Buckeye Mike

Last Friday I was doing some shooting and developed pain in the top of my shoulder where the collar bone connects near your arm. I have been shooting for years and this is the first time anything like this has ever happend. It feels like some type of tendonitis or wear where the ligaments go over the bone. Three questions:

1. Any idea what caused the problem?

2. How do you treat it?

3. How do you avoid it happening again?

I would appreciate any thoughts.

BobCo19-65

buckeye, I gotta ask, what kind of bow/cam do you shoot? And what are your practice sessions like?

Buckeye Mike

My primary bow (and the one I was shooting when this happened) is a Hoyt Defiant (dual cams) set at 63#. Ordinarily I will shoot 40-50 arrows in groups of 10. This pain started when I first drew the bow. I thought it would go away and that I could work through it. However, the pain got worse and I quit after 10 arrows. It does not hurt right now but I can still feel it when I make a drawing motion even with no bow in hand.

BobCo19-65

I can't pinpoint that bow as being notorious for shoulder problems. If it were a radical single cam set at a high poundage it would be easier.

I have tendonitis and it can be a booger sometimes to deal with. If you caught it early, good for you! It should be easier then ignoring it for a long time.

Get it diagnosed first.

Here is what I do for my tendonitis when it acts up. I see a chiropractor that messages the area and puts electronic pulses though it. The message is painful but well worth it. Next, I take an ibuprofin before and after I shoot. I also ice it well after shooting till the ice melts. I only shoot about 12-24 arrows in a session every other day. But this is only when it is acting up. What sets it off us usually shooting too much and/or too often. If I shoot over 100 arrows in a session, then I know I'm in trouble for a long time - weeks to months if I keep shooting.

Right now, I am not having much problem with the shoulder, but I am careful not to overdo it cause I will. Right now I am shooting around 24-36 arrows every other day. But my practicing has went from quantity to total quality.

Personally, I switched to a different bow, which really seemed to help a lot. One that was easier on my shoulder. If this bow ever acts up too bad, I will either just stick to my longbow, or get eccentric wheels.

Have your draw length checked also.

Hey as far as I know, Chuck Adams still uses a Reflex Caribou.

RTA47

Buckeye i had shoulder surgary about two months ago after putting up with pain for about two yrs. After shooting my bow one day i started felling a sharp pain and It it got worse over a period of time. I finilly went to the doctor and he beleve it or not he also bowhunted. he told me it was due from shooting a bow but did not go into any details on how it happend. I had the surgery and which they took out a very small 1/2 inch peace from the top tenden on my shoulder and also i had three bone spurr`s. I can say without a daubt that i have had no more pain sence. and i am shooting better than i have in a long time From the way you discribed it maby its a pulled musile or somthing that will go away soon good luck! I don`t mean to scare you. But it might help to stretch before shooting

lemond33

sounds like a tendon problem. i might have to suck it for a bit and then get it checked..mri and such.

H80Hunter

seriously, this post sounds like one i would have made, as i am going through the same thing...

last saturday i felt like a pulled a muscle, but its been getting better and i shot like 100 arrows today with no pain, i can feel it, but while drawing it is fine

the thing, at least that i think it is for me, is that i JUST started shooting a release, and it feels like the drawing motion now relies more on the shoulder, than on the arm... its hard to describe, but you dont pull with your fingers with a release, if anyone gets what im trying to say

Wiccrman13

After surgery your muscles have to be retrained,This takes time,Even if you went right back to shooting the same poundage and the same amount of arrows you were before without any problems at first,

Over time the muscle became torqued and one single movement out of the normal caused it to become inflamed,It could have even ruptured the muscle,My father use to work on cars with the best of them,And after his bi-pass surgery about 4 months later he was working on one and he had the same feeling,Only his was in the area where the muscles join the sternum,And it ruptured the muscle and the result was a hernia in that area,This can be very bad.,Go see an orthopedic specialist,He will set up the test to find the problem,It may be something that can be treated with rest,But get it checked anyway's.

ldial1973

go to the doctor

elkaddict

I'll bet you have an impinged rotator cuff. I have the same. My understanding is that it is caused my the inflamation of tendons where they rub up against bone. The surgical cure is to remove the inflammed tissue and a little bone. Mine flared up 3 weeks before bowseason last year. It was so bad at times, I could sleep, let alone shoot. My doc gave me a cortizone shot which did wonders--I'm told that surgery is probably inevitable eventually. However, I've found that if I limit my shooting to 12-15 arrows a session, the inflamation is very modest. I'm not shooting as much as I'd like but it seriously beats shoulder surgery which I'm informed can be rough. If your pain is not severe, you might try some advil an hour or so before shooting. Not only does it help with the pain, but it is an antiinflamatory.