may have torn shoulder,help

[frozenpond]

i shoot a compound,i got poundage crazy an went from 55 to 62 a month ago. i know that dont seem like a lot but my shoulder knew it, now it stings like crazy when i try to pull back in between my neck and shoulder at the top. its been a month an went out today to try and still stings so bad i cant get the bow pulled back. i dont know if it will come out of it or not at this point. now i fear ive torn something in shoulder cause it was wakeing me up at night hurting for a while. ill try later and if i still cant i guess ill get a docs appointment to see what i did. does any one know what i should expect if i have to try for a crossbow permit? i cant belive i could do this on a 7 pound wieght difference but ive been bow hunting a long time and never had a problem with shoulder so i know its more than just sore. im sure some one will let me have it, so go ahead it cant hurt any worse than the dang shoulder.

[Willie]

You can print off the permit letter at...

http://fw.ky.gov/huntexemptcross.asp

You doctor will have to fill it out and you need to carry it with you at all times when hunting with a crossbow.

Good luck with the doc...

keep us informed..

[Remington12]

I'm an athletic trainer and what you describe sounds like you have either strained or completely torn your rotator cuff muscles. These are 4 muscles that control the "ball" portion of the ball and socket joint of your shoulder. Immediate pain and disability as well as pain at night smells a lot like a torn cuff. I would use ice (20 - 30 minutes) several times a day as well as right before bed (to help you fall asleep). I would also consistantly use ibuprofen or Aleve for 1 - 2 weeks. You need to see an orthopedic surgeon (recommend seeing someone that does sports medicine) and it would be appropriate to get plain xrays and possibly a MRI. It shows torn muscles & cartilage well. Feel free to contact me if you any help.

[Rob]

Where exactly do you hurt when you draw back the bow? You could simply have a strain of one of the muscles around the shoulder, most likely the lattisimus dorsi, which is the large, triangular shaped muscle over your shoulder blade. Also, you could be suffering from impingement syndrome of the A-C joint, the joint that connects your collar bone to your shoulder blade. This frequently occurs when there is spurring along the undersurface of the joint. The spurs can scrape the surface of the tendon of the supraspinatous muscle, which is the muscle you use to move your arm outward away from your body, resulting in inflamation & damage to the tendon. I agree with Remington that a sports medicine doctor would be a good choice.

[Dalebow]

Rob

Your right, as a surgical nurse that works in sports medicine I can say get to a good doc quick. There are some great repairs done via small endo scopes now that cut recovery time in half. Don't wait, go Monday!!!
Good Luck

Dale

[Hammer]

Sorry about your shoulder. Nothing much worse than trying to sleep with a screwed up shoulder waking u up in pain every time you move in the bed.

My understanding is that crossbows are legal during archery this year in Kentucky (that's what all the discussion has been about, right, lol??). I see you're from Illinois, but aren't they also legal there during archery season? What permit would you need?

[gwhilikerz]

I missed a whole year of bowhunting when i couldn't draw my bow or even raise my arm over my head. The dr. talked about rotator cuff and other possibilities. I finally got tired of not shooting my bow so I got a bucket of baseballs and a backstop and went to work. At first i couldn't do much more than flip the ball. But soon I was throwing like I was living my second childhood. My arm stopped hurting and I have been pain free for two years. It worked for me, but then I don't believe I had anythinng more than a strain or such.

[frozenpond]

thanks guys, im gona see doc and hope it aint to bad. gona work real hard to get back to shooting if possible. got caught in the poundage hoopla and it burned me, or should i say i burned myself. as i said i shoot a compound and hope im able to continue. but if i do have to switch to crossbow ill sure ask you guys advice on what to get and what works good for you. you all have been real nice to an old compound shooter. your responses have lifted my spirits up also, god bless you all.

[gwhilikerz]

frozenpond I wish you good luck, and if surgery is called for may it be very successful. And when you get back to shooting that bow-----crank 'er down!!

[trust me]

What about a shoulder that has been messed up for ten years? I finally quit bowhunting after 1998 because practice became unbearable. I hate not being able to shoot a bow, pass football with the kids, etc. Can damage from years ago still be corrected? I've learned to sleep with it, but the pain is usually there in the mornings.

I may get a referral based on the advice of our professionals on this board...
Thanks.

[Remington12]

Trustme,
If you sustained a complete tear, you would need to consider surgical repair, but just therapy could be all that's needed to gradually strengthen your shoulder. The Bowfit device on the market is well thought out and may be a rehab tool for you.

[Ralph]

Well, after "living with it" for almost two years, I finally went to see a specialist at Cin. Sports Medicine. I have a bone spur in my left shoulder. I had trouble scratching my back in 2003. Really had a lot of trouble with shooting my bow. In 2004 it got worse. First you attribute it to "you're not a kid anymore". That was wrong. Second, you lower your poundage cause'you're "gettin old". Finally, you go see a REAL Doc & then you get it fixed. I go back Wednesday to see what he is gonna do & how long I will be out of commission. Since it's just a bone spur, I figure I should be back out on the range about 6 weeks after he grinds it off or whatever they do. Go see a doctor & quit guessing. My brother-in-law let his go over three years & now they can't fix it. He DID have a torn rotator. Kept trying to "work through it" & now he's ruined it beyond repair. My brother did the same thing. Once you KNOW What's wrong, it can be dealt with. If I hadn't had such a hard time raising my arm over my head this last year, I STILL wouldn't have gone. I'd still be trying to "work it out" & next year it would be too late....... DON"T GUESS>>>> GO SEE A DOC!!!