Bowling & Tendonitis

Wrist tendonitis (also known as tenosynovitis), a medical condition involving irritation and inflammation of tendons surrounding the wrist joint, is most common in people who overuse their wrists through repetitive movement, including those who bowl on a regular basis. A condition known as Bowler's Tendonitis is easily preventable, but if developed can take anywhere from a few days to a few months to completely heal.

People At Risk

• People who bowl twice or more per week are at a high risk of developing Bowler's Tendonitis, especially those who use heavily weighted bowling balls (15 or 16 lbs.), since the weight can put significant pressure on the wrist joint with repetitive use. Elderly folks are more susceptible to this condition than younger adults, since tendons become more brittle and lose elasticity with age.

Causes

• One major cause of Bowler's Tendonitis is an improperly fitting ball. If the finger holes in the ball are too loose, a bowler has to squeeze the hand to hold on to it when bowling, focusing extra pressure on the wrist. When practicing proper bowling technique, the ball should lead the arm and hand through most of the bowling motion, creating and maintaining a momentum that should never put too much pressure on the wrist. Another major cause is impatience while bowling, which can lead to too much repetitive throwing in too short a time period. Other significant causes include bowling before allowing another wrist injury to heal and wrist joint weakness due to genetics.

Symptoms

• Crisscrossed tendons closest to the bone are generally the worst affected areas. Beginning signs of Bowler's Tendonitis include a minimal amount of pain only when the wrist is under stress. As time progresses, this pain can increase significantly, occurring throughout most, if not all, parts of the day. The wrist can also become stiff, inflamed, swelled up, and hot and/or red. These symptoms do not just make bowling a painful action, but other activities involving repetition of wrist movement (such as writing an e-mail or pouring a cup of juice) can be painful as well.

Treatments

• There are a few at-home treatments you can perform if you happen to develop Bowler's Tendonitis. Immobilizing the affected wrist area by placing it in a splint or cast will help to decrease any inflammation. Wrapping an ice pack in a towel and pressing it against the wrist a few times a day will eventually help the swelling go down. Occasionally, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (such as ibuprofen) will help decrease both inflammation and swelling.

Prevention

• Warming up the wrist area is an effective prevention for Bowler's Tendonitis. It involves nothing more than stretching and flexing the wrist in any number of directions. Twisting the wrist around 360 degrees a few times before picking up the ball can also help in the warm-up process.