Wrist problems

[tccstudent]

I throw very hard with alot of revs. Lately I have been having a sore wrist after bowling. Now my wrist is constantly sore. This does not affect my shots. I am still able to throw pretty constantly and keep my avergae climbing.
It has been suggested that I need to slow my ball speed down to give me better pin carry.
I am not sure what to do I have been thinking of several options
1. Most braces in the pro shop wont fit. Try and use some kind of athletic tape to give my wrist more support.
2. Change the way I throw the ball.
3. Go back to play right up the gutter. I went away from this due to too many corner pins.
4. Change ball weight. If I drop weight then my ball is likely to go through the breakpoint every time. If I go up it my hurt more but I will likely slow my ball speed down and give me more pin carry.

[J Anderson]

In the interest of having you enjoy a long relatively pain free bowling life I would suggest option 2. Considering that your pain has gone from intermittent to constant you may be doing permanent damage to your wrist.

With modern bowling balls it's not really necessary to have a huge amount of revs. Unless you plan on challenging Belmonte or Rash to a game or two I wouldn't worry about maintaining a lot of revs.

A friend of mine who actually competed when bowlers still had to really work hard and 'hit up' on the ball for a really effective hook, wound up with severe wrist problems, to the point where he could only play one game without a brace and then only one more with the brace on. After working with his ball driller and trying a number of changes to his grip, he has been able to change his delivery to one that allows him to compete again in leagues and PBA regionals.

[tccstudent]

I think I am gonna try tape first and if that dont stabilize and end the problems then I am going to have to figure out a new way to throw the ball

[zdawg]

Funny, I was throwing it much harder and trying to put more revs until about a month ago when my wrist pain became constant. Now I've cut down my practice days from 6 to 1 or none, and eased up on my release/power but the pain is still there. I'm gonna tape it and continue not bowling much outside of my league until the league ends, but that's a couple months away.

If it persists and gets worse I'll have to go to a doctor, but for now I just the typical rest and avoid any activity that causes the pain

[tccstudent]

Funny, I was throwing it much harder and trying to put more revs until about a month ago when my wrist pain became constant. Now I've cut down my practice days from 6 to 1 or none, and eased up on my release/power but the pain is still there. I'm gonna tape it and continue not bowling much outside of my league until the league ends, but that's a couple months away.

If it persists and gets worse I'll have to go to a doctor, but for now I just the typical rest and avoid any activity that causes the pain
sounds like you are having the same problem as me well I got no league for the next two weeks so maybe the extra rest will help me too I dont plan on doing any practice during this time.

[Rdmonster]

I had some pretty bad wrist problems this year due to excessive wrist cupping. I put a brace on for a few weeks and that helped and I can throw without it and without pain once again.

Bottom line for me is if I'm doing something that is causing pain then I am most likely doing something wrong or something I shouldn't be doing.

If I bowl with a more relaxed and natural technique I get better ball reaction and lots less pain/problems.

[e-tank]

Id first try having a natural swing and not muscling the ball then try a brace/lighter ball. Idk what you use now but going to a 15 to a 14 isnt a huge deal

[tr33frog]

I used to have a lot of good luck with just the simple wrist support that covered just your wrist, I think it was something like the master wrister. Just gave my wrist muscles a bit more support and still allowed me to be flexible with my release.

[tccstudent]

I have thought about that but the problem is I am not a small guy and most of those that I have tried on in the proshop just dont fit. It has been 8 days since I have bowled and right now my wrist feels fine. I was bowling two leagues a week plus practicing 3 days a week
I think I am gonna shave my wrist and get some athletic tape and try that.

[tr33frog]

I have thought about that but the problem is I am not a small guy and most of those that I have tried on in the proshop just dont fit. It has been 8 days since I have bowled and right now my wrist feels fine. I was bowling two leagues a week plus practicing 3 days a week
I think I am gonna shave my wrist and get some athletic tape and try that.

You may be able to find larger sizes online. I know the proshops here are pretty sparse.

[tccstudent]

I am afraid to purchase online in case it don't fit. Anyways I have looked online and they don't have anything any bigger then my pro shops do

[classygranny]

You might think about getting a compression sleeve for your wrist. I have both an elbow sleeve and a wrist sleeve (I use mine for both bowling and work). After wearing them about a month, I now can bowl and work without them...when the pain starts back up, I just wear them awhile until it goes away.

I like the Tommie Copper brand, but I'm sure they would all be basically the same. Order online, great website, fast delivery. They are kinda pricey, but a lot cheaper than physical therapy or surgery (which had been discussed with me).

I now have some pain in my finger area and am strongly considering getting the compression glove for my hand during work.

Check out tommiecopper.com - you won't be disappointed.

[zdawg]

You might think about getting a compression sleeve for your wrist. I have both an elbow sleeve and a wrist sleeve (I use mine for both bowling and work). After wearing them about a month, I now can bowl and work without them...when the pain starts back up, I just wear them awhile until it goes away.

I like the Tommie Copper brand, but I'm sure they would all be basically the same. Order online, great website, fast delivery. They are kinda pricey, but a lot cheaper than physical therapy or surgery (which had been discussed with me).

I now have some pain in my finger area and am strongly considering getting the compression glove for my hand during work.

Check out tommiecopper.com - you won't be disappointed.

Nice suggestion, I've been trying wrist tape but it's a pain especially with armhair lol

[Hammer]

I have pain in my wrist also. What I started doing is cupping my wrist less and leaving it just straight for my shots. As long as I stay behind the ball until the release area and make sure my fingers stay below the equator of the ball when I make my release I can get good revs and a nice hook on my ball. I play on THS patterns only in my league and I am using a Raw Hammer Anger ball as my strike ball and I have some nice miss area to still get the ball to the pocket. Last night I played the deepest I ever have just to try it. With my Anger ball I had the arch of my sliding foot on board 31 and was throwing the ball between arrows three and four(board 15 and 20). My breakpoint was around boards 5 to 9. The ball will hook without much effort if you have the right ball and technique. On my Anger ball my pin location is just a little outside of and a little down from the side of my ring finger. My ball has a surfase of 2000 Abralon with a reactive resin cover. With the layout I have I can make it work okay on the THS pattern. If you muscle the ball a lot then you will have wrist trouble because your wrist has to put more effort into keeping your wrist straight or a little cupped which will cause you to grip harder with your thumb so you don't lose the ball on your forward swing. I use a wrist support so there is less stress on my wrist. I have been bowling for 27 years on this league so maybe that is the reason for the wear and tear on my wrist. My ball is 15 lbs.