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Elbow Pain?

Have any of you guys/gals had experience with elbow pain? More specifically ulnar nerve entrapment? (I think that is what it is via Google) It has has put a major damper on my shooting. After a few arrows my elbow is so damn sore I can barely bend it. Can't get into a specialist for two more weeks. So in the mean time I thought I would rely on the bowsite experts. :)

Your draw elbow? I'm right handed and have intermittent elbow pain in my right arm (draw arm) that is exacerbated by shooting a lot. I pitched a lot when i was younger and into high school and i think my form ended up causing permanent strain to my ulnar ligament. I wear an arm band/ace bandage on my right arm, just below the elbow. It doesn't fix the pain but it does help my discomfort while shooting. I'm 34 now and i've already turned my draw weight down in fear of having long term elbow damage. Unfortunately i have few options other than cortisone shots (which help but are short term), surgery, or hanging up the bow. I have found that shooting less arrows but more often has helped build up my strength; i also find that shooting year round keeps my muscles in check and eliminates severe fatigue and discomfort when i start shooting more in the summer. It never hurts to ice it after shooting. Just a few tips if you're experiencing what i am. Best of luck

Yes it is in my draw arm as well. I have also tried the arm band and it does seem to help. I tried laying off shooting a bit over the summer and it did help but the closer we get to opener I have been shooting more. I'm hoping there is a cure. I would welcome surgery at this point if it could be fixed. After hunting season of course.

Google tennis elbow exercises. Had it a couple years ago and this plus the band was only thing that help. Most of it is more stretching but done every day helps.

I had the other thread here about the Epicondylitis Clasp's. Years ago I wrecked on my mt bike out on the trail. Broke a few ribs, hurt the shoulder and right elbow tendons. The first two eventually healed. The elbow took about 3-4 years or so. A few take-aways from this experience. At the time, you can only get 2 or 3 cortisone shots and that is it. I think I had 2. They hurt like crap to get but they do take the pain away. The lesson is they do not take the damage away...it's still there. Just because it no longer hurt gives you a green light to go out and play tennis and make some righteous backhands a couple of weeks after the shot. If you do, you will do more damage...BTDT once. I felt it pop on one backhand and immediately realized I screwed up in a major way. The second thing is there is a surgery they can do that involves removing the inflamed end of the tendon and re-attaching it. I was going to do that but chickened out when they said the rehab is several months long. If I did the surgery I would have been grounded from flying for a while. Oddly this was at about the 3-4 year post accident timeframe and the elbow pain rectified itself and the went away. I was able to draw the bow back with no pain. Since then every now and then I could feel a touch of something there but it was never a problem. About 2-3 weeks ago I was working on a new shed and felt a little elbow pain from picking up some lumber. That is why I started the other thread about that clasp. I might look into getting one before I start bow practice. I do not want to aggravate the old injury and relapse. Once it sets in, it's a pain to get rid of.

I get elbow pain from shooting a hand-held release. So I went with a Stan Perfex and attached a wrist strap to it. So I now draw with equal pressure on my fingers and wrist. It has help a lot so now I hardly ever get elbow pain. I also use a copper-tone support wrap for my elbow.

I hurt my draw elbow last October and suspected ulnar entrapment. At first it hurt to pour a cup of coffee much less shoot, do a push-up. Whatever is wrong has slowly gotten better after not shooting all summer. Now shooting doesn't bother it (shot 50 shots yesterday) and I did 4 push-ups last night with no pain. It still hurts to pick up my young daughters but there's no lingering pain. Go to the doc and get it checked out, I wish I had. Now that I'm not as limited I can't talk myself into going. ;)

I had that from running a come-along for 2 days straight, pulling out some darn hard spring steel. Fixed it a year later with a Band-It.....

I definitely think it's my ulnar nerve. Started last December while shoveling snow for several days. Pinky and ring finger go numb at times. Also lose all strength at my elbow and physically cannot pull my bow back to full draw. I also can't fully straighten my right arm. Who knows. Thanks for very ones input but it sounds different than most of the posts.

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