I've hunted all my life, but only with firearms and the occasional crossbow. Since getting married, finding time to take hunting trips became few and far between. With my children growing up finally, I'm finding more time to get outdoors (i'm 36)...and since I live in an area where I can hunt common properties by my house, I decided to get back into hunting and to go for a compound bow. Long story short, I got a nice Jennings Buckmaster that the seller said was 31" draw @ 60 lbs. I have been working out for two or more years with pretty heavy weightlifting, so I know my strength and fitness levels are great. The second time I took the bow out to practice, on the fifth shot, my right shoulder came completely out of socket and dislocated. When I crumpled to the ground like a baby, it popped back in. I'm currently 1 week into my rehab (exercises prescribed), but I'm wondering if I did something wrong? Is this common? I assume not....my thoughts are that I maybe had bad form? I have read several articles, watched several videos, etc...since the accident, and my form looks fine compared to what i've seen. I'm both scared and anxious to get back to practice, for fear that it will happen again. Is there anyone out there who can give me some advice, explain a better way to draw for people with shoulder problems, etc? I fell in love with the bow on the first shot, and I'm dying to be able to hunt again. Thanks in advance!!
I shoot 60# draw weight and I have a partially torn rotator cuff. I have never heard of anything like this happening and I do not understand how, with proper form, a compound bow could pull you shoulder out of socket. I'm sorry this happened. Seems like a freak accident.
it could be a number of things i also weight lift and it can be vigorous on the body, if you twist your arm as you draw back you could have just popped it out, the way you shoot i assume, is drawing with your elbow real high creating a natural twist in the rotorcuffs in your should and adding weight like that to a twisting shoulder could in theory pul your shoulder out of socket, i dont know if ive helped out or not, i know ive torn both of my rotor cuffs and i keep my elbow real low when i draw now just to make sure i dont redamge my shoulder Best of luck!!
I DO THE SAME!! I never really thought about it before. But my elbow stays low the entire time until I come to full draw. I basically drag my elbow across my stomach. I have to. too much pain otherwise.
Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate it. I've been wondering if the weightlifting has been tearing up my joints...I dont know if thats the reason or not. I will try to use your recommendation, and keep my elbow down and closer to my body. I read some other decent articles about shoulder pain and archery, and most talk about "pinching" the shoulder blades together to set your back and shoulders before the pull. I also read about the push/pull method, where you use the left arm to push out while you use the right arm to pull the string back. I'm hoping I can find the right combination so I can get back at it comfortably. Still pretty scary right now, as it just feels weak...like it would pop out all over again. I would have thought all those years of doing 1 hand dumbbell rows with 50 and 60 pounds would make the archery draw trivial....guess I was wrong. Thanks again, and if anyone thinks of anything else I can do to get back at it, please let me know!! Thanks,
Sarge... You SURE the bow is only set at 60#'s? I know the 'guy said'... I'd take it to a shop and have them check the draw weight on the bow (just sayin').
You would be surprised what years of weigh lifting and doing push ups in the military do to your joints. I am dealing with screwed up AC joints that have bone spurs in them. My right shoulder will pop out for the dumbest things such as over extending when trying to catch a football or over rotation when trying to swing a golf club. My compound is set at 62lbs and have never really had a problem drawing it back...although there has been a time or two when I went to draw back and I have had that feeling that it was ready to pop out. So I would have to stop for a second and redraw. Drawing a bow back incorporates so many different muslces that are not included when doing dumbell curls. Good luck and make sure you heal up to prevent reinjury.
Weight lifting more than 5 pounds only increases the strength of large muscles: Deltoids, Lats ... But don't increase rotator cuff strength. The rotator cuff is made of 4 muscles that provide small motions of the shoulder,( gliding within the joint during motion) and providing support to the humeral head within the ball of the joint. without these smaller muscles the shoulder is able to sublux even if you are "strong". Go to a Physical therapist not a personal trainer. Good luck with the shoulder and remember legal shooting draw weight is only 35 or 40. drop the weight and decrease the distance you would shoot.
I've sustained serious shoulder and clavicle injuries, over the years from racing and fighting. I also work in Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery (scrubbed and directly assisting with the procedures). It is entirely plausible for a shoulder to be subluxed by the mechanics involved with drawing a bow, especially if there is an underlining issue/previous injury with the connective tissues involved in supporting and the functionality of the joint. However, the normal mechanics of drawing a bow, if you're sufficiently strong enough, really shouldnt cause an INITIAL incident with the shoulder. In my educated opinion, you should likely seek medical advice from an Orthopedic Surgeon. Get the X-Rays and MRIs to rule out any tears or attenuations (stretching) to the soft tissue and supporting tissue that may have caused the lack of support involved in allowing for the subluxation/dislocation. Each time a joint subluxates or dislocates, damage can be done to the cartilage on the bone ends and the supporting ligaments and muscle tendon connections can be attenuated (stretched). You DO NOT want to have shoulder surgery because you wanted to lift or shoot your bow, trust me, I've done more shoulder repairs than I can count and the patients are NEVER 100%, again. You should absolutely seek medical advice BEFORE you shoot or lift again. Now, you may shoot 20 times before it happens again, but, each time that it does, it's worse than before. Or, what if you were bench pressing and your shoulder slipped out ? Where is that weight going to go ? Onto your face or chest !! Fortunately for me, it's my support arms shoulder that's tweaked, not my release arm. Now, aside from the fact that I'm recovering from the last shoulder injury and another knee surgery, I generally stay in very good shape. Having the muscles that support a joint strong, flexible and healthy is VERY important. If your surgeon proceeds conservatively in his treatment of patients (aside from obvious destruction that needs surgical intervention), he may prescribe physical therapy, not surgery (right away, anyway). Take care of that shoulder. Its more important than the gym and deer.
Weight training is the best way to maintain muscle mass, but some forms will limit mobility. Many years ago, body building hijacked the physical culture movement. Consequently, every P.E. weight lifting class taught isolation resistance training, to the exclusion of other forms of strength training. Every guy knows how to shoulder press, bench curl, and do leg extensions, but few have heard of functional standards in strength such as the Sots Press, Side Press or kettlebell snatch. Bench pressing (without appropriate joint mobility training and counter muscle group development) can lead to shoulder mobility issues. The Persian and Indian cultures are have produced many world class wrestlers over the years using club swinging as a means of strength/mobility training. Swinging lighter clubs (known as Indian Clubs) was actually an Olympic sport during the Victoria era. In recent times physical culturists such as Ju Jitsu man Steve Maxwell and Sambo fighter Scott Sonnon have greatly influenced the iron game. Sonnon sells “Clubbells” on his web site. These are great tools for building functional strength, but they are expensive. Below is a link to a product that is similar to the product I purchased at Walmart to make homemade Indian clubs. The Wal-Mart/kmart version is just plain black foam and around 18” in length. IMHO, every archer should have a set to maintain shoulder mobility. The idea is to remove the plastic cap from the top, fill with tube sand, and reinstall the cap. Presto; a set of Indian clubs for around $15. As to what to do with them, Youtube has a wealth of information on what to do. Generally, try horizontal and vertical figure eights in several plains about the body. Pm me if you would like pics of the clubs and other homemade gear. Train hard and train safe. http://www.yoyo.com/p/franklin-spor...cpc_Y&utm_term=XOT-214&utm_campaign=Shopzilla
