anyody have osteoarthritis in shoulder?
Equipment
Hey fellas, Just seeing if any of you are dealing with or have dealt with osteoarthritis in your shoulders. I tore my labrum in my shoulder in high school and had surgery, the last couple years my left shoulder (bow arm) has been having more and more pain when I shoot my bow. Went to the doctor and found out I have bad arthritis in my shoulder (very little cartilage left). Shoulder replacement is the only option for total relief, it doesn't bother me to much with daily activities but when I shoot my bow it's very painful. I've been doing exercises and stretches but they haven't done much to help. I can only shoot about 12 arrows and my shoulder is shot, I've reduced the poundage on my bow 10 lbs and feels the same as before. I'm only 31 years old and really don't want to go through shoulder replacement to probably have to do it a couple more times in my life. I was thinking about having it just cleaned out with the hope of maybe there are just some bone spurs that are causing the pain when I shoot. Just looking for insight from anybody that has experienced this. Thanks
Dealing with this as we speak. I had a left shoulder replacement 2 days ago and its my 4th surgery between both sides. This is the result of an injury I sustained at roughly 16yrs old; I'm 48 now. There was absolutely no cartilage left in my left joint. So now I've got this big titanium ball in my arm.
I was shooting my bow right up until Tues night trying to work out the details on the arrows I plan to build while I'm off. But, this has been a long time coming and now my mission is to be ready for the Nov archery bull tag I was fortunate enough to draw this year. I don't have any doubts; I'll be ready by then. But at the moment I'm both frustrated I can't shoot and glad I'm on the road to being better. There is no "right time" for this kind of thing, its just a matter of making the commitment and getting through it.
Nope, no trouble at all..........that is after having total shoulder replacement on both shoulders.
After years of struggling, switching from right handed shooting to left, then using the dreaded crossbow for three years, I had them replaced. The right was done in December 2010, the left the following June. I was fortunate in that all portions of the rotator cuff were good; no tears, etc to heal up. The X-rays of the bone spurs looked like spurs on a three year old longbeard.
By September I was shooting again, pulling 52 pounds. I could easily draw more, but am satisfied where I am.
I just wish the right knee replacement I had in December 2014 was as good. It's better than it was, but the results are not nearly as good as the shoulders.
Find a good therapist after the surgery and follow exactly what they recommend.
Always get a 2nd opinion when it comes to surgery. I was told only a shoulder replacement would fix me up. Another surgeon, more experienced in new techniques said my rotator cuff , although completely torn was large enough to fix and I am now 10 weeks post-op and doing great. Now, if arthritis gets bad down the road< I can still have a shoulder replacement but in my case it wasn't needed yet. They shaved off a large bone spur and re-attached my bicep tendon as well. If you don't have cartilage left, I guess that would be different. At 62, I want to prolong anything major!
I have the same issue with my shoulder, not much cartilage left and arthritis is setting in. I am 42 and my Dr. just told me I am too young to have a total replacement. He said the longest life expectancy of a total shoulder would be 40 years at best. He says that if the replacement didn't make it 40 years, I was really out of options. So I am stuck getting cortisone shots every 3 months or so. I have also turned down my bow and continue to shoot as tolerated.
Just had my left shoulder cleaned up. Symptoms sound like yours. I guess I caught things in time.
Arthritis is my nemisis. Left Hip, back and now shoulder. Hope I'm good to go for a few more years.
Wap
Thanks for the replies. I plan on getting a second opinion soon. Hopefully something can be done to alleviate some of the pain to make it more tolerable. TK has the cortisone shots helped you a lot? Been thinking about those also but was told they last anywhere from only a couple days up to 2-3 months possibly. My doctor said they can go in and clean it out but said it may or may not provide any relief. It's really frustrating to hear " sorry, there isn't much we can do, just deal with it till the pain is too much on a daily basis, then we'll replace it". Thanks again it's good to hear other people's experience with this.
My last shot gave me relief for about 5 months, it was getting so that it was keeping me up at night. I just received my last shot 8 days ago and it feels great. It does suck to hear that there is nothing they can do until I get old enough to replace it....frustrating.
What have you dropped your draw weight down to? If it hurts, keep going down. 40 pounds will kill deer easy.
yes, for the last tn years. Managing with anti-inflammatories (Ibuprofen) and Vitamin C.
So far so good. Sold my 83# recurve and dropped back to my 60# recurve and longbow.
I'll have to look into the cortisone shots, thanks. 12yards, I've dropped my poundage down as much as I can, probably around 58-59 lbs, my bow has 60-70 lb limbs. Thinking I'll probably need to get a new bow with 50-60 lb limbs. I mainly hunt elk so I'd like to stay in the 50-60 lb range if my shoulder can handle it.
Fussy, long term use of Ibuprofen, Aleve, and Aspirin will cause kidney damage just a heads up. I took Aleve for my hip until I finally had a hip replacement. But it damaged my kidneys. There is a reason they say don't take for more than 10 days without consulting a Doctor!
I do and I have had both mine cleaned out in the last couple years plus had a badly torn labrum repaired 5 years ago. Shoulder replacement is wonderful from what my bud tells me. He was 78 when he had his done a couple years ago, he had it done in May and was hunting and shooting his normal 66#s by Oct. Shawn
Coccoon Man, thatnks for the heads up. I discussed that with my Dr. I use Ibu when I get a bad flare up, for a couple days, daily aspirin, Tylenol very rarely, so far I don't have to do daily anti inflammatories, and when it gets that bad I'm going for surgery
I torn my labrum in August of 2014 and it's still jacked up. First Dr. misdiagnosed it and cost me 8 months, Second Dr. found the tear and operated in April of 2015. It then re-tore that July and is still not fixed. My Doctors disagree on which procedure to do next so I'm not letting anyone touch it. The injury occurred at work so anyone who has ever had to deal with worker's comp knows they are not helping the process. I'm 35yrs old and can barely lift my right arm over my head let alone draw a bow.. Hopefully I can get it resolved sometime in the near future.
Good luck with your shoulder!
I torn my labrum in August of 2014 and it's still jacked up. First Dr. misdiagnosed it and cost me 8 months, Second Dr. found the tear and operated in April of 2015. It then re-tore that July and is still not fixed. My Doctors disagree on which procedure to do next so I'm not letting anyone touch it. The injury occurred at work so anyone who has ever had to deal with worker's comp knows they are not helping the process. I'm 35yrs old and can barely lift my right arm over my head let alone draw a bow.. Hopefully I can get it resolved sometime in the near future.
Good luck with your shoulder!
Tgun46,
Funny you should bring this up. I had a shoulder clean out the end of October. He took out 3 bone spurs, marble diameter bone chips, and drilled small holes in the head of the Humerus and the socket, to try and build up scar cartilage. When I saw him 2 weeks ago Monday. He told me the arthritis is back with a vengeance and the only thing he can do now is give me injections every 3-4 months for pain if I need it. He said try and tough it out as long as you can with the injections and the anti-inflammatory meds . He said I was to young for shoulder replacement, I am 61 (You are a WHOLE LOT younger than me), and he said they don't normally like to do them till 70 or after. He also said when he does a replacement on me, I will be DONE shooting a bow other than a crossbow. Unlike other replacements if the socket prosthetic comes lose in the scapula, it will be a nightmare to repair it. There is very little bone mass to work with in the Scapula where the socket sets. Did the doctor offer injections to help with the inflammation which will help with the pain? He should have. Are you taking Motrin or Naprosyn? That also will help with the inflammation and pain. I would think you doctor would have prescribed that for you. One option you have now is try and shoot left handed. You will still be using the shoulder joint but in a different way. May work may not(I'm trying that just to switch back and forth). Other option is get a second opinion. I am still shooting but have to REALLY pay attention as to how I set up my bow shoulder for the shot, if I don't I will pay for it during the draw and upon the release. I am only shooting 40#'s at my draw and I am shooting a Recurve (no let off). So far so good with that, last summer I was shooting 66-67# Recurve at my draw. Not much help I know, but you asked. Oh yeah, I worked as a Orthopedic Nurse for 9.5 years. DANNY
Osteoarthritis is a rotten dog! Add in type 2 diabetes and the future is not pretty. I am 62. In May 2013 I had to have my left knee replaced because the cortisone injections caused my blood sugar to explode. October 2014 killed a nice bull up in Wyoming backcountry. My right leg buckled a couple times coming out. December 2014, right knee replaced. Had trouble with painkillers working but finally got straightened out. September 2015 my son and I hunted in NW Colorado for elk for 2 weeks. April 18,2016 just had total right shoulder replacement. Two weeks of therapy so far. Haven't had to use pain meds and am doing great according to the therapist. Staples coming out in a couple of days. Am very confident that at some point in the future I WILL be able to pull my bow again, it might not be in time for this years season but I am sure I will get there. I have a rifle deer hunt planned for last week of September in Wyoming. Best of luck to you in whatever path you take. My advice is to follow the therapy protocol to the LETTER. By the way, from the looks of the xrays will probably be having hip replacement in 2017. Damn that Arthur!
bluecat,
I would really have a sit talk with your Orthopedic Doc about shooting a bow, Compound or Traditional, which every you shoot. Ask him or her what would happen if the prosthetic socket of that shoulder replacement would come loose from shooting. I am not telling you what you want to hear, I am telling you what you need to hear. DANNY
The local surgeon (downstate IL) told me I was finished bowhunting, and would have a lifetime restriction of 12-15# lifting after shoulder replacement. I was not willing to accept that so I put off surgery for 5 years.
When I couldn't stand the constant pain, I found a different surgeon in Chicago, team physician for the Bulls and Sox. Incidentally, he did the shoulder surgery on John Danks, Sox pitcher. Not that Danks is tearing up the league, but he is still on a major league roster.
The Chicago surgeon told me there is no science supporting the weight restriction. As for drawing a bow, after healing and therapy, he considered it good excercise for the upper body. The only thing he ruled out was driving fence posts and splitting wood with a maul. I don't want to do any more of that anyway.
He explained it's all about the direction of the forces in the joint, and the impact from the sudden stop. He OK'd me to go dry ground mountain lion hunting via horseback 4 months after the first replacement. Today I carried two 40# bags of water softener salt (one in each hand) from the garage to the house with no problem.
The surgeon is an Idaho native; I don't know if he is a hunter or not. He moved to the midwest to play football at Notre Dame and never left.
rock50 out of curiosity how long ago was your surgery and how much are you shooting a bow now? Also was it your bow arm or string arm shoulder joint you had replace? In the bow arm shoulder joint the socket is supporting a lot of the rearward pressure being placed on the joint through the draw and at full draw. The cement used to hold that socket in place as well as the screws are only going to be able to take that compression pressure and its sudden release so many times before coming loose. A good example is a take down Recurve. You can snug up the limb bolts and after a couple of hundred shots take the bow down and you will find the screws have loosen up a small amount. How many shots before it will happen in the sholder, I can't answer that, but it will happen. Carrying bags of salt does not put rearward pressure on the joint unless you are doing it with your arms straight over head. DANNY
Danny, Thanks for the concern. Will discuss that with him Tuesday in more detail. Before I had this done I asked him if I would be able to shoot my bow again and was told it's up to me but he was doubtful and suggested a crossbow with a cocking device. I told him I thought the motion of the cocking device would be more of a strain than pulling my bow. This is my string arm. After what therapy I've done so far I'm very confident that, at some point, I will be able to pull my bow and hunt. Rock50, a lifetime of splitting maul and post drivers got me into this mess. I've no desire to use either again.
I've had 2 shoulder surgeries, and am concerned about the arthritis they found. I may have to go to a compound in the years to come when I get to the point that I can't comfortably shoot a stickbow. I'm not there yet, but I am thinking about it.
TBB
bluecat there are a different types of cocking devices, some crossbows have internal cocking devices, that are a hand crack type, and there are lever types that I have seen you can buy. There is more than just the pull rope. Just a thought if you end up using a crossbow. This sucks for you I know, I feel for you. I know I am probably less than 3 years away from having it done. I know when my doc told me my prognosis I went into a hole mentally for a day or two. Then I though I can still hunt (and that is the main thing) even if it isn't a weapon of choice during bow season. DANNY
Danny, I am a natural right hand shooter. With the pain I had in the left shoulder (bow arm) I switched from shooting righty to lefty about 4 years before the first surgery. I could do the draw range of motion (left) and the compression (right) with no pain for a while. When I couldn't take the constant pain I scheduled the right shoulder first in December 2012. I was 61 years old at that time. In June 2013 I had the left shoulder replaced.
In September, with the surgeon's OK I bought a new Mission Riot (back to right handed), set it at 52# and got it dialed in very quickly. I shoot with no pain; I could easily draw more but at this point in my life I am only bow hunting for whitetails in my backyard. The bow draws smoothly and shoots without much shock of any kind that I can feel.
I do not shoot very much, usually just late summer through the first part of our deer season (August - November) in IL. I don't shoot any 3D leagues of any kind. We have about 20 3D targets between my sons, grandsons, and I, and if I shoot that many that's a lot of shooting for me. I can stay sharp shooting a lot less than that and that is all I want to do now.
I wish it were more (both the #'s and number of arrows) but I'm content to just be out of a crossbow and back to a vertical bow.
rock50,
If the doctor said okay, just becareful and the slightest inkling of anything funny in your shoulder contact him/her. You mentioned you don't feel any pain, thing is you won't till its is loose. It sounds like you are not shooting a lot for the most part. 52#'s out of compound or traditional bow for that matter is more than enough for any animal in the contenent. That is all Fred Eichler used to take his SuperSlam with a Recurve. I wish you well and hope you dont' have any issues. DANNY
rock50,
If the doctor said okay, just becareful and the slightest inkling of anything funny in your shoulder contact him/her. You mentioned you don't feel any pain, thing is you won't till its is loose. It sounds like you are not shooting a lot for the most part. 52#'s out of compound or traditional bow for that matter is more than enough for any animal in the contenent. That is all Fred Eichler used to take his SuperSlam with a Recurve. I wish you well and hope you dont' have any issues. DANNY
Linecutter that is garbage!! Find a way better doctor. I go to one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the world and your doctor is living in the past. Todays replacements can and will last 25 years and much longer. They used to say to wait as the replacement would only last 10-15 years, that is ancient history. Shawn
deerman406,
Not saying the newer prosthetic shoulder joints won't last that long (there is no guarantee they will) , it is what you DON'T want to do to them, so they can. Shawn by the way Tgun46 said he was 31yrs, so even if it did last 25-30years that would make him 56 to 61 years old when it would need replaced. I am 61yrs old I know I wouldn't be excited to go through a revision at this age. I have worked Orthopedics I "Think" I have a clue what I am talking about. Some things have changed since I worked Orthopedics but the basic limitations are still there with the materials used. So unless they have come up with a cement that will take the compression and release multiple times, over a long period of time, and a mounting system that doesn't use screws that CAN'T come loose with compression and release from shooting a bow, especially the bow arm, there is NOTHING that I have said here that is garbage. There is NO prosthetic, mounting system, and cement used to hold it in place, that is as strong as natural bone over the long haul (natural bone repairs itself). The endurance of ANY prosthetic used to replace a joint depends on what you do using it, whether you got a good one, a mediocre one, or a Lemon. How long the cement lasts depends on how an individuals body reacts to it. Some peoples bodies seem to attack and break the cement down faster than others. Your surgeon is right in the fact the prosthetic's themselves have improved over the years, they are not indestructible, nor is the mounting system. DANNY
That shold read "...that does use screws the CAN'T come loose..". Not "doesn't" Thought I proof read that enough. DANNY
