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When I was a kid I broke my wrist and stupidly pulled my cast off a few weeks early. Every since then my left wrist has been pretty week. I was shooting my buddy's bow (70 lb pull) a week ago and it still hurts (7 days later).

Just to be on the safe side I visited my doctor and he said I most likely pulled a tendon, there was no bone damage from when I was a kid. He recommended getting some kind of brace for my wrist if I plan to shoot a compound bow in the future.

Any idea on a good wrist brace for using a compound bow? My wrist is good when I shoot my crossbow

I'm no help with what wrist brace options are out there, but I went through a similar situation as yours when I was younger... I would start at dropping the poundage a little. My last two bows were maxed out at 73 lbs and my wrist and shoulder would hurt for days after an evening of shooting. I've since dropped the poundage to 66 and even though my wrist does get a little sore still, my shoulder feels a thousand times better. It made a difference for me, but it may be different than your situation.

I would try and tape it up like baseball players do. The pressure and less movement the wrist has may help.

[This message has been edited by lglidewell (edited 10/17/2011 3:09p).]

I guess we know which hand you jack off with.

Definitely back the pull weight down. 70 pounds is WAY more than you need. I think Ted Nugent shoots at like 47 pounds... Ive got mine set at 55 and it is plenty.

There are several options of wrist braces that you can get at CVS or Walgreens, the neoprene type. Pull what is comfortable for you and you will be able to become consistent.

I had rotator cuff surgery a while back and had to drop my pull weight down as low as it would go to be able to hunt. It was somewhere around 55-60 lbs. It's still adequate for killing at a close range.

Also, and this is just a random thought I had...

If you're pulling right handed with your left arm straight, are you by any chance resting the bow with your hand bent out instead of in? It could be putting more stress on your wrist. If that's the case, try bending your wrist in more and get you a forearm guard if you're hitting it on the release.

It's just like any other exercise. If you want to eventually bench 300 pounds you don't do it on Day 1. You start low, build up strength and stamina and work your way up to your goal.

You started at the top when your body wasn't used to the exercise so you hurt. I realize it's your buddy's bow and he won't let you tweak his poundage but you need to find a way to shoot a 50# bow and then work your way up. I shoot my bow at 68# and get plenty of speed to shoot reasonably accurately out to 100 yards, and have PLENTY of penetration to kill deer out to 60+.

....and I'm glad you're seeing the differences in archery and pulling the trigger on a crossbow. It is muuuuch different and much harder.