20 years ago I had rotator cuff surgery and now it is time to pay the piper. I currently shot 4 to 5 times a week pulling 55# and up it to 60# to 62# during the season. Due to instability and bone on bone ware a conventional replacement is out of the question, so my doctor wants to due the Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement which I will find out more about during my appointment later today. Has anyone had this type of total shoulder replacement surgery and continued shooting a compound bow?
Out of curiosity, is it your draw arm or bow arm? If it’s the bow arm, I’d think it’d be more successful due to the deltoid supporting and controlling the arm rather than the rotator cuff and little rotator cuff muscles. I’ve also heard that the physical therapy must be taken extremely seriously for any shoulder surgery. Just don’t be like this guy…
The shoulder in question is my dominate right arm, so my draw arm. The GIF made me laugh by the way :-)
FYI - Saw my doctor today and he seems to think post rehab and rebuilt the strength on that shoulder I should be able to continue with my current bow setup.
Update: I had the Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement in the beginning of November 2021. For the first time in 10 years I am not in constant pain, I actually have zero pain (other then the normal PT aches and pains). I am currently 10 weeks in to a 6 months to normal arm strength and motion and 1 year to what they call fully sports ready. My range of motion now is excellent and I am working on strengthening the muscle groups that now control the arm rotation (rotation is now controlled by the deltoid). I had ~40% arm motion prior to surgery and I am up to ~90% currently and it gets better as I continue to do the work. Right now it looks like May/June 2022 I should be able to start specifically working on Archery strength training. Fingers crossed I may be ready for the fall season.
Week 14 -- I have entered strength training a week ago, am limited to 6# lifting currently and 6 to 8# resistance bands.. Doing lots of band work and my physical therapist has me using those same bands to practice drawing like I am using my bow, so at the moment I am drawing 3#, 5#, & 8# bands . When I hit 20# I can start using the BOW TRAINER Resistance Trainer (Link Below) to keep building muscle. Right now I am doing ~3 hours of PT a day and have full arm motion. Strength thru some of those motions is lacking and is expected at this point. It will be a few more months to get the strength back. As far as Archery goes I have a full normal draw and am pulling 6 to 8# with ZERO pain and pretty happy about it. I am noticing improvement every week. Slow and steady wins the race... overdoing it and tearing muscles is not something I want to deal with. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B7PFG38?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details
Week #20 -- Shots Fired!!!! Surgery was 11/04 and on 3/23/2022 I finally got to shoot a few arrows from a Southwest Archery Tigershark Takedown Recurve at 20#. I have put together a Archery rehab regiment that will use Recurves, a Bow Trainer (aluminum pole with different weight exercise bands) and putting new lower poundage limbs on my RX1 and working from low to high end at85% let off... backing it down and going to 80% let off and working from low to high poundage again then graduating to the next level of limbs... and repeat until I am back in action on my 50 to 60# limbs.
Week 46 -- I have been shooting my Hoyt RX-1 50 to 60# @51 pounds for the last month. The shoulder feels really good, there have been a days where I have over did it at the gym and have felt it but other then that is feels great and pain free. I continue to progress and hoping to be shooting my compound at 60# by the end of the year. I also continue to shoot my Southwest Archery TigerShark 35# and 40# takedown recurves and am hitting the gym regularly to strengthen the shoulder. I have enjoyed shooting traditional so much and have picked up (2) Bear 50# recurves to continue to strengthen the shoulder (Cheyenne 55" AMO and a Kodiak Hunter 60" AMO) (Got them both new at a great price). Below are some pictures from yesterday which was the first time taking the Kodiak Hunter (Grey Glass) to my local clubs outdoor range and only the 2nd time shooting it. The animal target pictures are at 30 yards and the target butt was only10 yards as I was learning what it will do.
Wow, what a journey and a great outcome. Glad to hear it all worked out and you have no more chronic shoulder pain. Pretty amazing stuff.
Thanks, I searched the internet and found almost zero information on archers recovering shoulder replacement surgery. Hopefully this helps someone else.
Quick Update - I was at the range yesterday shooting my 53# Bear Cheyenne and I met a guy who told me he has to hit the range several times a week to keep his replaced shoulders in shape. This got my attention and I told him about my reverse total shoulder replacement and recovery. He had both shoulders replaced 2.5 years ago, he had a anatomical replacement on the right draw arm and a reverse total shoulder replacement on the left bow arm. He followed a very similar path to recovery that I am doing with standard rehab, gym workouts and shooting a combination of traditional recurve and compounds starting out at 20# and working your way up to your shooting/hunting compound bow. Like me he backed down to 50# to 60# compound bow and he is currently shooting it maxed out at 60#. We discussed the critical element of lifting in the gym. We both hit the gym regularly, lifting lower weights then before but with much higher rep counts. (Me, I am in the gym from 4:00 AM to 6:00 to 6:30 AM every day Monday thru Friday.) He has a friend that had the an anatomical shoulder replacement at the same time he did, but his friend refuses to go to the gym and work out. As you can imagine his friends experience and post op functionality is much different then ours. It was nice to actually meet someone who has been through a shoulder replacement and continues to shoot his bows and hunt. We both independently developed a very similar archery recovery plan which makes me happy that I can be back shooting my compound at 60# in the future if I stay the course. Like everything in life, do the work and good things will come from it.
