Does pool destroy your body?

Icon of Sin said:

Currently dealing with something that I assume is Tennis Elbow on my back arm. Never had that before so I have no clue if that's what it is. Bit painful from time to time and slowly getting worse, but hasnt hindered my playing ability... or lack there of... yet.

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Back in the late 90s, I was hitting over 500 balls per day, and playing a lot of 9-ball. I developed ‘tennis elbow’ (tendonitis), which I blamed on the violent forces necessarily involved with an effective break. I ran into Dallas West about then, who was dealing with the exact same issue. His wife recommended regular ibuprofen, but it caused me gastric distress. I also tried cortisone injections, but any beneficial effect was only temporary. I stopped breaking 9-ball, but the ‘repetitive motion’ damage already done was so severe, even playing 14.1 was too painful, so I gave up the game.
My elbow healed over the years, and I recently started playing seriously again, only to discover that now (with failing eyesight), my ‘prime years’ have likely passed.

As a result, I believe the rules of pro billiards should likely change, in order to discourage those who must practice/apply so much force when breaking in order to be competitive, from repeating my negative experience (?).

Pool be bad for ya!

Oh ya, heck ya, pool be bad for ya. Look at me, at 69 I still think I can improve my game. It has made me fat and weakened my muscles. It has made me question my sanity, why would any one in there right mind be obsessed with putting balls in a hole with a stick? Seriously, sounds like a game some cave man dreamed up.

It has caused me to invest thousands in my own table and Diveney cues. It has made me cuss, drink and smoke cigars. It has caused me to waste countless hours on a meaningless game that only a pool player cares about.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Nobody dies of old age, something will kill ya when it's time. As far as it goes, the older you get , the more body problems you will have. Enjoy what ya got then keep your head down and follow through in what ever is taking place.

To answer your question, POOL does NOT cause spinal disc herniation, spondylosis, spondylolysis , spondylolisthesis, derangements, dysfunctions , and other spinal myelopathies. Keep shooting and never listens to your opponent....

Pool is killing my liver

Working construction and golfing has done more damage to my body than pool. Stretching out on pool table for shots and walking around the table helps with new hip and knee surgery. Just stay active.

Jack

I've got arthritic knees, the doctor was very surprised at my age (45) to have them. Played almost every day for multiple hours during a maybe 20 year period the wear and tear adds up, being a little overweight didn't help either.


Neil

Quote ... Does pool destroy your body?

Yes. It destroys the body, the mind, your diet, the wallet, your car, your job, your family...... but man it is fun

Icon of Sin said:

Currently dealing with something that I assume is Tennis Elbow on my back arm. Never had that before so I have no clue if that's what it is. Bit painful from time to time and slowly getting worse, but hasnt hindered my playing ability... or lack there of... yet.

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I had my elbow make a cracking sound in a session years ago...
..finished the session with a different stroke...hitting from the armpit...
...watch Carlo Biado and try that

Mustardeer said:

How many times we've seen this ad: "selling cue xyz because going in for a neck and back surgery Thursday". Sounds scary.

I'm still sort of young. How are the old pros doing? I don't mean Efren, I mean the generation before him.

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Generation before Efren are on the way to being dead, to put it bluntly. So probably they are doing as well as other 70 and 80 yr olds that don't exercise regularly. Tennis, Football, etc.., things with jarring impacts, now those are some sports that will cause extra pains when one gets older.
I do have to say after several days of playing pool for a few hours a day, my arm is a bit sore, but it was much more sore from a much less time period of tennis, or even table tennis with a light racket.

I don't see pool doing any harm to your body any more than other things you can do, like sitting at a computer for a job for hours a day, or bending over a car engine, or holding equipment at an odd angle as an electrician, etc...

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I have noticed the older players, like Willy Mosconi, Minnesota Fats, Luther Lasiter, Irvan Crane etc., had a more upright stance than most of the players today.

pt109 said:

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Hahahah oh that’s the greatest little poster meme I’ve ever seent.

Well, pool didn’t really contribute much to this, at least not in my opinion,
but this past Fri, the 23rd, I had right knee surgery & I play right handed.

Surgeon says recovery is 4-6 months for a full recovery on a meniscus repair
but that refers to being able to resume sports activities and pool really isn’t a
real sport, right? Oh boy, betcha that’s a topic with strongly opposing opinions.

Anyway, I expect pool playing to resume in a couple of months and then next
Spring, my shoulder will undergo surgery #5 since 2011 & hopefully, it holds up.

You learn to play the game of pool for the pure satisfaction of the moment at hand.
Tomorrow is entirely different & yesterday’s discomfort can easily morph into today’s pain.
Enjoy the game for being able to still play rather than just observe. Since having cataract
surgery a couple of months ago, even watching others play is more enjoyable than before.

But there’s nothing sweeter than running the table after the break or your opponent misses.
I mean when you run the table in 10 ball, you were just as good as any player in the world.
A runout by a world champion has no more value in scoring a match than when you do it.
Make a birdie in golf, well, on that last hole you were just as good as the best PGA player.

Pool allows you to derive a level of inner satisfaction, or frustration depending on your
mental focus, that other activities don’t offer because of the cornucopia of variables involved
and skills plus knowledge. So pool brings it all together & it either leads to tranquility or frustration.

From 1989, an article on "Nine Ball Neck"... https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/02/09/Doctor-gives-warning-on-nine-ball-neck/5920603003600/

The bottom line is that father time is a cruel bastid! Nobody beats him. Pool is much kinder to the body than many other activities one could name.