Wrist braces how effective are they really

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krava
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Wrist braces how effective are they really

Post by krava »

I don't know what happend but my wrist is pretty sprained. I think I sprained it by cupping the ball the entire time I was throwing the ball and keeping my wrist in that position the whole time. It hurts to pick up anything almost and it really hurts just going to the bathroom a certain way. Does a wrist brace actually help take pressure off the wrist or is it just used because people tend to move their wrist when they don't want to when they bowl? I have never used one so I would like to know. I can't take time off from bowling since we just started. I signed up for 3 leagues but might have to take one off. My back of my shoulder is hurting also and that isn't a good sign at all.
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Re: Wrist braces how effective are they really

Post by kajmk »

krava wrote:I don't know what happend but my wrist is pretty sprained. I think I sprained it by cupping the ball the entire time I was throwing the ball and keeping my wrist in that position the whole time. It hurts to pick up anything almost and it really hurts just going to the bathroom a certain way. Does a wrist brace actually help take pressure off the wrist or is it just used because people tend to move their wrist when they don't want to when they bowl? I have never used one so I would like to know. I can't take time off from bowling since we just started. I signed up for 3 leagues but might have to take one off. My back of my shoulder is hurting also and that isn't a good sign at all.

krava, first of all, consider seeing a doctor. Get proper diagnosis and rehab instructions.
Don't turn a temporary thing into a permanent thing. Don't roll the dice with your health.
The wrist devices go by several names: brace, support, positioner, to name a few.
The intent is to keep your wrist locked into a position.
Don't buy one on the internet, go to a pro shop and discuss the options. Try some on, take a few test rolls. Wrist devices can dictate how a ball should be drilled.
Constant repetitive stress or trauma can cause injury.
First thing is to address and rehab the injuries.
Determine the root cause.
Next, work on strength, flexibility, and mobility.
A swinging object garners a lot of centrifugal force, effectively magnifying the actual weight.
The fingers and wrist are the weak links in the chain.
Everyone who engages in any sport, should warm up prior to their sport and cool down afterwards. They should also have a fitness regimen.

Some resources on YouTube
USBC has a number of videos specifically on fitness for bowling.
Askdrjo, is a website that demonstrates rehab, exercise etc.
Athlean-x is a good resource for strength, flexibility, mobility etc.

There is not an athlete on earth who does not need a good instructor.

Good luck.
May all beings everywhere be happy and free,
and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life
contribute in some way to that happiness
and to that freedom for all.

John
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Re: Wrist braces how effective are they really

Post by LookingForALeftyWall »

A wrist brace/device is not a substitute for rest, recovery, and proper medical attention.
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Re: Wrist braces how effective are they really

Post by SomyP »

I've used one in the past to get my hand in proper position. While I don't have any wrist injuries it helped lessen my elbow pain due to me not having so much movement with my wrist. It was simply let the ball come down and let it roll of your fingers.

Personally for mental and health reasons I am taking the year off from bowling. The last ball I threw was nationals back in July. For me I'm letting my mind and body rest. That is to say I'm sitting on my butt doing nothing. Of course what I will be doing is focusing on my health of getting my weight down to a manageable weight. I have about 25 lbs left to go and when my health is normal I'll go to my pro shop have my fit checked and slowly start practicing by about the summer of next year.

While for the first time in a long time I am missing a season, I think it'll be good for me. It will get rid of some bad habits and I can come back next season refreshed and be a lot better bowler as I'll be working on fixing a lot of things in my off season.
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Re: Wrist braces how effective are they really

Post by kajmk »

SomyP, are you doing anything to rehab your physical problems, with a plan to strengthen and condition when healthy?
When you get back to bowling, starting with a lighter ball and working your way up in weight, might be a good idea.
Kudos on your commitment to fitness, it will pay many dividends.
May all beings everywhere be happy and free,
and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life
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and to that freedom for all.

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Re: Wrist braces how effective are they really

Post by SomyP »

I am getting back into the gym and doing very light weight at the moment and building my strength back up. Also I saw that the university of Nebraska created a workout designed for bowlers so I'll be implementing that into my routine as it is sport specific and will help out a lot.

Not going to be using a lighter ball as I can handle 15 lbs easily. More technique and timing with me that I need to fix and I know by looking at old videos of myself when I was working on fixing the issues and implementing them into my game, it'll help tremendously. The important thing for me right now is simply focusing on my health. Bowling is still on my mind but not to the level it used to be where I was competing in multiple leagues and bowling many tournaments. These days it's more what's on this great forum and what can I learn.

Next season other than technology I know the game won't change drastically but I'm not against seeking help from a coach or two who can help me fix my major issues and refine my game and help me adapt and become the capable bowler I know I can be.
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Re: Wrist braces how effective are they really

Post by kajmk »

Good point about Nebraska, they've had a good bowling program. Shannon Pluhosky (spelling) went there.

You mentioned elbow pain. Some elbow problems emanate from stressed out flexor tendons ( golfers elbow) or extensor tendows (tennis elbow) .
Repetitive stress, can be very subtle at first, can put very strong athletes out of the gym.

Discuss with medical professional.
Simple wrist curls with light weights, rubber band finger exercises, specific forearm warm ups and daily stretches, targeted massage to address any scar tissue ...

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The effective weight of a 15 pound ball in the swing can balloon to 60 pounds (source Par Bowling, swinging ball potentially 4 x gross weight).

Proceed with caution. Just because you can, does not mean you should at this juncture.

Be well, bowl well.
May all beings everywhere be happy and free,
and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life
contribute in some way to that happiness
and to that freedom for all.

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Re: Wrist braces how effective are they really

Post by SomyP »

Thanks for the advice kaj. To be honest the pain started from a practice session many years ago when I was 18 so about 8 years or so I've been dealing with this on and off. Some seasons I feel no pain and have a great year, my highest average year was about 215 and my team finished in the top 10 in our state tournament when it's all said and done. Other years I've struggled to hit 1500 all events at state when I normally hit around 1800 or better.

It was during my downswing I could feel it over the course of the practice session where it kept building and building. All of a sudden it was the 7th or 8th frame of the 5th game I felt my elbow on the inside strain as if someone had stretched out the tendon as far and hard as they could and froze it in that position. Of course being a guy with a high pain tolerance I tried stretching it out and did the stupid thing of finishing my practice session.

When I keep my wrist straight at release and simply let the ball roll off my fingers I feel little to no pain in the inside of my elbow. It's when I try to really get under the ball and hammer it at release that I really feel it and it's sore sometimes for a week. At that point it's a bunch of ice, rest, and stretching.

I know the best thing to do is to go to a medical professional. At the moment I'm in between switching insurances so once I get that all settled, I will see a doctor for sure and get this shoulder and elbow MRI'd. Hopefully that tells me the good news of my technique is what's hurting me so ibuprofen, rehab exercises, and rest will be the positive. The negative which I fear could be that my tendons are torn and I didn't know it and I could need surgery which would put me out of commission a lot longer, hoping that's not the case.
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Re: Wrist braces how effective are they really

Post by kajmk »

SomyP, first of all, best wishes for a complete recovery.
A long time ago, a doctor gave me a analogy. The gist of it was, "If I were to hold a water pic to a brick wall, initially it would appear it had no effect, however, if I held it there long enough, eventually I'd wear a hole in it".
Constant repetitive trauma.
Sometimes our egos can get us in trouble, I speak from experience.
I used to joke that many times experience means learning from mistakes and if you are lucky, they are some one else's mistakes. I've made my share, maybe more.
Hate to see any athlete get injured, the injury sometimes is deeper than just physical.


In case you've not seen this video, I'm adding it.
It reminds us of some of the potential stress we can put on our bodies in the sport of bowling

[youtube][/youtube]

Hopefully, your injury is minor. I hope you can see a doctor soon, get a diagnosis, eliminate the unknowns, and get back to normal. On the plus side, part of your rehab will be a physical routine that can strengthen and condition you. Much of it, you can continue so as to become stronger and more flexible.
Patience will be the hardest thing. We all want it to be better yesterday.
The very good news is that time is on your side and you have many more tomorrows than yesterday's!
When, you are well, work with a qualified coach who can optimize your efforts.

Get well and come back a better player !
May all beings everywhere be happy and free,
and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life
contribute in some way to that happiness
and to that freedom for all.

John
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Re: Wrist braces how effective are they really

Post by SomyP »

Thanks for the well wishes. And I've seen that video plenty of times and re-watch it from time to time. I guess growing up in an era where speed and rev rate was dominating the tour for a while made me want to subconsciously crank the ball more and more. While it's fun and great I've learned that it's not part of my game.

Sure I'll keep the high back swing in my game as that's been there for all my life, but now instead of trying to crank it I'll simply let it fall from the top and let it roll off my fingers a al PDW. My release can be described as a super yo-yo. From the top my hand is super open, probably more open than Amleto Monacelli in his early days. From there on I simply get under the ball and bend my elbow and cup my wrist. At the release point I'll simply unload all of that kinetic energy. So yes years of doing that is the trauma to my elbow.

I will take your advice and see a qualified coach. When I worked with one my game was smoothed out and at a time I was averaging near 225 or better. It's until like you said ego got the better of me and I decided to add more power and completely mess up my game and that 225 went down to a 195 real fast due to injury and me forcing everything to try and work instead of simple basics.
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