Tennis elbow - bowyer's elbow?

[H Rhodes]

  I have had trouble with my elbow lately and have been forced to lay off bow building for a while.  I have read up on it and found that it is a real common problem with bowyers.  Mine got so bad last week that I couldn't brush my teeth or comb my hair with my right hand!  Elbow wouldn't bend all the way or straighten out all the way.  It hurt like hell to unscrew the mayo lid! 
  I was wondering if any of you have had similar troubles and if you have any advice on dealing with it...  I am suffering from withdrawals here! 
  I have always gravitated toward using hand tools and don't employ the power tools that much.  Now it seems that I am going to have to rely on them a lot more, if this doesn't heal up soon.  I have been icing it, doing some physical therapy, wearing a brace that I bought at the drug store, and can tell that it is improving.  If y'all can think of anything else that might help, I am all ears. 

[mullet]

It's my left elbow and shoulder on me. It started when I pulled a buddies 85# compound back and something sounded like a stick breaking in my shoulder.

[H Rhodes]

Ouch....  it's my right elbow and I am right handed.  I never noticed any particular moment when it was injured.  I think it was mostly caused by a helluva lot of chopping, rasping, sanding etc....  It has really put a damper on my bow building the last couple of weeks 

[PEARL DRUMS]

I have it horrible in both elbows and its miserbale Howard. I take a few Ibuprofens before I get started. I have given up on it getting better. I took almost a month off from shooting and working wood and didnt start to matter for me.

[Parnell]

I had it in a strange place - my right pectoral muscle where it attaches to the sternum/ribs.  Had it for months.  Got it because I was scraping staves so much in a specific movement.  Stopped doing that and combined ibuprofin and deep tissue message and it eventually went away.  As the years click by I'm finding that posture when doing work counts more and more.  Keenan's stavemaster is looking more and more enticing!

[blackhawk]

Welcome to the club...lol. 

[killir duck]

yep it's a common problem with blacksmiths, bowyers, cowboys, baseball players and carpenters unfortantly i do all of the above on a regular basis

[mullet]

The Dr. told me mine was problem brought on by 40+ years of punching and kicking. The syptom is called boxer's elbow, also.

[Scowler]

I got the same problem in my left elbow and I'm not even a bowyer.  Got mine from years of hard, manual labor.  I've had to go down alot in poundage (target bows only) and wear an elbow brace whenever I shoot...but at least I'm still shooting.     

[Badly Bent]

Hey Howard, sorry to hear your having pain bad enough to hamper your bow building. I had the same problem around about four years ago from running a pressure washer for two long days. Working from a ladder and reaching out all day holding that washer wand steady
with one hand did it to me, well that and being over 50 I suspect. Mine hurt for six or more months more or less and still comes and goes. I take Ibuprofen when it gets bad to take the edge off and yeah draw knifing stubborn sapwood makes it flare up again real quick.
Hatchet work too now that I think about it. Hope it improves for you so your able to get back to bow building soon buddy.
Greg

[bow101]

I had tennis elbow years ago.........went away luckily. I found the best thing for it was massage the whirlpool and Weight training. Another thing try positioing your arm in a different manner if that's possible..Just my 2 cents worth.

[Pat B]

I believe it is one of the "over use" syndromes. Repetative notion.   My hands are my problem. I've done physical lasbor all my working carrier from boat mechanic to landscape maintainance to everything in between. I cut, split and stack 4 to 5 cords of hardwood firewood each fall, I work the garden with hand tools and build bows and arrows with mostly hand tools.
   I think a bandsaw along with ibuprofin and ice treatment is the way to relieve the pain.

[Weylin]

I'm in the exact same boat, hrhodes.  Mine started a few weeks ago and I haven't been able to do squat. I think mine originated from my Aikido practice but bow building and shooting sure don't make it feel better. I'm really frustrated by it and it's not encouraging to hear about so many of you suffering chronically. I was really hoping this would go away. I need to see the doctor and get some physical therapy for it. I think building up the muscles around the tendon will help me. I'm not a beefy guy but I work and play hard, it's starting to take it's toll.

[H Rhodes]

Okay, so now I don't feel like nature has singled me out!   I will be using the bandsaw more.  Thanks for the advice fellows.  I think that reducing staves with the hatchet was probably the main culprit.  Ibuprofen, ice, elbow brace and more sawing/less chopping - that is my plan.  To stop building is bows is not even an option.  I would keep trying with my toes if I had to!!

[danny f]

i get it in my left elbow through work mainly (bricklayer) but it also flares up through rasping and filing. thankfully its never been bad enough to stop me. but i know one day it will. i wear a copper band with magnets in all the time, on my left wrist and im sure when i first started wearing it it helped. maybe worth a go they are cheap to buy.