Ring finger injury...HELP!

**REV300** · 21-04-2008, 12:35 PM

This is my first 'serious' injury that I got from bowling.

The pain on the ring finger is at the segment nearest to the palm on the palm side. It does not hurt when I just leave it, but if I apply pressure on it by pressing it and using the ring finger to pull things like opening the fridge, the pain sets in. Which also means that I can't swing the ball without any pain. I found that if I use a ball with the finger holes set at reverse pitch, the pain is even worse.

Consulted my driller and he said possible cause could be me inserting my ring finger too far into the finger hole, in turn pulling the nerves of the finger. I am sure it should not be the problem of the span or pitches as I had been using these set for almost a year without any injury. The injury happened when I loosen my finger inserts. I used to prefer tight inserts, but it caused the side of my fingertip to blister. I had rested for a week and went back to bowl when I thought it had recovered, but the pain came back after 3 games.

Just wondering if you guys know what's the real reason for the injury other than what I had stated? Could it be the bridge between the finger holes too far? I have a ball drilled by another driller and I noticed the bridge between the finger holes is further than my other balls and I injured my ring finger using it. Also, how long should I stop bowling so that it can heal completely which, also brings to my last question. Will it heal completely? Will I be able to bowl pain free again?

Storm · 21-04-2008, 05:55 PM

welcome to the signs of tennis elbow...

sooner or later u will feel a sharp pain at the elbow near body side of it the when u try to bowl
u goota rest from bowling then
took mi 6 months off bowling the other time i have it....

the reason why u have this pain is because of few possible reasons....

stretched span
dunno your span is wat so cant comment on that

could be due to bigger size grips so u tend to pull more on the finger
actually u could have just changed the position of the finger inserts so that the dies are not brushing against your fingers

a few other factors too so by theory wont be able to determine much

as for rest...
well...takes a few months at least if u want non recurring problems after that with proper medical advice

as for the bridge
how far do u consider far?
u open your plam and see the distance between the 2 fingers its definitely wider than the bridge on the bowling ball.....dats why the recommemnded bridge distance is always 1/8 but some can go up to 3/8 even
at the end of the day,its about the bowler himself/herself being comfortable
there are certain guidelines but not must obey rules
your last question of will u be able to bowl pain free again,depends on yourself
if u have the right way of bowling with the right pitching and such u will definitely be able to bowl pain free

at the end of the day from the way u post correct mi if i am wrong u seem like one who is not really too long into bowling
ball span and pitches is all about experiment
due to the body is contantly changing every day

**REV300** · 22-04-2008, 12:42 AM

Pyro, thanks for your advices. I will try to give more details below and hopefully you can get a better picture and see if there is any other advice you can provide.

"stretched span
dunno your span is wat so cant comment on that "

I did the span test and found that my span is not stretched. I had even reduced my span from 4 3/4 inches to 4 1/2 inches a year ago. The 4 3/4 inches is slightly stretched and causes problems to my thumb previously, that's why I shortened the span.

"could be due to bigger size grips so u tend to pull more on the finger
actually u could have just changed the position of the finger inserts so that the dies are not brushing against your fingers"

This could be the main reason as I had loosen the ring finger insert and went two sizes up on my middle finger. Quite loose for me.

"as for the bridge
how far do u consider far?
u open your plam and see the distance between the 2 fingers its definitely wider than the bridge on the bowling ball.....dats why the recommemnded bridge distance is always 1/8 but some can go up to 3/8 even"

All my bowling balls' bridge distance is at 1/8, except for that one ball which causes the injury is slightly further. Not too sure by how much though. I am not going to use that ball again unless I get it replug and redrill to be the same as my other bowling balls.

"at the end of the day from the way u post correct mi if i am wrong u seem like one who is not really too long into bowling
ball span and pitches is all about experiment
due to the body is contantly changing every day "

I started bowling leisurely about 12 years ago, seriously for about 4 years now. I feel that I am only touching the surface of this sport and still have a lot to learn, and this is the fun part of bowling! I had experimented quite a bit on spans and pitches and managed to find the current combination that works well for me. The problem started when I loosen my finger inserts. I am currently using 4 1/2 inches span for both middle and ring finger, finger holes drilled 1/16 reverse pitch with 1/16 away lateral pitch. Using lift inserts, those with a hedge on the pad side of the finger, which makes my finger pitch 3/16 forward. Thumb pitch is at 1/16 forward and 3/16 away.

Hope with the extra information I give, you can see what else I can do about it. Meanwhile, I guess there's nothing much I can do except to rest from bowling.

Storm · 22-04-2008, 03:47 AM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by REV300
	Pyro, thanks for your advices. I will try to give more details below and hopefully you can get a better picture and see if there is any other advice you can provide. "stretched span dunno your span is wat so cant comment on that " I did the span test and found that my span is not stretched. I had even reduced my span from 4 3/4 inches to 4 1/2 inches a year ago. The 4 3/4 inches is slightly stretched and causes problems to my thumb previously, that's why I shortened the span. "could be due to bigger size grips so u tend to pull more on the finger actually u could have just changed the position of the finger inserts so that the dies are not brushing against your fingers" This could be the main reason as I had loosen the ring finger insert and went two sizes up on my middle finger. Quite loose for me. "as for the bridge how far do u consider far? u open your plam and see the distance between the 2 fingers its definitely wider than the bridge on the bowling ball.....dats why the recommemnded bridge distance is always 1/8 but some can go up to 3/8 even" All my bowling balls' bridge distance is at 1/8, except for that one ball which causes the injury is slightly further. Not too sure by how much though. I am not going to use that ball again unless I get it replug and redrill to be the same as my other bowling balls. "at the end of the day from the way u post correct mi if i am wrong u seem like one who is not really too long into bowling ball span and pitches is all about experiment due to the body is contantly changing every day " I started bowling leisurely about 12 years ago, seriously for about 4 years now. I feel that I am only touching the surface of this sport and still have a lot to learn, and this is the fun part of bowling! I had experimented quite a bit on spans and pitches and managed to find the current combination that works well for me. The problem started when I loosen my finger inserts. I am currently using 4 1/2 inches span for both middle and ring finger, finger holes drilled 1/16 reverse pitch with 1/16 away lateral pitch. Using lift inserts, those with a hedge on the pad side of the finger, which makes my finger pitch 3/16 forward. Thumb pitch is at 1/16 forward and 3/16 away. Hope with the extra information I give, you can see what else I can do about it. Meanwhile, I guess there's nothing much I can do except to rest from bowling.

1st of all even with your info i cant comment much
cos i dunno how flexible are your fingers and thumb,hahaha
that the tricky part about bowling info on line

but i am kinda concern for the lift inserts cos they tend to stress up the fingers more than usual as compared to flat grips,

let mi tell u one thing,
i am now changing my span again cos my current span is very short to the extend that its stressing my finger more than usual and today i just bowled with my old ball with a longer span and a finger covered wrist support and i am feeling very comfy ....

but than there could be one way i can help u to solve the problem if u are willing to sacrifice one ball and let mi try cos i have done it for a few bowlers and they are very satisfied with it,even got one malay uncle tell mi he can bowl 15games w/o feeling tired after i made the change for him before the chnage he bowl 5 games and his thumb and fingers are not feeling well....

dun be mistaken that i am tryign to poach business from your ball driller but than why not give your bowling career a second chance?

**REV300** · 23-04-2008, 12:57 AM

I understand the difficulty. Hahaha. It's better to see and talk to the bowler in person to determine the problem and even better if one can watch how the bowler bowl.

Strangely, when I got the injury, my bowling ball which has the flat insert pitching at 1/16 reverse causes more pain than another ball which has the lift insert that make my fingers pitched at 3/16 forward. Logically, the lift insert which causes forward pitch should put more pressure on the fingers. I am thinking could it be the part which I injured is the tendon or ligament as from what I know, forward finger pitch places more pressure on the joint part of the finger as the finger joint is flexed more and reverse finger pitch places more pressure on the ligament and tendon due to the finger joint flexing less. But this is just a guess. What do you think?

I also heard that if the span is too short, it will also cause problem to the fingers. I know how to check if my fingers are too stretched from the span test. But how do I check if the span is too short? Also, what kind of injury would it cause to the finger? I am trying to narrow down the possible cause of the injury so that I would not injured it again in future.

Just wondering, how come only Pyro is helping and answering to my doubt? What happen to the rest of the people here?

Come on, give me your comments! I need more help! But please give the correct info. Don't sabo me! Hahaha.

Storm · 23-04-2008, 02:13 AM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by REV300
	I understand the difficulty. Hahaha. It's better to see and talk to the bowler in person to determine the problem and even better if one can watch how the bowler bowl. Strangely, when I got the injury, my bowling ball which has the flat insert pitching at 1/16 reverse causes more pain than another ball which has the lift insert that make my fingers pitched at 3/16 forward. Logically, the lift insert which causes forward pitch should put more pressure on the fingers. I am thinking could it be the part which I injured is the tendon or ligament as from what I know, forward finger pitch places more pressure on the joint part of the finger as the finger joint is flexed more and reverse finger pitch places more pressure on the ligament and tendon due to the finger joint flexing less. But this is just a guess. What do you think? I also heard that if the span is too short, it will also cause problem to the fingers. I know how to check if my fingers are too stretched from the span test. But how do I check if the span is too short? Also, what kind of injury would it cause to the finger? I am trying to narrow down the possible cause of the injury so that I would not injured it again in future. Just wondering, how come only Pyro is helping and answering to my doubt? What happen to the rest of the people here? Come on, give me your comments! I need more help! But please give the correct info. Don't sabo me! Hahaha.

in short because there are not many pple who are able to answer yoru questions cos most of them who have problems were solved by mi...

even myslef i solved my own problem today by extending my span back to 1/4 more than before...

due to the flexibilty of each individual,
there is no way we can determine if the span is 2 short,usually we practise the hand in ball and if we are able to slip a normal pen(not those fat fat type) into the space between the fingers and the ball,ts too short....imagine your hand being kept in a "squeezing" position for long time,it wont feel comfy right?

too short a span wil feel pain on the underside or rather palmside of the finger usually in the second joint area

Storm · 23-04-2008, 03:07 AM

hahaha...seems like pple in usa are giving about the same answers that i gave here....

but they dare to say something wich i dun dare and that is "welcome to the world of incompetent ball drillers!"

i really love their comments hehehehe

**fabulous68** · 23-04-2008, 09:26 AM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by REV300
	I understand the difficulty. Hahaha. It's better to see and talk to the bowler in person to determine the problem and even better if one can watch how the bowler bowl. Strangely, when I got the injury, my bowling ball which has the flat insert pitching at 1/16 reverse causes more pain than another ball which has the lift insert that make my fingers pitched at 3/16 forward. Logically, the lift insert which causes forward pitch should put more pressure on the fingers. I am thinking could it be the part which I injured is the tendon or ligament as from what I know, forward finger pitch places more pressure on the joint part of the finger as the finger joint is flexed more and reverse finger pitch places more pressure on the ligament and tendon due to the finger joint flexing less. But this is just a guess. What do you think? I also heard that if the span is too short, it will also cause problem to the fingers. I know how to check if my fingers are too stretched from the span test. But how do I check if the span is too short? Also, what kind of injury would it cause to the finger? I am trying to narrow down the possible cause of the injury so that I would not injured it again in future. Just wondering, how come only Pyro is helping and answering to my doubt? What happen to the rest of the people here? Come on, give me your comments! I need more help! But please give the correct info. Don't sabo me! Hahaha.

Hi there, from what i know, not alot of us here are that knowledgeable to give you comments. All my balls have been drilled by Pyro and so far, i am happy & comfortable to all the span and pitches he has given me. saying so doesn't mean other drillers are no good. When i 1st let him replug & drill my my 1st ball, i had release problem and also my doubts but after that .... the rest is history. he has done up 4 balls for me.

So rather than anyhow quote and give u wrong info, we rather remain silent ...

**BIBIPETPET** · 23-04-2008, 09:50 AM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by fabulous68
	Hi there, from what i know, not alot of us here are that knowledgeable to give you comments. All my balls have been drilled by Pyro and so far, i am happy & comfortable to all the span and pitches he has given me. saying so doesn't mean other drillers are no good. When i 1st let him replug & drill my my 1st ball, i had release problem and also my doubts but after that .... the rest is history. he has done up 4 balls for me. So rather than anyhow quote and give u wrong info, we rather remain silent ...

As what Fabulous68 said, most of us here are not knowleadgeable to give you any comments. In this forum, Pyro will be in a better position to give you advise base on his professional.

Usually I will get my advise from my driller.

**jackson** · 23-04-2008, 01:51 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by BIBIPETPET
	As what Fabulous68 said, most of us here are not knowleadgeable to give you any comments. In this forum, Pyro will be in a better position to give you advise base on his professional. Usually I will get my advise from my driller.

ya Pyro will give you better comments... he is good coach too...

21-04-2008, 12:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
REV300 Registered Members Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 70 iTrader: (0) Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Singapore SGC$: 38.00 Bank: 23.77 Total SGC$: 61.77	Ring finger injury...HELP! This is my first 'serious' injury that I got from bowling. The pain on the ring finger is at the segment nearest to the palm on the palm side. It does not hurt when I just leave it, but if I apply pressure on it by pressing it and using the ring finger to pull things like opening the fridge, the pain sets in. Which also means that I can't swing the ball without any pain. I found that if I use a ball with the finger holes set at reverse pitch, the pain is even worse. Consulted my driller and he said possible cause could be me inserting my ring finger too far into the finger hole, in turn pulling the nerves of the finger. I am sure it should not be the problem of the span or pitches as I had been using these set for almost a year without any injury. The injury happened when I loosen my finger inserts. I used to prefer tight inserts, but it caused the side of my fingertip to blister. I had rested for a week and went back to bowl when I thought it had recovered, but the pain came back after 3 games. Just wondering if you guys know what's the real reason for the injury other than what I had stated? Could it be the bridge between the finger holes too far? I have a ball drilled by another driller and I noticed the bridge between the finger holes is further than my other balls and I injured my ring finger using it. Also, how long should I stop bowling so that it can heal completely which, also brings to my last question. Will it heal completely? Will I be able to bowl pain free again? Last edited by REV300 : 21-04-2008 at 12:36 PM.

21-04-2008, 05:55 PM	#2 (permalink)
Storm ~Devil~ Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 3,491 iTrader: (0) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: among the levels of hell SGC$: 97.60 Bank: 2,612.07 Total SGC$: 2,709.67	Re: Ring finger injury...HELP! welcome to the signs of tennis elbow... sooner or later u will feel a sharp pain at the elbow near body side of it the when u try to bowl u goota rest from bowling then took mi 6 months off bowling the other time i have it.... the reason why u have this pain is because of few possible reasons.... stretched span dunno your span is wat so cant comment on that could be due to bigger size grips so u tend to pull more on the finger actually u could have just changed the position of the finger inserts so that the dies are not brushing against your fingers a few other factors too so by theory wont be able to determine much as for rest... well...takes a few months at least if u want non recurring problems after that with proper medical advice as for the bridge how far do u consider far? u open your plam and see the distance between the 2 fingers its definitely wider than the bridge on the bowling ball.....dats why the recommemnded bridge distance is always 1/8 but some can go up to 3/8 even at the end of the day,its about the bowler himself/herself being comfortable there are certain guidelines but not must obey rules your last question of will u be able to bowl pain free again,depends on yourself if u have the right way of bowling with the right pitching and such u will definitely be able to bowl pain free at the end of the day from the way u post correct mi if i am wrong u seem like one who is not really too long into bowling ball span and pitches is all about experiment due to the body is contantly changing every day *To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.* Learn as a TEAM,progress as a TEAM and win as a TEAM To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Last edited by Pyro : 21-04-2008 at 05:58 PM.

22-04-2008, 12:42 AM	#3 (permalink)
REV300 Registered Members Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 70 iTrader: (0) Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Singapore SGC$: 38.00 Bank: 23.77 Total SGC$: 61.77	Re: Ring finger injury...HELP! Pyro, thanks for your advices. I will try to give more details below and hopefully you can get a better picture and see if there is any other advice you can provide. "stretched span dunno your span is wat so cant comment on that " I did the span test and found that my span is not stretched. I had even reduced my span from 4 3/4 inches to 4 1/2 inches a year ago. The 4 3/4 inches is slightly stretched and causes problems to my thumb previously, that's why I shortened the span. "could be due to bigger size grips so u tend to pull more on the finger actually u could have just changed the position of the finger inserts so that the dies are not brushing against your fingers" This could be the main reason as I had loosen the ring finger insert and went two sizes up on my middle finger. Quite loose for me. "as for the bridge how far do u consider far? u open your plam and see the distance between the 2 fingers its definitely wider than the bridge on the bowling ball.....dats why the recommemnded bridge distance is always 1/8 but some can go up to 3/8 even" All my bowling balls' bridge distance is at 1/8, except for that one ball which causes the injury is slightly further. Not too sure by how much though. I am not going to use that ball again unless I get it replug and redrill to be the same as my other bowling balls. "at the end of the day from the way u post correct mi if i am wrong u seem like one who is not really too long into bowling ball span and pitches is all about experiment due to the body is contantly changing every day " I started bowling leisurely about 12 years ago, seriously for about 4 years now. I feel that I am only touching the surface of this sport and still have a lot to learn, and this is the fun part of bowling! I had experimented quite a bit on spans and pitches and managed to find the current combination that works well for me. The problem started when I loosen my finger inserts. I am currently using 4 1/2 inches span for both middle and ring finger, finger holes drilled 1/16 reverse pitch with 1/16 away lateral pitch. Using lift inserts, those with a hedge on the pad side of the finger, which makes my finger pitch 3/16 forward. Thumb pitch is at 1/16 forward and 3/16 away. Hope with the extra information I give, you can see what else I can do about it. Meanwhile, I guess there's nothing much I can do except to rest from bowling.

23-04-2008, 12:57 AM	#5 (permalink)
REV300 Registered Members Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 70 iTrader: (0) Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Singapore SGC$: 38.00 Bank: 23.77 Total SGC$: 61.77	Re: Ring finger injury...HELP! I understand the difficulty. Hahaha. It's better to see and talk to the bowler in person to determine the problem and even better if one can watch how the bowler bowl. Strangely, when I got the injury, my bowling ball which has the flat insert pitching at 1/16 reverse causes more pain than another ball which has the lift insert that make my fingers pitched at 3/16 forward. Logically, the lift insert which causes forward pitch should put more pressure on the fingers. I am thinking could it be the part which I injured is the tendon or ligament as from what I know, forward finger pitch places more pressure on the joint part of the finger as the finger joint is flexed more and reverse finger pitch places more pressure on the ligament and tendon due to the finger joint flexing less. But this is just a guess. What do you think? I also heard that if the span is too short, it will also cause problem to the fingers. I know how to check if my fingers are too stretched from the span test. But how do I check if the span is too short? Also, what kind of injury would it cause to the finger? I am trying to narrow down the possible cause of the injury so that I would not injured it again in future. Just wondering, how come only Pyro is helping and answering to my doubt? What happen to the rest of the people here? Come on, give me your comments! I need more help! But please give the correct info. Don't sabo me! Hahaha. Last edited by REV300 : 23-04-2008 at 01:03 AM.

23-04-2008, 03:07 AM	#7 (permalink)
Storm ~Devil~ Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 3,491 iTrader: (0) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: among the levels of hell SGC$: 97.60 Bank: 2,612.07 Total SGC$: 2,709.67	Re: Ring finger injury...HELP! hahaha...seems like pple in usa are giving about the same answers that i gave here.... but they dare to say something wich i dun dare and that is "welcome to the world of incompetent ball drillers!" i really love their comments hehehehe *To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.* Learn as a TEAM,progress as a TEAM and win as a TEAM To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

23-04-2008, 02:16 PM	#11 (permalink)
Storm ~Devil~ Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 3,491 iTrader: (0) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: among the levels of hell SGC$: 97.60 Bank: 2,612.07 Total SGC$: 2,709.67