returning to bow hunting after shoulder surgery?

[NWFLBowhunter]

Well, due to a work injury, the doc says I need to have my bicep reattached to my shoulder as well as some work on my rotator cuff. Anyone have this kind of surgery unable to return to bow hunting?

 

[essdub]

Oh man, that stinks. I really hope you can recover and shoot bows again. Good luck and speedy recovery

 

[d_rek]

A lot of guys on archerytalk.com have had surgery. It sounds like the majority of them setup a low poundage rig. The worst of them invest in a crossbow. Regardless we totally understand and hope you have a good recovery!


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[NWFLBowhunter]

I'm staying positive and hope to be back to 100% by October opener. I've put off the surgery as long as I could, but the doctors say I'm out of options.

 

[bowhunterchuck]

Sorry to hear about the surgery. I was lucky and had the option of physical therapy. 2xs a week for 4 weeks and I was able to shoot again. A product I used (while I couldn't shoot) by Hickory Creek called the Draw Lock worked great. Check them out at hickorycreek.com. These people got me shooting in a few days ! Good luck !

 

[redsquirrel]

I've had 2 surgeries for torn ligaments on my left shoulder (I'm a righty). I'm not as strong on that side as I used to be, but my shoulder is pretty stable. The last surgery was 2004. I shoot around 55 lbs. I can't always hold steady for long periods of time, but I get by fine. I limit my shots to 20-25 yards because I know that is my effective range.

My best advice would be to do your physical therapy and make sure you go home and do your exercises consistently. That will be the best way to build up your strength again.

 

[fawnzy]

It's amazing how weak we become after an injury. Train hard, get well!


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[fawnzy]

Or maybe train well


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[NWFLBowhunter]

Thanks guys. At 34 this is my first major injury and first surgery. Got me a little edgy. I hate relying on someone else to fix me up.

 

[redsquirrel]

Thanks guys. At 34 this is my first major injury and first surgery. Got me a little edgy. I hate relying on someone else to fix me up.

It is better to get yourself fixed up right now while you are still young. Your body heals better and hopefully in 10 years you will barely know you had to be fixed

 

[NWFLBowhunter]

Well had the surgery last Monday. All seems to be going well. Wasn't as damaged as the doctor though. Just had to go in and remove some bone fragments in the rotator and reattach the bicep back into the shoulder. Now time will tell as to when I can start shooting again.

 

[fawnzy]

Good news! Train well!


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[Autumnrider]

Take your time to build up your bow muscles. Reason I say this is cause I jumped into shooting hard and heavy in February trying to get ready for turkey and my bow shoulder got to hurtingo bad enough I had to take a break for a couple weeks.
Good luck! Wish u the best

 

[Scott F]

The 'ol SLAP tear repair...
Been there, done that one too. When I asked the ortho doctor how long the recover period was he responded with, "Well I hope that you are 100% at around the 1 year mark." I was worried because I had some other work done in my shoulder besides the SLAP repair, but it ended up being okay; I exclusively bowhunt with trad gear and this was my bow arm shoulder.

I would begin looking at physical therapy options now because you will need it. Things will likely be pretty tight in your shoulder when the dust settles after your surgery.

Remember that there is a difference between flexibility and mobility - ask your physical therapist how to get you there.

 

[redsquirrel]

Good luck on the recover! Take it easy and don't rush. X2 on what Scott said about the physical therapy. They should make you hurt when they are stretching you out. It will suck at the time but be worth it.