Dislocated Shoulder and Bow Hunting......

[wolftalonID]

So today I fell off a steel roof and dislocated my shoulder. Funny part it the slip on the roof did the damage, I landed on my feet on the ground.
I have broken so many bones I lost count over the years, this is my first shoulder dislocation. So far the only pleasant part was the fun drugs I got at the ER while they worked on it. I told the lady I would need more than they thought possible....haha...Five doses later they finally consciously managed to sedate me enough to manipulate my arm.

My wife says at some point I was talking about Picasso paintings...haha...I will stick to saying I have NO recollection of such a conversation...lol.

So, now with elk season so close, I know I cant shoot my bow right now, and would be in massive pain if not facing another relocation of the shoulder trying.
Has anyone here ever done that,and if so, how did you rehab it. I need good advise, I can take pain, but I MUST be able to hunt with a bow....
Well that and go back to work...sorta pays the bills that way!! haha.
This injury is only 9 hrs old as of now and getting so damn stiff its not funny. I am hoping to get some decent reset (knock on wood) and recovery over the rest of the weekend.

Then need to start getting on it fast. Please give your experience or credentials when providing tips, I dont need to re injure it. Thanks guys.

 

[jughead]

I am surprised your doc did not set you up with a physical therapist. It is still early in the process, however, but you really do need to seek the help of a qualified professional. And credential over the internet won't mean much if you screw your shoulder up permanently. I retired as a health care scientist and there is now way I would even come close to providing, or accepting, this kind of help via the internet. Do the right thing.

 

[mthuntress]

Give Aaron a call at Spirit Quest Archery @ (406)756-5455 he had a injury to his shoulder and used ...think it was clled Lockout??not 100% on the name.

 

[SDbowhunter]

That sucks, I'm sure with the help of a PT that you could be hunting this fall, might not be shooting 75 arrows every morning for awhile, but you should be able to start practicing after a few weeks. My brother in law was bull riding last fall and spun off the bull wrong(not sure if there is a right way). He tore up his shoulder Real bad, dislocated it and tore two of the muscles and he could use it well enough to shoot after two months, he couldn't shoot a lot but enough to not get rusty. just saying. hope you can get well in time !

 

[wolftalonID]

I am a self employed guy. I dont get along well with docs...they rape my wallet. The stupid xrays alone were over $600.00 Thats insane!! Not sure what the rest of the bill will be yet either.
Once the doc said no broken bones and it was all set ok, I was pulling wires and IV's out of my arm as fast as I could. ER's charge by the minute up here. Thats why they take so damn long to get you help when your in there. I dont plan on paying for follow ups that cost you $100 and all they tell you is...looking good, how has it felt?. I can do that myself.

My baby sister is a licenced sports medicine massage therapist, but I dont live near her. If I did, I would go see her for recovery.
I'm just looking to hear from other archers that have had this happen and what did they do to get it back to working order.
I know the pain will tell me when too much is too much. For a while anyway. Then there comes a time when you need to make it hurt to get it moving in a full range of motion.
Most therapists are not archers. They just help you slowly get it into working order. I have three months. I need a bust my ass routine that works.

SD...thanks for a time line. I may not need worry too much sounds like. Although not being able to shoot daily is a bummer right now.

 

[RUTTIN]

I'm not a Doc, but I talked to a sports medicine guy, that said maybe starting with light rubber bands to simulate drawing your bow and then working your way up with stronger ones might help out.

 

[mattm]

Sorry to hear about the injury. You really need the direction of a good orthopedic that specializes in shoulders. PT is a must for an injury like this. If you push to early you may dislocate the shoulder again. If you keep the shoulder immobilized to long you may have problems with range of motion, muscle atrophy, or total lose of use. I understand not really liking docs all that much. Hell I'm and ER nurse and I don't really care for them much myself. This is one time you should at least go see an orthopedic. Good luck!

 

[wolftalonID]

Well.. two mornings into this and I woke up with a LOT less pain and stiffness. I had my wife do a massage and energy pressure point routine that I walked her through. Then last night had a back adjustment that I swear took off most of the pressure in the shoulder muscles.
Not going to hit the push ups yet haha, but I have been gently using my left arm to hold my right and move it through the stiff ranges of motion.
RUTTIN...Thanks for that tip. That actually makes a lot of sense. I'll go get some surgical tubing and tie it to a work self in my garage.

I think this injury will heal ok if I keep up a smart routine here.

 

[RUTTIN]

Worse come to worse, you can always sew in a mouth tab and draw your bow with your teeth. Ha Ha...But then you might need a dentist instead of a doctor after the hunt! In all seriousness I pray for you a speedy recovery. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't bowhunt. I would find a way, just like all of you would. Good luck WolftalonID.

 

[packmule]

Had that happen two weeks before the archery opener in TX my SR year of high school. I just let it rest the first week and them started stretching it out and working with the resistance bands and light dumbbell shoulder presses. I couldn't pull back 70# so ended up having to crank my tourney bow down in the 50s and limit my shot selection. I didn't end up shooting anything, but going beat sitting at the house.

 

[wolftalonID]

Well its Wednesday and I was back at work again on a new roof repair job. My shoulder is holding up ok. Turns out I do have a left arm over on the other side and it works!!! lol.
I have been using it mostly, and only doing what the shoulder says doesnt hurt. I think I will be just fine. Doc I know that is a sports med doc told me NO archery for 30 days. Then I can start gently and see where it goes from there. So....no shooting for a month it is..till then.. I will abuse the crap out of it all other ways haha.