# Shoulder Injuries?



## scott_rn (Sep 11, 2007)

Anyone find their archery is limited by shoulder injuries? I have just started shooting again after a long break from bowhunting and my shoulder isn't holding up too well. Anyone have a fix that doesn't involve narcotics? I had an MRI a few years ago and it showed a torn labrum, they gave me physical therapy exercises to do but it is a very different range of motion than drawing a bow. 

My old bowhunting buddy had a torn rotator cuff that would keep him awake at night, but he also had a draw weight of 70 lbs., doesn't add up now that I look back on it :?


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## BERG (Dec 4, 2007)

I've got the same problem, but after 4 months of physical therapy they told me that nothing seems to be torn or out of place, and I'd progressed nicely, even though there's still some pain. I know how frustrated you are, because I just bought a new Hoyt Katera. I can't shoot anymore than about a dozen aarows before the pain in my right shoulder gets really bad from pulling the bow back. Therapy has helped me gain more strength, and range of motion, for certain; however, I'm determined to keep working the shoulder, slowly, back into shape. I'm just not going to over do my shooting sessions. I think that it will take a long time to work out the bugs eating at my shoulder, but who nows...maybe it will never get entirely better.

I resisted the cortizone shot for months, but then finally had one about 3 months back. It worked great for the first two months, yet the pain is coming back in the front part of my shoulder. Anyway, you are not alone in the battle to shoot the bow without pain. However, there are some things you can do to build up the muscles. I recommend contacting Curtis Jolley PT. in Bountiful for some specific therapy to isolate the correct muscle groups for shooting. Therapy might be your only fix. I've also found that taking some advil, or other anti-inflamatory med., seems to lessen the pain after shooting. Unfortunately, narcotics are not the answer, but they can make us happy.  

Please let me know if you find something else that works.

Good luck.


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

My shoulder has suffered a torn roto cuff and had surgery. It was well worth it. I now have a bit of pain and don't know if I have re injured it or it's just an owie. There are some things that will not fix themselves and need surgery. If you don't do it soon, your muscle will depleat and sometimes to the point that you will never regain it. Don't wait on the surgery if you need it. On the other hand a great therapy for archery is to use the large rubber tubes. put a knot on one end and a loop on the other. Shut the knot end inside the door with the knot on the outside. Face the door in the same angle that you would face your shot and while holding the loop, pull the band towards you with the same motion that you would your bow. Reps of this will help greatly with much less resistance.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

I'm no doc, but one thing I would try is letting down the bow weight till it is comfortable to shoot for the length of time you like to practice then slowly over time increase the draw weight to what you need it to be. Just a thought.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

bowgy said:


> I'm no doc, but one thing I would try is letting down the bow weight till it is comfortable to shoot for the length of time you like to practice then slowly over time increase the draw weight to what you need it to be. Just a thought.


Good advice. I had my shoulder messed up 2 1/2 years ago that required surgery and lots of rehab. Even after that it took me a good year of shooting at a much lower weight than I did before. I am now back up to 63# and could go higher, but I have no desire to. I shot a Genesis bow for several months, with a 25# draw weight it was all I could pull back for a while, but at least I was flinging arrows at a target. Do NOT rush it or ignore sharp pains in your shoulder!


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## BERG (Dec 4, 2007)

Great input. My bow is currently set at about 64#. I'm going to quit being so stubborn and crank it down a bit. Has anyone had cortisone shots, and how long did they last? I've been told that it is not healthy to have more than a few. My problems are the result of some type of inflammation. My PT, and Orthopedic Surg., seem to think I have bursitis or something similar. It's driving me crazy, I was going to say nuts, but that one dude might chime in, because of his gastly fixation, and give me the quivering lip. I don't get that...


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## ut1031 (Sep 13, 2007)

I have had many cortisone shots over the years, knees, shoulders, wrist.......From experience, cortisone will last only about 2-3 weeks. If you only have inflammation, then it will jump start the recovery. One word of advice is to lay off the shooting for a couple of weeks after the shot, it will be hard as the shoulder will feer GREAT. Laying off of it will keep the drug in the affected area longer. After that, you can take ibuprofen to help minimize the pain/inflammation. 
kth


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

I refused the shots myself. But, you need to get the swelling down, I found heat then ice 3-4 times a day helped the swelling. You may also want to give your shoulder a break for a few weeks and see how the swelling is after letting it relax. Good luck.


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## BERG (Dec 4, 2007)

Thanks for the additional information. The shot makes life so much better. In fact, I had near immediate relief after getting stuck with that sprinkler pipe of a needle. I was shocked at the lack of pain during the injection. It was no big deal at all. I also need to do a better job with the ice and heat treatments.

And Pro...keep getting that arm of yours back in shape. I'm going to start shooting with you, Tree, and all my other ******* hillbilly blood brothers. Tree needs to be humilitized, as he is starting to get a little ****y about his crack bow shooting abilities. If it makes you happy, you should know that I accidently shot his house with my new bow. It's a long story, but sometimes things just happen, and I laughed myself to tears.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

BERG, I'll buy you lunch if you shoot his house again.  

I have yet to shoot with tree, so I have no idea how 'good' his is, but I feel up to the challenge. I'll be damned if I will be out shot by a treehugger, bad shoulder or not.  And, if he is wearing shorts and hiking boots again, there is no way I'll let him get the better of me. :x


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## scott_rn (Sep 11, 2007)

elk22hunter said:


> My shoulder has suffered a torn roto cuff and had surgery. It was well worth it. I now have a bit of pain and don't know if I have re injured it or it's just an owie. There are some things that will not fix themselves and need surgery. If you don't do it soon, your muscle will depleat and sometimes to the point that you will never regain it. Don't wait on the surgery if you need it. On the other hand a great therapy for archery is to use the large rubber tubes. put a knot on one end and a loop on the other. Shut the knot end inside the door with the knot on the outside. Face the door in the same angle that you would face your shot and while holding the loop, pull the band towards you with the same motion that you would your bow. Reps of this will help greatly with much less resistance.


Yeah, on the topic of surgery I am glad yours worked. Unfortunately I have spoked with 5 or 6 orthopedic surgeons and they said my labrum tear is very different than a rotator cuff and success rates are not nearly as good with surgery on a labrum. Labrum is cartilage vs. the rotator cuff that is muscle/tendon.

I've done a lot of the band excercises, but it's tough to be consistent with it. I have also aggravated it a lot with swimming and I think my swimming days are done.

Thanks for all the other suggestions, I will try turning the poundage down and see how that goes.


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## BERG (Dec 4, 2007)

proutdoors said:


> BERG, I'll buy you lunch if you shoot his house again.
> 
> I have yet to shoot with tree, so I have no idea how 'good' his is, but I feel up to the challenge. I'll be damned if I will be out shot by a treehugger, bad shoulder or not.  And, if he is wearing shorts and hiking boots again, there is no way I'll let him get the better of me. :x


Pro, I really like your warrior attitude. However, Tree is crazy! We are not dealing with a normal human, but rather a potential alien species...He would wear boots and shorts in a Canadian blizzard hunting whitetails from a tree stand, at 45 below zero, while relying on his peewilliewick, broken grunt tube, cough suppressor, and 50 ounces of coyote urine on his legs to mask his scent and help bring in the really big ones...the dude just aint right; therefore we are going to humilitize him at the range and continue to help him make some baby steps on the road to complete mental recovery.

Will I get dinner for a 125 grain G5 mechanical through his front door?

Back on topic: all this talk of tendon, muscle, and cartilage tears is starting to make me think that maybe I should go back for another MRI on the shoulder&#8230;I suppose the orthopedic surgeon might have missed something. I'm going to give my self another couple of months, see what happens with my exercises and shooting, then go back to the doc if the pain doesn't get any better or start to go away. My shoulder is getting very strong, but there's that one **** spot that drives me crazy. I'm going to keep shooting until my bow breaks or my shoulder blows up. I suppose that I could learn to shoot left handed if all else fails. Whatever happens, I shall be in the midst of rutting elk with bow in hand and piles of nice dark elk poop wherever I step. I hope all the rest of you are in the elk and poo too. *()*


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## [email protected] (Feb 19, 2008)

Scott_rn,
I've been fighting a labrum tear for ~15months. Same "no surgery" recommendations from the Ortho.. The PT seemed to aggravate the condition and the doctor recommended the tubing. I used the exercise stuff I had and have increased my ranges of motion and the pain has diminished. I swim a lot. I use a lot more core rotation to elevate the bad shoulder. Certainly not the power as the good side but it works. I did a mile (35laps) Monday morning and no pain. I also bought the Bow-Fit(?) tubing excerciser and it has helped a great deal.


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## BERG (Dec 4, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> Scott_rn,
> I've been fighting a labrum tear for ~15months. Same "no surgery" recommendations from the Ortho.. The PT seemed to aggravate the condition and the doctor recommended the tubing. I used the exercise stuff I had and have increased my ranges of motion and the pain has diminished. I swim a lot. I use a lot more core rotation to elevate the bad shoulder. Certainly not the power as the good side but it works. I did a mile (35laps) Monday morning and no pain. I also bought the Bow-Fit(?) tubing excerciser and it has helped a great deal.


Thanks again, I'm glad that your patience, and hard work, seems to be the paying you off. Your post gives me hope that my shoulder will continue to improve. I think that most of us, me for sure, are looking for the quick fix...and that is not going to happen. I'll do a search on this bow-fit thing. My PT has given me some giant rubber bands to work the shoulder with, but this deal your talking about may isolate the appropriate muscle groups even better. Thanks again for the input. I actually got some good information from this thread.

Berg


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## ut1031 (Sep 13, 2007)

Check this out.....

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthrea ... ht=bowcise

There have been some really good ideas on your shoulder issues. 
Good luck,
Kelly


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## [email protected] (Feb 19, 2008)

The one I use is http://www.bowfit.com . It has the same idea but I prefer the Bowfit because it has a wrist strap that the tubing runs through allowing you to adjust the length (draw weight) for good/bad days or different excercises. No interests other than a satisfied customer.


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> Scott_rn,
> I've been fighting a labrum tear for ~15months. Same "no surgery" recommendations from the Ortho.. The PT seemed to aggravate the condition and the doctor recommended the tubing. I used the exercise stuff I had and have increased my ranges of motion and the pain has diminished. I swim a lot. I use a lot more core rotation to elevate the bad shoulder. Certainly not the power as the good side but it works. I did a mile (35laps) Monday morning and no pain. I also bought the Bow-Fit(?) tubing excerciser and it has helped a great deal.


Same for me, PT is helping the range of motion, strengthened my arm, and eased my sharp pains, but my arm is still sore, guess I'll wait and see how much better it gets. I shoot my bow now, but I turned the poundage down quite a bit when I started and will increase it as my arm and shoulder gets stronger.


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## BERG (Dec 4, 2007)

Yet more great information... I just ordered a bowfit. Thanks to those who put up the links.


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## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

Great, now it won't hurt as bad when you shoot my house?? :roll:


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

Treehugnhuntr said:


> Great, now it won't hurt as bad when you shoot my house?? :roll:


 :mrgreen:


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## BERG (Dec 4, 2007)

We are all getting together for a shoot at Tree's house. Please PM me for his address.
:twisted: :idea:


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## ram2h2o (Sep 11, 2007)

My shoulder is gone...has been for a few years only fix is shoulder replacement. Not ready for that yet. Bow hunted for over 20 years and enjoyed it very much. My Orthopedic Dr. said he would write letter for me to get a crossbow permit. Guess I will look into it, but sure enjoyed shooting my recurve and compounds. Guess that happens when your old injuries catch up with you.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

ram2h2o said:


> My shoulder is gone...has been for a few years only fix is shoulder replacement. Not ready for that yet. Bow hunted for over 20 years and enjoyed it very much. My Orthopedic Dr. said he would write letter for me to *get a crossbow permit*. Guess I will look into it, but sure enjoyed shooting my recurve and compounds. Guess that happens when your old injuries catch up with you.


It is now legal to use a draw-locking device on a 'regular' compound bow if you qualify for use of a crossbow. That way you would still be using a 'real' bow and have a more effective weapon to hunt with. 2008 is the first year this type of equipment is legal, it has the same criteria for use as a crossbow, but is one more option for those wishing to enjoy archery season that physically have PERMANENT disabilities. Shoot me a PM if you are interested. 8)


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

BERG said:


> We are all getting together for a shoot at Tree's house. Please PM me for his address.
> :twisted: :idea:


I didn't know that the Treehouse athletic club in Draper, had an archery range. Sweet just tell me when.


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## scott_rn (Sep 11, 2007)

proutdoors said:


> It is now legal to use a draw-locking device on a 'regular' compound bow if you qualify for use of a crossbow. That way you would still be using a 'real' bow and have a more effective weapon to hunt with. 2008 is the first year this type of equipment is legal, it has the same criteria for use as a crossbow, but is one more option for those wishing to enjoy archery season that physically have PERMANENT disabilities. Shoot me a PM if you are interested. 8)


No kidding? Does it help you draw, or just hold at let-off?

I work with a *physical therapist *who participates in the DH program and doesn't use his archery tag because of a bad shoulder, talk about irony. I will have to see if he is interested.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

scott_rn said:


> No kidding? Does it help you draw, or just hold at let-off?
> 
> I work with a *physical therapist *who participates in the DH program and doesn't use his archery tag because of a bad shoulder, talk about irony. I will have to see if he is interested.


Here is a link to the company that makes the draw loc, and all the options available: http://www.drawloc.com/

The cool thing is, you can use either one of their bows, or you can use nearly any compound bow and be good to go. UBA worked hard to get this pushed through in 2006, and with help from other groups and the DWR it was implemented this last fall. This gives 'disabled' hunters one more option for hunting.


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## bigolmuley (Sep 29, 2007)

I am actually recovering right now from surgery on my torn anterior labrum. This is my second surgery on it. 
The first was 5 years ago. I had dislocated my shoulder so many times it would just fall out with little effort. I had the surgery in Feb. and by July I was shooting a bow again. Though down to 55# from 70#.
I had worked back up to 62#, and that was plenty I figure. 
Anyway, August of '07 just after the deer opener I was wake boarding and fell and dislocated my shoulder again. I went in to the doc and MRI later found out I had torn my labrum yet again. It was a bad tear and he said to keep it from falling out of socket again and again surgery would be required. He did say that it really could not get much worse and that I could hold off on the surgery until Feb. so I could hunt, if I could handle the pain, and a dislocation or two, so I did. It has been a little over a month. The PT is a killer. But I know the pain will be better. I will probably try to keep my bow the same weight, and start shooting again in July. I did lose some range of motion. I can not lift my arm out to side of my body clear over my head anymore. From the first surgery I had to change how I anchored, but not by much. But the pain is gone, well mostly. I know it will be by the time I am all healed up. I did experience popping in my shoulder after I began shooting again from the first surgery. Scar tissue ripping the doc said. Hurt some. But not like before.
Sorry to hear of all the shoulder stuff, I know it is not fun.

Jason "The Big Ol' Muley"


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

My shoulders ache after I shoot, but I don't think there is anything still torn in there. When I lived in California, I played softball A LOT and one night felt a pop on a throw from center and just burning pain in my shoulder. After that, I didn't have nearly the distance or velocity on my throws from the outfield, it hurt to throw hard and it actually sucked quite badly. I never did see a doctor about it and now when I rotate my shoulder, it pops like crazy but doesn't have the sharp pain anymore. The distance and velocity are back on my throws but not as good as they used to be.... makes me wish I'd gotten it checked out ten years ago. As long as it doesn't affect my ability to shoot my bow, then I guess I won't worry about it but man, some nights after archery league this year and sometimes after a busy night in the outfield during the summer the last couple seasons, I've had to go home and eat IB like its going out of style..... just so I can sleep. :?


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## deadicated1 (Mar 17, 2008)

i dont bow hunt, but i thought i would reply cuz i have some experience..I tore my labrum and rotator cuff in high school, and have since had two surgeries. the first was minor so i could still play ball, and then when i graduated they went in and did the major stuff. It still isnt back to normal, but i had a funny story about the ordeal. I had surgery during the duck hunt, and had some time off work because of it. I made myself shoot left handed for a day or two, but when a greenhead jumped out from under a ledge i was sneaking, i instinctively pulled up right handed! the picture below explains what you have probably figured out... I got the duck though.


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