Bowling weekly with a "tweaked/sprained" hand

[skinlessRx]

About 6 weeks ago I tried to put extra revs on a ball by lifting it harder with my fingers and pain immediately shot up from my finger tips through my hand and into my forearm.. The next day my hand and base of my fingers were pretty sore and painful, but it dissipated after a few days. So I showed up the next week to bowl, and after throwing the first ball, right away the same pain shot up my hand and forearm.. The whole night I was icing my hand in-between shots to manage the pain. Every week I go through this same routine, and I even skipped one week to let it heal longer, but yet again, it still tweaked and I'm right back where I started.

Has anyone had this same injury or know how to manage this without taking significant time away from my league? Or perhaps know of any exercise/stretch I could do to build some strength in my hand before next week? Any advice to deal with this would be VERY much appreciated. Thanks.

[StormGirl]

I know someone who went through something similar. It was caused by him holding the ball wrong. Have you tried using a wrist support? He used a wrist support until he was able to hold the ball on his own again.

[HunterRunsIt]

I'd say sit out for a night. As StormGirl said a wrist support might help but if it keeps bothering you I recommend seeing your local physician.

[broncofan27]

I went through this myself and I can tell you exactly why it's happening. It's got entirely to do with you squeezing. I was trying to get more revs the same way you were and was getting that shooting pain. I got my thumb holes adjusted and bam no squeezing, higher revs, better ball speed and no pain.

[StormGirl]

I went through this myself and I can tell you exactly why it's happening. It's got entirely to do with you squeezing. I was trying to get more revs the same way you were and was getting that shooting pain. I got my thumb holes adjusted and bam no squeezing, higher revs, better ball speed and no pain.

Ah, that completely slipped my mind. When people try to add revs, they tend to muscle the ball. This causes squeezing of the ball, like bronco mentioned. However, it's not always caused by a loose or improper fit.

[HunterRunsIt]

I had a problem with squeezing and muscling the ball but that ended with blisters.

[broncofan27]

Ah, that completely slipped my mind. When people try to add revs, they tend to muscle the ball. This causes squeezing of the ball, like bronco mentioned. However, it's not always caused by a loose or improper fit.

This is true it is not always an improper fit but trying to get more revs does make you have a tendency to muscle the ball. You have to find that fine line because that squeezing does many things. You have awful accuracy, injuries and most likely you aren't even getting the additional revs you are trying to work on.

[10-in-the-pit]

Sometimes I have a shooting pain from the fingers to my foreare when I am gripping the ball. This usually happens when I try to cup the ball too much. I put the ball down, take a break, then start again. If you are having lots of pain though, you should take a break to heal.

[got_a_300]

I went through the same exact thing years ago when I used a full stretch fingertip grip I alway had
some pain in my fingers and forearm/wrist but I also was a big cranker with somewhere around 480
to 500+ RPM's on the ball also so I was putting a lot of pressure on my fingers and forearm/wrist.

Now days after a 12+year break from bowling and after trying to throw some of my old equipment I
almost immediately had some pain in my forearm so now I have new equipment and a new ball driller
which suggested I use a relaxed fingertip grip. Now instead of sticking my fingers in the grips and
then having to really stretch my hand way back to get my thumb in the ball I just stick my fingers in
the grips and then very easily insert my thumb into the ball with very little stretching at all but I'm
not getting 500 RPM on the ball anymore either probably in the 350 - 400 RPM range now with the
relaxed grip but so far no more pain in my fingers forearm/wrist either.

[glen290]

I have the same problem, have done for the past 12 months now, To help I bought a storm gadget XF, and as my hand / wrist has got better over time, have moved down in size to a robby's wrist support, every now and then I wil bowl without any support to see how it holds up, getting back to normal again now..