Bowling with back problems - any advice?

[AZBowla]

No, not me, but my girlfriend. She can usually only bowl a game or two before her back starts hurting and she wants to sit out the remainder of the session. We'd love to join a league soon, but before we can, she's got to be able to bowl 3 or 4 games in a sesson or else it won't be much fun for her. I'm wondering if it's her form that might be aggravating her back. Bowling in the crappy rental shoes probably isn't helping either, so I intend to rectify that when I go pick up my new ball next weekend (hey, I gotta get her something if I'm gonna spend $200+ on myself right, you guys with gal pals know the deal ;)). Assuming that the new shoes don't fully fix the problem, what else should I be on the lookout for so I can help her bowl without hurting her back?

Thanks again for the great tips and advice - this site is a goldmine.

[J Anderson]

No, not me, but my girlfriend. She can usually only bowl a game or two before her back starts hurting and she wants to sit out the remainder of the session. We'd love to join a league soon, but before we can, she's got to be able to bowl 3 or 4 games in a sesson or else it won't be much fun for her. I'm wondering if it's her form that might be aggravating her back. Bowling in the crappy rental shoes probably isn't helping either, so I intend to rectify that when I go pick up my new ball next weekend (hey, I gotta get her something if I'm gonna spend $200+ on myself right, you guys with gal pals know the deal ;)). Assuming that the new shoes don't fully fix the problem, what else should I be on the lookout for so I can help her bowl without hurting her back?

Thanks again for the great tips and advice - this site is a goldmine.

Proper technique will help a little bit, but the best results would be form improving her physical conditioning. I assume that she has seen a doctor and there isn't anything like a herniated disk, and that the problem is muscular. The basics of a healthy back are strong core muscles and flexibility. I myself am not one for exercising for the sake of exercise, but I try to do about 15 minutes of yoga stretches every other day to keep my back in shape.

[billf]

Assuming a doctor has said all is fine; the opposing muscle is what supports that area. So for the back, a weak core or abdomen can not support the back accordingly. Strong core is very important in many aspects of life, especially back health.
Another example. The front of the thigh gets weak and painful. Usually it's the hamstring (back of the leg) that is weak and the root cause of the problem.

[Zothen]

I usually take Vicodin or Tylenol before I bowl. She should also seek out a trainer to help strengthen core muscles. Since i've gotten a trainer my back doesn't hurt as much as it used to. Also do not join a 4 game league. Let her bowl up to a 4 game league. Do some basic streching(Legs arms & back) before bowling to loosen everything up.

Zothen

[Tampabaybob]

Also, if she's a new bowler, which I'm assuming she is, get her with a certified coach for a lesson and tell the coach what's happening. They can "see" what's going on, possibly with the way she's releasing the ball and hopefully make some changes that will help put less stress on her back.
The shoes will definitely help ( house shoes are terrible) but that should be just the first step in helping her.

Bob