Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Rotator cuff

Anyone have rotator cuff surgery and how long before you were drawing your bow? I had surgery in late March and I’ve started drawing a youth long bow probably 20lbs.

Shawn

Ask your surgeon rather than here.

Yes and no. "Rotator cuff" is comprised of a few different ligaments and it depends on which ones were damaged, how much arthritis you had, your age, and how your PT goes; everyone is different.

Having said that, I've had major orthopedic surgeries on my ankle, knee, wrist, and shoulder including rotator cuff repair and your surgeon is going to be conservative and give you a time frame that fits pretty much everybody becasue if he authorizes you to stress the joint and you injure yourself it's his fault.

So what I've done is listen to the surgeon's advice, see how the recovery is going, and push the envelope ahead of what the surgeon says as long as it doesn't cause pain.

I had both shoulders done. It takes quite a while to get your shoulder back into bow pulling shape. My first was done in January and I was fly fishing in May.

Pulling a bow is a much harder use of the shoulder and I would say 6 months is realistic recovery time, depending on your therapist and what he feels your progress has become.

The biggest trial of your surgery is how well you can handle pain, and how hard you push the therapy. Strength takes a while to regain and you don’t want to risk tearing the repair that the surgeon made on your shoulder.

At least a year, 2 for sure. Never going to be the same strength wise.

Way have to consider alternative archery tackle. Don’t risk hurting things after a repair. Revisions are bound to be worse than the healed first one.

BTW I’m a family doc of 16+ years practice

That has not been my experience, the repaired shoulder is stronger than the other one. The first part of your response is baffling, "at least a year, 2 for sure??"

That’s what I’d do.

Well I did ask my surgeon and he said after twelve weeks he’s not concerned with me trying. I thought I would pose the question here as I have learned many people have had this surgery. I was looking for personal experiences so if you, or someone you know has had this surgery then I was just wondering how long you were out. My doctor seemed to think I would be fine by August, just looking for other experiences. It seems relevant to me.
I am 51 and in pretty good health

Shawn

i have had both shoulders rebuilt by surgery the right shoulder turned out just fine ,the left shoulder is still bad after surgery and plenty steriod shots and now needs to be replaced so my days of archery are now over permantly. not all shoulder surgeries are a success , take your time listen to what your doctor tells you. good luck

Had my right shoulder done 4 years ago (full tear through 60% of supraspinatus tendon). Surgery was in late April.

My surgeon said my tendon would heal at 15% each month, so 6 months would be 90% strength (note, not 100% yet). He also said "another guideline is that full tendon healing would be in 6 months PLUS one week added for every year you are over age 50." I was 57+, so add 7 weeks to the 6 months (total ~8 months months). He also said 1 in 4 shoulder surgeries fail. When I heard that, I told myself "I am in no hurry to draw a bow." I chose to maximize healing first-so I put in my own timeframe of one year, before resuming pulling a bowstring. It took 9 solid months for all traces of pain to go away after surgery. And yes, I was diligent about my PT. VERY diligent.

When I did begin to draw my bow ( a full year after surgery), I started with my 30# recurve limbs on my Samick Journey (64" amo) I took 10 shots /day for a week, then increased 10 shots each week (ie week 1=10 shots day, week 2=20 shots/day, week 3= 30 shots/day etc). Stayed at 50 shots/day for a month with the 30# limbs, then used my 35# limbs for a month (max 50 shots/day), then moved up to my 40-43# bows (my heaviest draw weights). My max draw weight on my fingers is 45# now, and that is where I will stay.

Don't rush your rehab and re-injure yourself by being foolish. Let things fully heal, then go slow and light with bow practice. I am very glad I waited one year before drawing a bow. I did not want to go through that discomfort again. Shoulder feels fine today. I am glad I did what I.did.

I’ve had both shoulders done. Left included reattaching the biceps tendon. I had permission to try after 4 months and shot my sons 50lb bow. Biceps tendon repair area had me in tears. Rotator was bearable. I gave it a couple months and slowly worked into shooting again but only a few arrows at a time. For reasons I don’t remember, the biceps tendon was reattached at a different location. While I’m not certain this was the cause, 10 years later my form has never fully recovered. In consequence, my pre operation max range dropped from 80 to 60, and I’ve lossed the ability to shoot fixed blade heads with acceptable accuracy past 45 (yes, this is out of a well tuned bow shooting broadheads renowned for having the same point of impact as field tips).

I have had 3 shoulder surgeries. The Doctor earlier mentioned a year, and he is right on, in my case.

Age, and the individual's particular injury is critical. Not all PT are equal, some will hurt you.

If you try and macho your way to recovery, you are apt to go in for another surgery. As you have found, the shoulder surgery is not for wimps. Give yourself time to heal, and I would not even start pulling on a bow for 6 months, and then at a much reduced weight.

Hunt out and do your due diligence in a PT specialist in Shoulders. Best place to look is with Doctors that specialize in working on College athletes and their PT people.

A teaching hospital, often trains PT associated with their hospital and lets them observe the operation to better understand what is going on with the patients.

I feel as if there are a LOT of Quacks out there working on shoulders, and even more Quack PT.

Your surgeon is an idiot. "...not concerned"..???., " ...12 weeks... "????

Credentials?

Do you know the details of his surgery, what was damaged, what was repaired, and how?

My rotator cuff was fully redacted and and a small bicep repair. When I say 12 weeks that’s when he said the tendon or whAt ever it is is mostly bonded to the bone like 80-90%. I’ve been pulling a 15-20 lip fiberglass kids bow for exercise. I am not sure why you would call my dr an idiot I am sure he is aware of my situation. As far as pain, I have zero. I feel about 80% recovered. I’ve been in PT for 3 months so I am a good ways into this. I’ve been using weights in PT. I haven tried and wont till August, but I feel like I could draw my bow right now. The injury happened in February and the surgery was late March

Shawn

Shawn, sounds like you've got it figured out, along with your MD. Like I said above, most surgeons will be overly conservative with restrictions because whether or not you can bowhunt this fall means nothing to them. Yours sounds like an exception, good for him.

Good luck this season!

Thanks, we didn’t draw an elk tag this year for 1st rifle so I was hoping to go in archery. My surgeon offered to complete Colorado’s ADA form for crossbow use but I’m going to see how it goes first. In Mo I’ll use a crossbow if I have to

Shawn

Well, hopefully you'll be in the mountains come September and get close enough to hear an elkbelch

I wish you the best in recovery. I truly do. You asked for feedback on recovery and when people started to draw a bow after surgery. I gave you my journey, and it was successful.

If your surgeon gives you the green light to draw a bow, at 12 weeks, then put all your faith into his opinion and start drawing your full weight bow. I truly wish you the best.

Does your surgeon know what it 's like to draw a 45-50+ lb bow (or whatever hunting draw weight you draw)? If you think your surgeon's timeline is safe at 12 weeks, go for it.

drawning a long bow or a recurve yes a compound bow is a whole different animal that you need to be very careful with those valleys on a compound bow can hurt your shoulder be careful.

Thanks for the well wishes, I doubt he’s a bow hunter a hunter at all because I’am sure he would have mentioned it when I brought it up. Maybe I’am on a faster track because I am healthy and fairly strong. I hurt it when I fell on the ice, it wasn’t from deterioration or anything. He told be to work up to it and is encouraging anything that dose not cause pain. True on the compound vs recurve, I have both but my recurve is 6828” and I think it would be harder to get back to it vs my 65# compound. My father has a couple crossbow due to health so at least I have options. I can use either in Mo so no worries there. I guess a lighter recurve could be an option but I would have to purchase one.

Shawn

I've got a left shoulder MRI with contrast scheduled for (soonest I could get it) August 5th. To say I'm concerned for archery season is an understatement......

forget this years archery season you will have many more years ahead, i missed a couple because of surgery your health is your concern .take care of that shoulder, i am now almost 69 years of age i can no longer draw a bow back and yes i mis archery season with a bow ,i have bowhunted since i was 9 or 10 years old . good luck be careful ,Pete53

Pete, thanks! I will be careful but I have a hunch I’ll be shooting by August, no trouble drawing a fiberglass youth bow probably 20-25 lbs. if not I’ll be using a crossbow, heck I’d sit in a stand with a camera if it came to that

Shawn

stay with the x- bow tell your healed up, i now use a x-bow yes its not true archery but i would hate to mis the archery season just to be out there and enjoying the smell,sights and the calmness of the outdoors ,i don`t need to kill anything its just nice to be out there. good luck and be safe,Pete53

February 2021 I had a bicep tendonesis, anchored down my labrum and cleaned up a couple tears in my rotator cuff. It was my right shoulder and I’m right handed bow shooter. I was hunting in October at 60 pounds and started shooting around mid august.

Never had any pain shooting until I had to let down without shooting. It hurt but not bad (I didn’t do it again though, if I drew it was getting shot) Had it been my left shoulder I don’t think I could have held the bow up by then. If it’s your grip arm it is definitely going to take longer than your release arm.

Surgeon said start pulling bands back like I was drawing at 4 months and work my way up so that was my plan but the physical therapist was doing band work by week 4 but we started LIGHT.

Took a year to get to a point that I can’t tell I had surgery but I was stronger in it post surgery in about 8 weeks than I was before. Best thing I ever did was get it taken care of, as I’m way stronger now with NO pain

That’s great to hear I appreciate the input. I drew an elk tag for 1st rifle season in Colorado in the second chance draw so at least I don’t have to worry about that hunt. Mo will let me use a crossbow so either way I’ll be ready.

Shawn

I had a strong side (right) reconstruction? Over 20 years ago. Therapy and weight training worked well. It didn’t stop me bow hunting….just made me limit myself to under 65# vs my higher poundage days. What stopped me hunting with a bow, at least from elevated stands, was two plates in the bottom of a broken back….can’t bend/twist like I used to, and I have a ‘dead zone’ at a certain angle, where I have to creep. Can still shoot on the ground, but just got a vertical xbow to stand hunt with. Up to 42 staples now. Thanks U.S.

Had my MRI a few weeks ago (it was rescheduled from the 5th to the 30th of August) and the diagnosis is a SLAP tear and long head bicepts tendon; severe tendinopathy. PT started a couple weeks ago and might be showing a slight improvement. Shooting the bow is difficult at best......who knows what to expect this fall with the bow.

I had a severe injury, tore all four muscle groups that make up my right rotator, three completely. My bicep on that side even had to be relocated.
From that much damage I started working with wide rubber bands attached to a wall, doing a drawing motion two years after surgery. It’s been 4 years now and I’m working with my Mathew’s. Feels fine but not up to full draw weight. I’m 64 so I probably won’t get all of it back.
Proceed with repetition in whatever way you choose, versus pumping up the weight too soon. It will come.
Nothing scientific here, just did what made sense to me. Good luck.

Osky

I've not had shoulder surgery. Nonetheless, I've really been following Tom Clum's training program to protect my shoulders from injury.

Bow stuff might not be understood by some surgeons.Then theres trad vs wheels like Pete said.

Shoulder docs proly do more w tennis and other athletic injuries.

Type of injury, differences in degree of injury and healing rates. Just never know how long recovery will take.

So far have not needed shoulder repair. Some issue, missed bow season last yr ( drs orders ) and laid out all summer.

Of course work beats the chit out of it. And earlier this week I woke up in pain for the first time in months. Got some other arm crap going on so am going to run wheels and release abd after bow season go back and see what other crap is happening. Looks like tendon in wrist is fugged.

Buds have had various shoulder repairs. Cuz had a shoulder replaced ( doesnt shoot bow ) and my kid sees a top shoulder doc ( has had bankhart repair on both ).
So ive been seeing same one as her and weve talked archery, bow differences, mechanics of shooting etc.

Couple guys w major tears got back into bows successfully. All i know that did were under 55 yrs old and shot lighter bows after repair.....saying they didnt want to go through that again.

Sometimes though, genetics is gonna screw ya no matter what.

My mom had both rotator cuffs done.
My dad needed a shoulder replaced
His brother did too, and two of his kids did.
I did way more stuff than all of em ( work and play ) yet my shoulder bones and cuffs are in good shape.

Hmmm, maybe I was adopted? LOL

My kids issues are from a genetic tissue disorder.....and I know shes my kid. Think that actually came from her moms side. And her dad was adopted so we got nuthin on medical history.

Arthritis and impinged shoulder, wheels are at 58# and trad is now 46#. Trad is way more comfy ( I dont snap shoot ). However i didnt have the time this yr so am forced to run wheels/ sight.

Well he ain’t big but dang it I got it done. Had surgery in March. Pulled the kids bow every night then last week I pulled my Hoyt and shot a dozen arrows. Did have to adjust my sights and bicep was the only pain. I would have passed but dang outage coming up next week and I have to work it all. Still have two doe tags and three days. I tried to attach a photo but it seems too large

Shawn

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Thought I'd never be able to use my arm much again but after a year it's a whole lot better. No surgery (no ins.), But amazingly I can do most of what I used to just not as hard or certain moves. Going to a crossbow was sure nice.
Was able to shoot my 60lb bow this fall but trying it last fall and then trying to hold on a stud on stand did some damage then so figure time is my friend.
Best wishes on the recoveries fellas

I reached back to.unlock door from drivers seat and mines been Fd since. Grinding and a pop, now just clicks and is mild sore 24/7. Reach out and it gets worse.
Not happy