New guy, pain question

[bowl1820]

@1820: Good stuff man, thanks. I will absolutely try the guard. Just curious though, what was the pain that caused you to add the elbow guard?

just soreness around the area where the tendons are and the back of the elbow. I could tell it was stress from my bowling,I was arming the ball too much.

[dgz924s]

I second the tendonitis and use of the brace. As for the brace, it has a pad on the inner portion that helps put pressure on the tendon, the ticket is to get it as tight as possible without cutting off circulation. If a bit too tight it can make the fingers and thumb swell making the grips feel too small, just play around with it to get the right tension.

An exercise that has helped me a great deal is to extend the arm straight down with the fingers fully extended then bend the wrist as much as you can towards the under forearm and hold for 45 seconds. Relax and repeat as much as you can/want. This helps stretch the tendon. My Orthopedic Surgeon suggested this exercise and glad I took his advise.

Also get a few styrofoam coffee cups and fill to 3/4 full and place in the freezer. Cut back some of the foam to allow the ice to stick out a 1/2" or so then rub the elbow area (knuckle as you call it) with the ice for 6-7 minutes 3 to 4 times a day/nite or right after any activity using the elbow. Avoid using the eblow for anything after icing down until it warms back up or atleast to body temp. WORST thing you can do is to ice down and immediately place stress on the elbow tendon, so allow it to warm up.

[bowl1820]

I second the tendonitis and use of the brace. As for the brace, it has a pad on the inner portion that helps put pressure on the tendon, the ticket is to get it as tight as possible without cutting off circulation. If a bit too tight it can make the fingers and thumb swell making the grips feel too small, just play around with it to get the right tension.

Not all straps have a pad or gel block in them. I use the nylon master strap it has no pad.

Also get a few styrofoam coffee cups and fill to 3/4 full and place in the freezer. Cut back some of the foam to allow the ice to stick out a 1/2" or so then rub the elbow area (knuckle as you call it) with the ice for 6-7 minutes 3 to 4 times a day/nite or right after any activity using the elbow. Avoid using the eblow for anything after icing down until it warms back up or atleast to body temp. WORST thing you can do is to ice down and immediately place stress on the elbow tendon, so allow it to warm up.

Sound's a little messy as the ice melts. There's all kinds of cheap reusable ice pack you can buy. Or you can just throw a few ice cubes in a zip lock bag.

[billf]

I use a bag of frozen vegetables on my knee. It conforms fairly well and no mess lol

[dgz924s]

I was not aware of braces without the pad.
Yes ice melts but all is needed is a towel under the elbow. The reason for the cup is to be able to rub the ice directly up and down the elbow along the tendon, the foam helps your hand from freezing. I asked about using ice packs and or bag of ice and the Dr. suggested the cup as it produces the coldest most direct application to the tendon. He mentioned the ice pack would take 20 minutes to be beneficial and not as exact as using a cup for 6 to 7 minutes. It is painful I will say versus an ice pack but the idea is to ice down to a point you no longer feel the burning. It actually goes numb after a few minutes.

[bowl1820]

I was not aware of braces without the pad.

This is the one I have from master, now it does have some thin padding under the velcro that gives it a little thickness.


But it doesn't have the thick pad that focuses the pressure on the involved muscle like a Aircast does.

[backahead]

@all: Thanks dgz for your input too. Long story short, I did the exercises over the past two days. I got the elbow guard tonight. My first game was not good, my second was my avg, third was good. I skipped our usually post-league play. I did have pain, and I still have to put my fingers in with my elbow locked but the guard did help a lot. The pain was not nearly as bad as last week. I got a bucket of ice and put my elbow in it for a good 10min on and off. I didn't risk turning the key to start my car with the right hand, but it feels pretty good right now.

So far it's looking good. I really appreciate the knowledge guys.

[Strike10]

Maybe your span is off, causing you to literally grip the ball? You said you just got serious about bowling, have you worked to make any significant changes in your hand or grip regarding your delivery?