Looking for suggestions for an elbow brace

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Viper
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Looking for suggestions for an elbow brace

Post by Viper »

Hello,

I've been stood down indefinitely from bowling because of tendonitis of the elbow (severe, both tendons), and am now undergoing physical therapy with the goal of returning to bowling at some point (and avoiding surgery). I will probably drop a pound in ball weight (15 to 14 lbs.), but I also will need to use some sort of brace. In the past I've used compression sleeves and the strap most folks will use for tendon support. I am going to need something more but I don't know what that might be. Searching the Internet gives me too many choices and the therapists really can't help me here. I need input from folks who bowl, and bowl a lot, and maybe have faced the same thing I am facing now. Of course, if there other considerations (other than switching hands), please feel free to advise.

Thanks in advance.

Viper/Joe
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JimH
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Re: Looking for suggestions for an elbow brace

Post by JimH »

Sorry to hear of the injury. Do you know how it was caused? Was it from bowling? Or possibly a poor fit?

You might consider dropping 2 pounds in weight. I know you will not have the same hitting power but you will still be able bowl and maintain your bowling technique. When you recover you can increase ball weight again and start to go for higher scores.

You might also consider putting some reverse pitch on the finger holes. Get in touch with a ball driller who has some experience with tendonitis. You should also contact a coach who has similar experience.

I personally don't like the idea of using a brace, But that is only my opinion, others may disagree.

Do what the physiotherapist says and do whatever exercises you are given. It will take time but you be back.
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Viper
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Joined: March 14th, 2012, 3:36 am
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Medium Oil Ball: 14 lbs. Hammer Raw Orange/Black Hybrid
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Re: Looking for suggestions for an elbow brace

Post by Viper »

JimH wrote:Sorry to hear of the injury. Do you know how it was caused? Was it from bowling? Or possibly a poor fit?

You might consider dropping 2 pounds in weight. I know you will not have the same hitting power but you will still be able bowl and maintain your bowling technique. When you recover you can increase ball weight again and start to go for higher scores.

You might also consider putting some reverse pitch on the finger holes. Get in touch with a ball driller who has some experience with tendonitis. You should also contact a coach who has similar experience.

I personally don't like the idea of using a brace, But that is only my opinion, others may disagree.

Do what the physiotherapist says and do whatever exercises you are given. It will take time but you be back.
Thanks Jim. My injury is primarily a result of bowling but getting older plays a part also (I'm 65). I've only bowled for 10 years now but I went at pretty hard (and that included throwing it hard). What began as an occasional pain or twinge increased slowly over the years to point where is got painful enough I needed to seek medical advice. My fit is okay I believe (as I had Mo fit me). Both fingers have reverse pitch (3/8). But that was roughly five years ago so a re-look might be in order. Dropping two pounds instead of the one is something I had not thought of. At this point scoring well isn't as important as returning to bowling (and on a regular basis). I've used a coach regularly in the past but have not been in touch with him since being stood down. But I will contact him and see what he says.

I've been called the model patient by the therapists (smile), and fully understand that this will take a good bit of time.

Thanks again for your advice,

Viper/Joe
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Re: Looking for suggestions for an elbow brace

Post by EricHartwell »

I would definitely consider dropping 2 pounds. With proper layouts I can get 13# to hit very well.
I went down to 13# to rehab a bicep tendon injury. The tendon finally healed but I continue to roll 13's because when I tried to go back up in weight my shoulder started giving me trouble. I contribute this to throwing too many baseballs and softballs over the course of my life. Nobody can believe I am only rolling 13 pounders. Until they pick up my ball and feel how light it is. My ball rarely deflects, I leave plenty of 9 pins (right hander) and I regularly get messengers. My driller has commented on my arsenal telling me I got to have the strongest 13 pound set ever.
One of the benefits I get is an increased rev rate with the lighter equipment.
I will be glad to help out with ball choice and layouts should you decide to go with 13's.
Eric Hartwell

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Viper
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Re: Looking for suggestions for an elbow brace

Post by Viper »

EricHartwell wrote:I would definitely consider dropping 2 pounds. With proper layouts I can get 13# to hit very well.
I went down to 13# to rehab a bicep tendon injury. The tendon finally healed but I continue to roll 13's because when I tried to go back up in weight my shoulder started giving me trouble. I contribute this to throwing too many baseballs and softballs over the course of my life. Nobody can believe I am only rolling 13 pounders. Until they pick up my ball and feel how light it is. My ball rarely deflects, I leave plenty of 9 pins (right hander) and I regularly get messengers. My driller has commented on my arsenal telling me I got to have the strongest 13 pound set ever.
One of the benefits I get is an increased rev rate with the lighter equipment.
I will be glad to help out with ball choice and layouts should you decide to go with 13's.
Thanks Eric, I will take you up on that when I think I am getting close to returning to bowling. I have to admit, I will be sad to leave behind my favorite ball of all time, Storm's Tropical Heat Black/Silver (but maybe I will get lucky and find one at 13 lbs.) I've always been speed dominate (less as time moved on) so I'll have to be careful moving down two pounds. I'll definitely get back with my coach when the time comes.

Do you find any particular ball company better with 13 pounders?

Appreciate your help,

Viper/Joe
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Tilt: 15*
Rot: 45*
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Re: Looking for suggestions for an elbow brace

Post by EricHartwell »

I have found to build a well rounded 13# arsenal offerings from different companies need to be utilized.

There are good choices in just about any company. It depends on what you are looking for. Sometimes you will find the cores in the Symmetrical 13's are actuaally stronger than their heavier weight big brothers.
Asymmetricals are another story. They are not always as strong or not actually Asymmetric in many bcases. Storm, Radical, Track, and Brunswick are the ones I know to actually have Asyms in 13#.
Eric Hartwell

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Viper
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Medium Oil Ball: 14 lbs. Hammer Raw Orange/Black Hybrid
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Re: Looking for suggestions for an elbow brace

Post by Viper »

EricHartwell wrote:I have found to build a well rounded 13# arsenal offerings from different companies need to be utilized.

There are good choices in just about any company. It depends on what you are looking for. Sometimes you will find the cores in the Symmetrical 13's are actually stronger than their heavier weight big brothers.
Asymmetricals are another story. They are not always as strong or not actually Asymmetric in many bcases. Storm, Radical, Track, and Brunswick are the ones I know to actually have Asyms in 13#.
Thanks Eric. I have only four asym BBs: VG Nano, Mission, 505A, and Defiant Cell. Everything else is sym, and rarely will I use any of the asyms. I bowl local houses and tournaments, maybe an odd state event, and every one of the shots is high scoring. My asyms are too much ball for those shots.

In fact, I never throw the Nano. It has the grip and thumb drilled/carved for me by Mo. I keep it 'as is' so I will always have it for a thumb mold.

Appreciate the info. I will be in touch on down the road.
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Re: Looking for suggestions for an elbow brace

Post by SomyP »

Other than compression sleeve and the brace the only other advice I can give is simply rest. I'm only 26 but my elbow started nagging at me at 18 during a practice session. It's been an on and off pain for the past 8-9 years now. While I'm young and have good healing abilities, I've been smarter with how I workout and diet as well.

Look at your diet and see if there is anything that might cause inflammation. By cutting down foods that cause inflammation in our bodies we can help our bodies heal quicker and be stronger. I'm getting my elbow checked out soon and hopefully it's just strained and all I need is rest and rehab. If it's a tear well I'm done bowling for a bit. Adding light bicep curls into your routine along with wrist curls might help as well. The stronger a muscle is the better the tendons are at being able to handle the brunt of the force of bowling.

Try KT or kinesiology tape. It's a tape athletes use as a brace in a way but allows freedom of movement. Wrap a piece around your forearm right below the elbow. Wear a compression sleeve over that. And now put on an elbow strap. I know it sounds a bit much, but for long tournaments I've done this and it has saved my elbow from getting worse. After bowling, you can leave the KT tape on, or take it off and simply ice your elbow for about 10 minutes, then use a hot pack for 10 minutes. You can alternate hot and cold for about an hour.

Keep in mind I am not a doctor, but these are methods that I've used that have personally work for me. Just listen to your doctor and everyone else's recommendations of dropping ball weight.
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Axis Rotation: 45
Medium Oil Ball: 14 lbs. Hammer Raw Orange/Black Hybrid
Location: Short Pump, VA

Re: Looking for suggestions for an elbow brace

Post by Viper »

SomyP wrote:Other than compression sleeve and the brace the only other advice I can give is simply rest. I'm only 26 but my elbow started nagging at me at 18 during a practice session. It's been an on and off pain for the past 8-9 years now. While I'm young and have good healing abilities, I've been smarter with how I workout and diet as well.

Look at your diet and see if there is anything that might cause inflammation. By cutting down foods that cause inflammation in our bodies we can help our bodies heal quicker and be stronger. I'm getting my elbow checked out soon and hopefully it's just strained and all I need is rest and rehab. If it's a tear well I'm done bowling for a bit. Adding light bicep curls into your routine along with wrist curls might help as well. The stronger a muscle is the better the tendons are at being able to handle the brunt of the force of bowling.

Try KT or kinesiology tape. It's a tape athletes use as a brace in a way but allows freedom of movement. Wrap a piece around your forearm right below the elbow. Wear a compression sleeve over that. And now put on an elbow strap. I know it sounds a bit much, but for long tournaments I've done this and it has saved my elbow from getting worse. After bowling, you can leave the KT tape on, or take it off and simply ice your elbow for about 10 minutes, then use a hot pack for 10 minutes. You can alternate hot and cold for about an hour.

Keep in mind I am not a doctor, but these are methods that I've used that have personally work for me. Just listen to your doctor and everyone else's recommendations of dropping ball weight.
Thanks for your input SomyP. I'm with you. I've tried to use the KT tape in the past but found I needed help getting it applied properly. My wife refuses to be my trainer so the tape idea died a quick death.

I've been using a compression sleeve for several years now to help support the arm and elbow (and I wear an over-the-knee compression sock, too, to support my ankle/knee/sliding leg). An hour or so before putting on the sleeve I will apply a prescription-strength lidocaine cream to my elbow. Then just before the sleeve goes on I will apply several Salon-pas patches to my elbow (the two tendon attachment points and one on the back of the elbow). BTW, I am limited to what type of anti-inflammation drugs I can take due to other medical problems, but the Salon-pas patches have been cleared 'okay' for me to use.

I then put on the strap you mention over the compression sleeve. But there was a problem with that--I was wearing it improperly, in fact, exacerbating the problem rather than helping it. The physical therapist showed me how to wear it properly (and when to cinch in down). It works so well now that I never go without it.

Despite my best efforts, I still got to the point where I am now--fully resting, plus the physical therapy. The therapists have me doing a series of exercises with both weights and squeeze device using rubber bands as resistance. I have stretching routines to do, too. These and possible some other things will carry over past the therapy when I return to bowling.

I've visited a couple of chiropractors about low-level laser therapy, which I might do if I can stomach the costs. I'm looking at massage therapy now also as one of my bowling buddies is a massage therapist. I've obtained some cannabidiol oil transdermal lotion (pricey) which is supposed to help counter inflammation. I've only used it three times thus far and really can't tell yet if it's any better than my Salon-pas patches.

Once back to bowling, I'll drop the weight to 13 lbs. and get with my coach. He's now fully aware of my issue and said he'll get me straight.

As for the diet, I'll look at that. You're not the first person to have mentioned that to me.

I'm still looking for an elbow support sleeve to help stabilize the elbow. The therapists say it must be neoprene so that it warms the joint while being worn. I think I have found one on Amazon that includes the tendon strap. I just need to get it ordered and have the therapists take a look at it.

Again, I appreciate your help. I hope your elbow issues clear-up soon.

Viper/Joe
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Re: Looking for suggestions for an elbow brace

Post by SomyP »

Thanks Viper. For the most part it's on and off like I said. But with cleaning up the diet a bit and working out smarter, my elbow isn't too bad. I got a state tourney in 3 weeks time (WI) so other than maybe practice and subbing for league I'm icing it and keeping with my workouts.

Have you looked into adding turmeric into your diet? It's a great herb that's been proven to help inflammation in the body. Time and again I'll make a tea with the powder form and drink 1-2 cups a day on a consistent basis and the pain really subsides for a good while. Keep in mind it is very bitter so I recommend drinking it very quickly unless you don't mind the taste. Other than adding pill form to meet your needs. Fish oil should help with inflammation as well.

What kind of cleared up pain for me for a while was actually wearing a metal brace. I wore this one summer in the off season to work on my release. What I was doing was spinning the ball like a top instead of rolling it. Take into account that me being Asian I saw that as a proper way to hook a ball. And my dad being the one who taught me how to bowl and he was rotating and rolling the ball properly I mimicked him except I over rotated every shot. Wearing the brace forced my hand to be behind the ball and roll it properly. Also since I couldn't really bend my elbow to create my rev rate like I used to that fixed a lot of timing issues as well.

Not saying a big metal brace is a solution. But working with a coach who knows your game can fix a lot of issues. It helped me in terms of rolling the ball better, fixing timing issues, and most importantly bowl pain free.
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Joined: March 14th, 2012, 3:36 am
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Axis Rotation: 45
Medium Oil Ball: 14 lbs. Hammer Raw Orange/Black Hybrid
Location: Short Pump, VA

Re: Looking for suggestions for an elbow brace

Post by Viper »

SomyP wrote:Thanks Viper. For the most part it's on and off like I said. But with cleaning up the diet a bit and working out smarter, my elbow isn't too bad. I got a state tourney in 3 weeks time (WI) so other than maybe practice and subbing for league I'm icing it and keeping with my workouts.

Have you looked into adding turmeric into your diet? It's a great herb that's been proven to help inflammation in the body. Time and again I'll make a tea with the powder form and drink 1-2 cups a day on a consistent basis and the pain really subsides for a good while. Keep in mind it is very bitter so I recommend drinking it very quickly unless you don't mind the taste. Other than adding pill form to meet your needs. Fish oil should help with inflammation as well.

What kind of cleared up pain for me for a while was actually wearing a metal brace. I wore this one summer in the off season to work on my release. What I was doing was spinning the ball like a top instead of rolling it. Take into account that me being Asian I saw that as a proper way to hook a ball. And my dad being the one who taught me how to bowl and he was rotating and rolling the ball properly I mimicked him except I over rotated every shot. Wearing the brace forced my hand to be behind the ball and roll it properly. Also since I couldn't really bend my elbow to create my rev rate like I used to that fixed a lot of timing issues as well.

Not saying a big metal brace is a solution. But working with a coach who knows your game can fix a lot of issues. It helped me in terms of rolling the ball better, fixing timing issues, and most importantly bowl pain free.
SomyP,

When I read about spinning the ball, I thought, yeah, that will certainly contribute to 'golfer's elbow.' Glad you are not doing that anymore. About turmeric, many people have suggested that to me but I cannot take it. I take a certain medication which prohibits me from taking turmeric. That said, I am looking at something my brother's GF suggested, a supplement designed mainly for lowering blood sugar levels but has a side benefit as an anti-inflammatory. I ran it by my doctor and he gave me the go-ahead to try it.
I'm already using fish oil. You mentioned heat and ice. I do that also, daily, as part of the therapy regimen. I'm working now on figuring an effective way I can easily have a cold pack handy while bowling.

Good luck at your tournament!

Viper/Joe
Last edited by Viper on March 23rd, 2018, 5:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Looking for suggestions for an elbow brace

Post by SomyP »

Other than icy hot, bio freeze and the like a portable ice pack that stays cool for bowling would be nice. Maybe ask the bartenders if they have room to spare to put an ice pack you bring in the freezer for you while you bowl. Afterwards you can ask for it back and start icing it again to start calming down the inflammation. The best solution other than what others recommended is obviously time and proper care.

I do not wear the big metal brace anymore and other than really revving up the ball a lot my elbow will get sore but not painful to the point I can't lift anything with it. But had it checked out, turns out it's tendinitis in my elbow. PT recommended some stretches and keeping with my regimen. Hopefully it clears up soon and I can bowl pain free again.

Thanks for the well wishes and I wish you luck on your recovery and bowling as well.
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