Bowling Injury Specialist Portland, Maine Most bowling injuries are musculoskeletal injuries.  Sprain strains, compression injuries, tendonitis, twisted ankles and hangovers.  If you need a bowling injury specialist, Dr. Lou Jacobs is on call for you at Jacobs Chiropractic Acupuncture Center in Portland.  He has treated a large number of bowlers for the aforementioned injuries and many others. The four best (therapeutic) friends of a bowler in the event of an injury should be: 1. Ice 2. Compress or braces 3. Stretching 4. Chiropractor ( bowling injury specialist ) The three best preventive tools a bowler should have: 1. Ice 2. Compress or braces 3. Stretching 4. Chiropractor ( bowling injury specialist ) Questions? Concerns? Smart remarks?  Call Dr. Lou at (207) 774-6251 **all major insurance...

Bowler’s Thumb This less common but potentially very painful condition can put an end to your game and must be dealt with carefully. Bowlers thumb was first identified in 1965 and documented in the Journal of the American Medical Association that same year. Bowlers thumb is a neurological condition that occurs after injury to the nerve on the web side of the hand after repeated stress in the thumb hole of your bowling ball. The digital nerve of the thumb is involved and pain may range from mild sensitivity to excruciating pain. Fibrous tissue builds up around the nerve, causing pressure on the nerve and pain, numbness and tingling result. Bowlers may feel a nodule in the thumb and may also notice wasting of the muscles of the thumb. Once established, Bowler’s thumb may take months to resolve during which time the affected hand should not be used for bowling. The bottom line:The surgery for this problem looks rough (see right). You don’t want to get to that point. If you suspect you have bowlers thumb, get it checked out. If you don’t, the time away from bowling will be longer than you want. Guaranteed. Prevention: insertion of thumb...

Two of the most popular home therapies for injuries are heat and ice. As simple as these two modalities seem, there is often confusion surrounding their use. Bowlers experience a number of issues that ice and/or heat could be valuable for. Here is the breakdown. ICEIce is used for acute injuries to the soft tissue of the body. The purpose of ice is to reduce inflammation and reduce pain. Ice is great if you have just pulled something and it hurts and is going to swell. Ideally you will be able to apply ice before the swelling becomes significant.
Ice should remain on the injured area for no more than 15 minutes. If ice is left on for too long a reaction called the “hunting effect” occurs where your body senses prolonged cold and sends blood to the area which in turn may increase inflammation. Ultimately, this would produce the opposite of the desired effect. Icing may be repeated every hour to 2 hours. Many people have heard of “RICE Therapy”. RICE stands for REST, ICE, COMPRESSION and ELEVATION. These four actions will generally begin the healing process of many common bowling injuries. Important note: Ice does tend to tighten...

Most bowling injuries fall into two broad categories. Acute injuries and repetitive stress injuries. If you want to bowl to the grave and without pain or injury then you need to understand, as a first line of defense, how to protect yourself. Although bowling is not often thought of as a risky sport, if you are serious about the game, you had better treat it like you are a pro ball player. There are a number of acute injuries that can occur while bowling. Dropping the ball on your foot or being hit by stray. Sprains, strains in the legs, arms, shoulders, back, feet and hands. Finger and thumb pulls, sprains and dislocations although uncommon, would be classified as acute. Any injury related to a slip and fall. All of these are the type of injuries that are best prevented by being careful. These injuries generally appear to come on suddenly. There is an “incident” associated with the injury. If there is a lot of blood involved or a concussion, go to the hospital. As a general rule an acute injury that does not require immediate medical attention should be iced. Repetitive stress injuries or “RSI’s” are very common,...

Welcome to Dr. Lou’s Healthy Bowler page.This blog has been inspired by patients who bowl and have sustained injuries.Ask anyone who bowls seriously about one of their worst nightmares and in the top 5 will be the inability bowl.This blog will answer questions related to injuries and problems but also offer preventive advice to avoid the problems in the first place. Please post questions or concerns about bowling related injuries. Dr. Lou Jacobs is a Chiropractor/Acupuncturist in Portland Maine. He is the creator of Dr. Lou’s Business Bowl, a networking event open to the public on the first Thursday of every month at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine. Dr. Jacobs specializes in a number of professionals and injuries but since the opening of Bayside Bowl in 2010 has encountered more and more bowling related injuries. Due to treatment success and increasing numbers of bowlers as patients this blog seemed a necessary addition to Portland’s blog scene. Become a follower and receive blog...