Serola Biomechanics, Inc.

Injuries have become all too common in bowling and many other sports for that matter as of late.  One injury in particular is on the rise and has caught my attention is elbow injuries.  It only makes sense though that this would be common, especially with the amount of torque some of us try to put on the ball when they throw it.  Elbow Injuries are unfortunate and can put you out of the season thus leaving your team short-handed and robbing yourself from enjoying the long fall season which is now upon us.  What can you do to avoid this?  Well, unfortunately most would just say put some ice on it and suck it up.  I do not share this thought process and dare to think outside of the box.  My suggestion is an Elbow Brace.  With what knowledge I have and what research I have done, it seems to be the most realistic and logical answer for more than one reason too.  Wearing an elbow brace can not only reduce the pain you have, but prevent an injury from ever occurring in the first place!  I have been bowling since I was 4 years old and just due to my stubbornness, I have never worn one until now and have been lucky enough to avoid serious elbow injuries.  But, why take a chance?  I plan on wearing one from this day forward and here is why.

1. It reduces the pain.  Call me crazy, but I am going to assume that most people in the world do not enjoy being in pain.  Maybe last night, lane five was over-oiled and no matter how hard you tried to torque that ball it still went straight as a board barely making it to the pocket or not even getting that far.  But, did you move your stance a few boards to adjust?  Of course not!!!!  You decided it would be a much better idea to continue twisting your arm as hard as you can to make the ball go where you wanted it and next thing you know you would rather swim with a pool filled with hungry sharks than attempt to move your elbow.  I bet you wished you would have moved your stance now though right?  It happens to the best of us, don't worry.  Here is the good news!  An elbow brace can help reduce and maybe even eliminate the pain you may be experiencing.  What an elbow brace does when you put it on is reduce inflammation, muscle tension, shock and vibration.  Bowling uses quite a bit of arm as well as shoulder strength, so this type of protection is needed.  Personally, the elbow brace I chose is called the Serola Gel Arc Elbow Brace.  Out of all the sites I looked at, they seemed to be the most informational and I am very happy with my purchase from them. Check it out if you wish or research for yourselves, either way, I am just trying to steer you in the correct direction which brings me to my next point.

2. It can prevent the injury from ever happening in the first place.  Now of course I am not trying to convince you that you will be immune to injury just because you are wearing a brace, but the chances of it occurring go down by quite a bit.  Who wants to risk being injured?  Nobody, that's who!  So why not do the math and see that wearing a brace equals limited risk of injuring your elbow.  You might think that it is uncomfortable to wear, but in my opinion it's just like everything else and you get used to in being on.  In fact, it will probably get to the point where it feels odd not to have it on.  Plus it helps to buy a brace made from a soft and flexible material like the one I purchased from Serola which is made from a sponge like cloth material.

3. Last, but not least, elbow braces are affordable.  If you are looking for a brace and see one that costs $100.00, click the back button as fast as you can and get away from that website unless they say their products are made from gold.  A good elbow brace should cost about $20-$30.  I know all of us are not made of money, but I look at it as spending a few bucks on preventing an injury that may cost me hundreds in expensive doctor bills.

In all, I hope this offered some help for those of you that wanted an opinion on this subject.  I am not a doctor and I did not stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night but I thought that I could still do some good for somebody out there.  Nobody wants their season cut short in any sport and I know I will be enjoying mine pain free.