a good rest when it acts up like that. Hope it works out for you.

Welcome to bowhunting and good luck!

RE: Shoulder Pain?
 

When I first began shooting, I had pain in my drawing arm but never my holding arm. My advice would be to let it rest a little longer and back your limbs down to their minimum. Then just work your way back up to 70 lbs.

RE: Shoulder Pain?
 

welcome to the board I had the same problem when I got my first bow the reason I think is over bowing myself. 70lbs may not be a lot for some people but you use muscles that you don't always use and if your muscles are built up it could also be that the motion of pulling your bow back is new to them. To get rid of the pain I had to lower my bow draw weight take a few days off and then when I did shoot I just shot less arrows until my muscles got used to the motion and got stronger and always streched which seemed to help. hope this all makes sense. good luck.

RE: Shoulder Pain?
 

I wonder if your maybe injured your rotator cuff. If throwing a ball overhanded hurts, that may be it. Just really sounds to me like you tore something. Does it bother you when lifting weights?

RE: Shoulder Pain?
 

It really doesn't hurt when lifting. I feel a little twinge of pain when doing upright dumbell pushes, but nothing to slow me down. I have backed off the weight just in case on my shoulder exercises, but no real pain. Making a throwing motion with my left hand also does not hurt.
The pain occurs when I am holding my arm outstretched with some weight (my bow) in my hand, and attempt to draw back.
Something in the very top of my shoulder is damaged, hopefully a supporting tendon or ligament that will heal itself.
Thanks for the replies and making me feel welcome, guys!

RE: Shoulder Pain?
 

Sounds like what I just went through except worse. I had been shooting for about a week and had normal soreness from muscles that weren't used to being used that way and than on Christmas I drew back my brother's old bow and let it down and I felt something in my Shoulder. I kindo of think I might have done it the last time I shot before than but I don't know. Next day I went and shot about 20 shots and my shoulder was barking after about 5 but me being stupid thought "no pain no gain". Just pain was the only reason to describe it. Took some Advil and by the next day fine. Went and shot on Tuesday and boom, it was like a shot going up and down my arm with every draw. Think I took 8 shots or so and shot it down. It freaking burned and it was even hard to sleep. Took 2 weeks off, went and talked to a Doctor and it was tendenities in the rotator cuff in his opinion. By pushing it I actualy ended up messing my left elbow up a bit too because of real bad form. Basically, I now do a major stretching routine before shooting and every night before bed and every morning first thing and it is fine now.

Doc's advice for ME was to build up slow again. I think I started with 10 shots and than 20 two days later and than 30 and I called him and said no pain at that point and he said I could turn it loose and shoot a full scheduale but just to be careful. And to ice down the shoulder like crazy after each shooting session. So far so good. 100 shots yesterday and no pain today (I am Guessing this wouldn't be slow in the Doctors mind but I had to play it by how I felt). If I feel even a twinge now I shut it down, take some antiinflams and ice it down. To be honest I think I could have gone shooting earlier but I think the stretching kind of made the muscles around the shoulder hurt a little which made me back off from my shooting scheduale a little bit.

With my line of work I can't completly shut down an injury which was a whole other problem. The biggest two pains were 1) Kept me from going out hunting the last two weeks of the season (Probably a good thing, my shooting was good but.....) and 2) I have been trying to get out a shoot the new Bowtech's, Mathews and Hoyts and having a bad shoulder slowed me down. Ahh, maybe this week.

RE: Shoulder Pain?
 

I know what you mean. This spring when I started shooting for the fall season I felt the same pain. I tried pulling my bow back differently and it worked for a while but didn't solve the pain. I lowered the weight down to 65lbs and that helped a little. My doc gave me some anti-inflammatory meds and that took the edge off. But if it continues he wants to look into it further. I'm not sure if I want to do that. I've dealt with it for almost a
year already. I tried to lift weights with it and almost dropped the bar on my head. If you can still lift with it, I would hold off on the shoulder excersices and shooting for a couple of weeks, lowered your draw weight and try it again. Good luck.

RE: Shoulder Pain?
 

Deer902 and ILRancher, I agree with both of you guys. It is a 'burning sensation' in my shoulder, and it did affect my sleep for a couple of nights. I am also going to let it rest for another couple of weeks... even thought the idea pains me almost as much as my shoulder!
A brand new bow and I can't even shoot it! Sheesh!
Thanks guys.

RE: Shoulder Pain?
 

I would look around for some cuff stretches on the internet. I printed out a bunch and it is helpful. That and icing seemed to help a lot. I am not a heavy weight lifting guy. Any exercise I do is tossing feed sacks, working cows, throwing sheep and stuff like that so I am not hitting the gym but in the last few years I have really learned the lessons of stretching. Sure, it takes nagging injuries for me to realize that I need to stretch that muscle group too but hey, I guess I'm a slow learner.

Generally the saying is that if you can raise your hands over your head with a straight elbow and the fingers pointing at the sky your shoulder isn't torn yet. Just don't overwork the dang thing. I noticed pain if I used my left arm to push a heavy gate closed. jus that full extension with resistance...Ouch.

Anthony

RE: Shoulder Paib n?
 

TexasHunter1, congrats on the bow, and man, I'm sorry to hear about your shoulder injury. I've had shoulder injuries in the past as well from weightlifting. The pain you describe sounds familiar to me as well, though I am curious as to what exercises you can do and with what kind of weight that it doesn't hurt.

It sounds like you've been given some sound advice, but I'll give you my .02 as well. First, I feel I should mention that you need to make absolutely sure you warm up very well before working your shoulders. As you've discovered, they are very prone to injury (on some people more than others). If you can work with 40lbs in each hand, start with 15's...if you work with 70lb's, start with 25's...etc. Also, NEVER do behind the neck shoulder press, this exersise compresses the shoulder complex when you come down and is a very good way to ruin your rotator cuff. Some people can get away with this exercise, but most of us can't without injury when you start getting relatively heavy. Ok...enough weightlifting preaching...:eek:

If you train your shoulders take a week or two off, or severly lighten up the weight you use. As you've already been doing, don't shoot for a week or two, take some anti inflamitories and maybe even ice the shoulder down if you're in pain. I'd even lower the poundage of the bow to 60#'s if possible and let your body get used to that.

Goodluck and keep us updated on your shooting condition.

RE: Shoulder Paib n?
 

I had the same problem when I first started shooting a bow. Stupid me pushed my self to shoot while it hurt ended me up with a trip to the doctor and not being able to shoot for two weeks. My advice would be assuming it is a 60-70 bow back it up to 60 and only shoot a few times a day and then start building up to shooting more and more. Only after shooting on 60lb for a while do you want to start building back up.

RE: Shoulder Pain?
 

To put it in terms you'd understand, you do not have someone who's never lifted starting out with 300 pounds on the clean and jerk. They're almost certain to get injured because they don't have the proper form. No matter how strong they are, you start them off light and let them work up as they get the proper form ingrained in their lift.

Same thing with bows. You don't start a newbie off with heavy draw weight and aggressive draw cycle on a cam with an almost non-existent valley - which describes most cam systems out there today. Whoever sold you the bow should be hung by the gonads with his own bowstring.

When your shoulder heals, do like the others have recommended: back the bow off to 60 pounds and start there. Then you can slowly work your way up to 70 as you get the proper form established.

RE: Shoulder Paib n?
 

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions, guys. I took some Ibuprofen today and am going to lay off (ie not even attempt to draw) for a while. Next time I attempt to shoot it will be at 60lbs as Arthur and others have suggested. The clean and jerk metaphor really got my attention! I will be laying off the lifting and icing it down for about a week, and hopefully that will solve it. I'll let ya'll know how it goes, and you guys make this forum great! Thanks again!

RE: Shoulder Paib n?
 

Good idea about holding off on drawing. I think, when you do decide to do a draw do a complete cylce of launching an arrow. For me at least, letting down a bow without shooting an arrow is tougher on my shoulder than actually shooting the arrow off.

RE: Shoulder Paib n?
 

I agree, IL Rancher. I think the process of drawing without releasing the arrow is what got me in this mess in the first place!!

RE: Shoulder Pain?
 

Texas Hunter-
I bought a 70 lb recurve last summer and also experience a very similar and often intense pain in my left shoulder after shooting it for a brief period of time, this despite the fact that I do very heavy weight training religiously and have been for 18 years now. This includes military press and lateral raises, which I would have thought would prevent this sort of pain. I am quite certain that I developed a bursitis involving the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa, which is the bursa that separates the roatator cuff complex from the overlying deltoid muscle. Sorry about the medical jargon but I slept at a Holiday Inn last night. LOL. Seriously I am a physician, and have had some rotator cuff issues in the past. My pain was unrelated to letting off without shooting, and I bet yours is from the act of drawing back the bow too rather than letting off. Regardless though, your problem should be self limiting. Take some Ibuprofen and go easy on the shooting for a week or two. If after 2 or 3 weeks, the pain isn't gone or at least significantly better, then I would see an orthopedic surgeon to make sure you don't have a rotator cuff tear or other significant problem.
Good Luck.......been there, had that...

RE: Shoulder Paib n?
 

Thanks dkeener, I think I'll do just that!

RE: Shoulder Paib n?
 

I found this topic during a search because I have the very same problem in my bow shoulder. I've never had a problem with shoulder pain from shooting before, but I've never shot this much before. A couple days ago I was messing with my drop away rest trying to get the timing just the way I want it. This involved repeatedly drawing the bow and letting it down. Next thing I know, I'm letting it down and I feel this sharp pain in across the top of my shoulder where it meets my upper arm.The pain is mild and doesn't restrict normal movement, but when I draw my bow it HURTS. I've alreadybacked the bow down to 60# which helps, but I think I need to slowdown a take it easy for awhile. I tore my left rotator cuff badly while I was in the service, and I really worried about re-aggravating that injury. At this time the pain is nowhere near what the torn cuff waslike, but I don't want that to happen again!

Mike

RE: Shoulder Paib n?
 

You guys started touching on something that I had recently experienced. Which is the pain while letting down. Drawing with a solid arm didn't hurt at all. And draw weight hasn't changed all year and regularly shoot. But from what I see poor form on my let down. has recently turned to a pain. So if I do let down I keep my bow arm in exact possistion of shot and don't let it slouch because if my arm slouched the cam cycle would get me.

RE: Shoulder Paib n?
 

I have lifted for 30+ years and have had similar aches even archery related. Most were caused by gripping. Since your new, do you grip the bow, or do you place it in your open hand in the same place every time when drawing? Most pains for me start with my thumbs. They have always gone away. Some took time.