Longbow for Arthritis?

GoodOlBoy · #1 11-27-2006, 10:34 AM

My doctor (bless his little pointed head) who told me years ago no more compound bow shooting EVER has refused to write me a ticket so that I can crossbow a deer during archery only season. He has ALSO said that I SHOULD be able to shoot a longbow (But not a recurve). . . .

Anybody ever heard of this? I am all for sticking with traditional bows. I started on a Sears 25# shortbow as a kid and moved to a used Bear 55# recurve when I was in my 20s. When it splintered (After several years of use and mostly due to the abuse of the previous owner) I went to a Bear compound bow (And thats when my shoulder and elbow went all to pot) I Have never been a sight and trigger user. Even my old compund was setup for fingers and (as the Texas Bowhunting society calls it) Adult Compound Unaided shooting.

I know of a shop that has an old 35# longbow I could start with to build up and they only want around $100 for it, BUT I am dubious as to if this will really work (In Texas you need a 40# or greater to hunt with by the way, but I would have almost a year to build up before having to buy a new bow again)

Opinions?

GoodOlBoy

skeet · #2 11-27-2006, 12:28 PM

GOB,
You need to find another doctor. Compund bows are much easier on the shoulder than long bows and you can hold the draw for extended times. Personally I am not a compund bow person. I really can't draw a bow any longer because of a medical problem with my shoulder. Pulling a bow will NOT help the ol arthritis. I also have a cross bow...and don't really use it. It was bought for my father in law. The man really couldn't shoot it either because (he took coumadin for a heart problem) it just kicked the snot out of his shoulder. He was black and blue for weeks. BTW a crossbow is just that...a bow. The yardages you can shoot with it are about the same as a recurve or compound for that matter. Just easier to aim. Talk to another physician.

GoodOlBoy · #3 11-27-2006, 05:31 PM

Thought it sounded a little odd. Glad I am not the only one.

Unfortunantly I have yet to find many doctors in my area that don't pretty much despise hunters. Don't have the proper upbringing I guess.

Thing about a crossbow is I can use pulleys to cock it, and in Texas you can use one during archery only season IF you have lost a limb/fingers, or use of a limb/fingers due to medical problems (such as arthritis). I am actually a natural lefty and it is actually my right shoulder that has the arthritis sooooooo even though i cant shoot a regular bow left handed (And I rarely use anything left handed being raised in a peroquial school. . . . . . yes thats right I was considered a demon child too all you leftys out there) I CAN shoot a gun left handed. I am just worse with it than I am right handed and that aint sayin alot. . . .

Basically it would give me another tag I could fill and a few more mornings of waiting for breakfast to walk by.

GoodOlBoy

GoodOlBoy · #4 11-28-2006, 11:13 AM

oohhhh kay.

I spoke with another doctor from the same office (We have two offices in town one full of reall quacks and killers and then this one. . . . .) and he is of the same opinion. APPARENTLY they believe that the arthritis in my right shoulder may have been caused by damage from the compound bow in the first place due to the fact that the first time I ever reported the problem was after pulling on my bow one day hearing a sharp crack and crying like a small child. . . . . Now their concern is that I have favored the shoulder for several years (You bet yer butt I have) and that if I don't rebuild the muscle in the shoulder it is going to get MUCH worse. SOO the longbow idea was that longbows have a smooth draw, and that if I would work with a lower pound longbow and work my way up that I could probably work back up into a hunting poundage bow eventually. I asked about just heading to the gym and they answer was a resounding no. Their concern is that many of the weight machines at the gyms do not have a smooth pull to them (They exception they stated was the bowflex) and that I could do more damage. . . . . The other option is to buy a bowflex machine for the house (none of the gyms around here have them) and work on that. . . . . like I have the room or money for a bowflex.

grrrrrr SOOO has anybody ever purchased one of the bows from stickbowworld.com? I see they sell low poundage bows on ebay for pretty cheap. IE 25# and up to 70# I wouldn't mind tossing $50 down the hole for the shot that I may someday get to bowhunt again. Basically per Texas law I only have to work my way up to a 40# to hunt with it.

Thanks again.

Opinions (Jump back in Skeet you know I respect your opinion buddy)

GoodOlBoy

skeet · #5 11-28-2006, 02:33 PM

The argument they are making just really doesn't hold water. The compound bow does stack the weight of draw as you are pulling it...getting lower as you pass the max point. But as for shooring smoother?? I can't see it. The bow hand/arm may get a little vibration at the shot but the pulling hand/arm has lost all tension on it. The longbow and recurve defineitely are smooth shooting bows but they stack the weight at full draw. Does a longbow have a smoother letoff than a recurve?? C'mon...as far as I am thinking ..they are clutching at straws. All bows have a bit of vibration when shot. I think the recurve will have less than a compound. More than a straight bow??...I don't think enough to be able to tell the difference. One other thing of note though. The compound IS much heavier than the other style of bows. Had a bowflex GOB...You can buy one at Sam's Club for 6-700 bucks. They are worthwhile as a workout tool..but only if you use them. BTW the resistence rods stack their strength somewhat like a bow....but they use cables and pulleys..like a compound bow!!?? Oh well,...Ya can't beat that bunch of docs... They will almost always support each other. Hell they are in business together. Or is that cahoots??

GoodOlBoy · #6 11-28-2006, 04:18 PM

More likely cahoots. . . . about the only thing I know for sure is that neither one of them owns an archery shop. Otherwise I would know why they are saying what they are saying.

I can't make hide nor hare of it buddy. I am gonna see if any of the guys are still around from my old days in the SCA, some of them use to have some 20# and 25# kiddie bows laying around. A few pulls on one should tell me how much BS is behind what they are spilling, and it shouldn't cost me anything but maybe a beer.

GoodOlBoy

GoodOlBoy · #7 12-05-2006, 09:24 AM

OK meant to post this yesterday and fergot ta do it.

A 25# fiberglass longbow hurt like the dickens.

A 25# wood stick bow (I mean a STICK bow this thing ain't got no shelf and the WHOLE bow flexes when ya draw it) wasn't even uncomfortable. I shot it about 6 dozen times before tearin the remain fletching off some old aluminum arrows I dug outa the back of the closet. That afternoon I could really feel it in the muscle, but had almost no joint pain at all. I am going to work with it for a few months (Until I don't get the muscle fatigue much anymore) Then move up 10# to a 35# and see how it goes. I have found a place that carries a Medieval Huntsman Hunting Longbow (40#-45#) and a Medieval War Bow English Longbow (30-35#) that are close to identical to what I am shooting. They run $119 plus chippin and damagin, but looks like I will be orderin one of the war bows ta start around april er so (Once I get some strength in my arms from the 25#er)

The picture I included is what the bow I am using and the other two both look like (of course the bow I am using is alot beat up and worn though)

GoodOlBoy

Allen · #8 12-06-2006, 01:06 AM

I go to Trad bow sites from time to time. There are many people that shoot bows in the 80-100# range. (I am not one of those) When they have shoulder problems they will use a compound bow so that they can still hunt while they heal. The only advise I can give is start light and work up to the weight you want. You may also want to cut back on the number of arrows you shot each time so you dont over work the shoulder. Try shooting no more than three at a time. That way you rest as you walk down to retrieve you arrows.

Allen

GoodOlBoy · #9 12-06-2006, 09:18 AM

Sounds good. I can't believe people would shoot a compound to heal after what the doctors have told me, although I guess anything is possible. The doctor had an othapedic (sp?) surgeon call me the other day to talk to me about the problem. Apparently with me the problem is that the arthritis has set into the rotator cuff and joint in my shoulder. The shrugging motion when pulling a compound is what aggrivated a problem that already existed. The othapedic surgeon DID tell me to stay away from anything but wood stick bows (Coulda used that info earlier) because of the ease of drawing them. He also told me the longer the bow the better for the same reason, less stress. I spoke with him about the medieval huntsman bow and he said that it would be fine, BUT have somebody else do the draw test and he advised not to go over 45#. He also advised, like you, to shoot now more than three to four at a time, then retrieve. He mentioned flatbows, and a load of other things too, apparently THIS guy is a primative bowhunter himself.

SOOOO we shall see how this goes. I have to go grab some arrows from the archery shop in Nacogdoches sometime this week, but I dunno when.

GoodOlBoy

hunter1993 · #10 03-07-2007, 02:30 PM

wow that is wierd

buckhunter · #11 03-08-2007, 04:12 PM

This is probably BS however I heard at a local shop that the Matthews Swithback can and will over time cause rotar cuff problems. Not sure whether to believe it or not.

GoodOlBoy · #12 03-28-2007, 09:32 AM

Well if it is BS then it is a very happy coincidence that my shoulder and left elbow are in MUCH better shape now (I plink about two hours a weekend every weekend.) I still have a few aches in the shoulder, but I am doing good. drawing is no longer a problem on a wood bow. I will say that I still get a little pain from my brothers fiberglass bow that is the same pound draw as my wood one. Depending on how it progresses this summer I will have to look into that huntsman bow again.

GoodOlBoy