Pool related pain and injuries

M

mantis99

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As a physical therapist with an emphasis in sports medicine, I always find it interesting to look at sport specific injuries. It is easy to find the prevelance of certain injuries in sports such as baseball, football, etc, but I have not found any specific info/research regarding pool and pain/injuries.

I would like to hear of the problems any of you have had while playing pool, whether it was caused by pool, or a different injury that was irritated by pool. So far, I have noticed that the shoulder of the bridge arm is susceptible to pain, and that people with back pain seem to have some trouble also. Please let me know of any problems you have had, including those stated above. Please also let me know what you have tried to do to resolve it, and how it worked. Thanks!
 
I have a couple and one that's not on your list. Some time around the middle of last summer, I changed my grip in an attempt to make it looser. I now hold it with the last section of my thumb, forefinger and middle finger; curling my last two finger above the butt. After a couple of months of playing this way, I noticed a sensitive bump under the skin of the lower section of my thumb. My impression has been that on some shots (harder ones), the butt jumps out of my grip and hits my thumb there, although I can't say that for sure as it happens too fast for me to feel it. I've been putting a band-aid or piece of tape with a folded piece of toilet paper over it to protect it. It does seem to move around a little and is more sensitive when doing things like gripping a hammer or screwdriver/drill. It doesn't seem to be going away at all.

My second injury is my bridge shoulder. I had been playing every day for going on 4 years with fairly minimal pain. During long sessions I would feel some pain that felt like a bone ache between my shoulder and elbow. One morning about a month ago, I woke up with what felt like a torn rotator cuff. There was an almost constant pain and it was difficult to find a comfortable position when sitting or trying to go to sleep. Just during the past week or so, it has started to subside. It is most painful when bending over a shot with my arm outstretched and then lifting my head to look down the cue. If I stand more upright, there is less pain, but then I can't see how well I'm lined up. I've tried Aleve and cold/hot packs without much relief. Just in the past week, if I leave my arm/shoulder in the wrong position, I start to get pins and needles in my shoulder and arm. It does feel like it's finally starting to recover after about a month which is normal for a rotator cuff tear. It also gets less painful after shooting for awhile and seemed to disappear completely after a couple Aleves and a couple of ales the one time I tried drinking it away.
 
Bursitis, aka tennis elbow, is a common malady for some poolplayers. It affected me for several years. I had annual cortisone injections in my elbow for 5 years. Then I got some really good chiropractic manipulation and something called ASTYM therapy, for several weeks, and the pain went away. It hasn't returned...thank goodness (as my orthopedic surgeon told me that the cortisone could not continue, without permanent damage to the joint).

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
FWIW...

I once popped my shoulder out of socket. I was wearing shoes with no traction, and playing on old carpet. On the break shot my foot slipped and the table caught my fall, and my shoulder popped right out. Hurt like hell, but I finished the tourney anyway. Not really related to your question, but a good story.

Twice in the last six months, I have suffered from what I found out was muscle spasms in my upper back and neck. The Doc said it was from bad posture sitting in front of a computer all day, but I couldn't play league 'cuz of the pain. The vicoden and flexerall helped with the pain, but I could barely think straight, let alone shoot any good.
 
just this afternoon I suffered a pretty strange injury...

I was on a roll (breaking good) and ran a couple of games of 9 ball in a row, when I decided to give my break just a bit EXTRA. Well, I hit the ball really well, hit the one ball dead on, balls exploded (not literally, but scattered in a HURRY), and as I was watching the nine ball come down towards the pocket where I was breaking near, I hear a crash. Apparently I hadn't watched the right ball, cuz I was told after I awoke that the cueball had hit the light, the light had somehow flipped down towards me, hitting me on the head. My head then took a nice bounce, not just off the rail on the way down, but off the floor too! Luckily there wasn't any damage to the table, or the floor, but considering the date today, at least nobody's buying this story.
 
I have tendinitis in the shoulder of my bridge arm. I do exercises that the doctor gave me, and sometimes have to take some heavy duty anti inflammatory medicine.

Just flat out PAIN in my stroking arm elbow. Especially after i have logged lots of one pocket hours and am not stoking balls, but bunting balls where my arm isn't moving as much. Never got it checked out, and usually just dealt with it, but if i start playing lots and lots of pool in general, it eventually comes back to the point where it's just painful to shoot.

Back pain occasionally, but that's from a previous injury, and sometimes pool aggravates it.

The strangest thing i have had happen, was over the summer during a tournament. I was getting up to stretch for a shot, and was kind of on my toes leaning over the table, and it felt like my right hamstring just blew out. I almost fell down and my leg folded, and i could barely walk for the rest of the match, and eventually during the next match, i started missing shots simply because i couldn't stance right without severe pain. It took like 2 weeks for that one to go away.
 
Hello and i am glad to see you here. I for one have had back trouble since 1985. I had to stop playing softball in 1997 after my first surgery. I took up pool just to have something to do and fell in love with the game. In 2001 i was taken out of work with a collapsed disk. It took me almost 5 years to get disability and then another year to get insurance and i had to suffer with the pain all of that time. In march of 2006 i had a disk replacement and 6 screws put in my back and it is now worse then ever. I still try to play pool but sometimes the pain just gets the better of me and i have to forfeit out. I take methadone for the pain with very little help. Of course i have tried just about everything out there with not much help at all. Now i only play a couple days a week and the pain is starting to get me down again. I was at the Expo and went 4 rounds and my leg cramped up so bad i could not walk around the table. I knew i was done then. The Dr. said everything looks fine but he just done know the pain i am in and he dosent know what else to do. With that being said what would you suggest i do? I have done the therapy thing and it only makes me hurt more. I try to work out some but that get to be to much pain also. With me being on disability i am limited to how much help i can get anymore. To be honest i just don't have the money. Anything you can suggest please feel free to call me at 434 401 3212. It would be so nice to just have a few days with out pain after 23 years of it 24/7. Sorry if i board you. I am just at my end with it and don't know what else to do, Could you please help?? I am now 50 years old and would give anything just to pick up and hold my grand baby or make love to my beautiful lady with out not being able to get out of the bed the next day. Please don't feel sorry for me i am just telling you what you ask. There are a lot of people worse off then i am and i try to help them all i can. Thanks in advance, Doug
 
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Neck pain...mostly on the left side (I play pool right handed) so it is the left side of the neck that gets compressed.

Had to get on NSAIDs but don't like chronic medication.

Got recommended by a therapist dedicated to a major league sports team to a hospital-based PT clinic that offers mayofascial release thereapy.

I assumed it was voodoo but was desperate and would have tried anything.

After some range of motion tests, the therapist said..."OK, so you didn't move your neck for 20 years right?" (-:

In 8 sessions, I was restored to 90%+ "normal" range of motion and have been essentially pain free...except on occasion when I get lazy and don't do my home-based neck stretches.

But generally, an absolute cure.

As you know, there are relatively few PTs who specialize in MRT because, I suppose, it is INCREDIBLY BORING for the therapist. Stretching the fascia so it stays stretched takes a series of moves that can at first take 10-15 minutes to move the neck only 6 inches or so.

NOTE: there was no trauma that contributed to my neck pain...only playing pool.

Regards,
Jim
 
bsmutz said:
My second injury is my bridge shoulder. I had been playing every day for going on 4 years with fairly minimal pain. During long sessions I would feel some pain that felt like a bone ache between my shoulder and elbow. One morning about a month ago, I woke up with what felt like a torn rotator cuff. There was an almost constant pain and it was difficult to find a comfortable position when sitting or trying to go to sleep. Just during the past week or so, it has started to subside. It is most painful when bending over a shot with my arm outstretched and then lifting my head to look down the cue. If I stand more upright, there is less pain, but then I can't see how well I'm lined up. I've tried Aleve and cold/hot packs without much relief. Just in the past week, if I leave my arm/shoulder in the wrong position, I start to get pins and needles in my shoulder and arm. It does feel like it's finally starting to recover after about a month which is normal for a rotator cuff tear. It also gets less painful after shooting for awhile and seemed to disappear completely after a couple Aleves and a couple of ales the one time I tried drinking it away.
Click to expand...

I had this problem too after 2 years of playing, started during a busy pool month, where i was playing lots of hours, and then just never really left. The pain continued every day, slightly weakened but it was always present. The needles in the shoulder is the best description you could give. it hurts alot. Having played pool with a snookerstance for the first 2 years, made my shoulder have to stretch alot. I changed to a pool stance (no chin above cue) and it has totally disapeared. About the aligment problem. Move your HEAD lower if you want to verify any aligment, instead of lowering your whole body and strecthing your shoulder. If you move only the head, no extra stress will be placed on the shoulder. works for me, and havent had any pain since.

ow 3 other very important injury !!!

- slamming my fingers against the rails on a powershot !!! VERY painfull.:rolleyes:
- a bleu nut after my oponent hitting me in the nuts on the backstroke :eek:
- a CB on my chest after a jumping breakshot 3 tables away.

i havent had to many other injuries :D
 
After 4 shoulder operations and 4 knees to go along with a broken nose 4 times and a left broken hand, I have to admitt it all felt pretty good when it quit hurting. That was though before I started playing pool.
 
Every once in a while when I play for long hours, my shoulder(bridge hand) gets REALLy sore from stretching. To the point where its hard to lift my left arm. I try to stretch it out before I play and its been helping a lot.
 
only happens when I lose...

mantis99 said:
As a physical therapist with an emphasis in sports medicine, I always find it interesting to look at sport specific injuries. It is easy to find the prevelance of certain injuries in sports such as baseball, football, etc, but I have not found any specific info/research regarding pool and pain/injuries.

I would like to hear of the problems any of you have had while playing pool, whether it was caused by pool, or a different injury that was irritated by pool. So far, I have noticed that the shoulder of the bridge arm is susceptible to pain, and that people with back pain seem to have some trouble also. Please let me know of any problems you have had, including those stated above. Please also let me know what you have tried to do to resolve it, and how it worked. Thanks!
Click to expand...

The only hurts that I have incurred is a lot of pain to my ego and subsequently to my bank account.;)
 
Pain

If I play pool for any length of time my lower back hurts. I injured my back when I was younger plus I need to lose some weight and since I love to play pool I just have to deal with it. I also have tendonitis in my right shoulder (i'm right handed) and my shoulder will bother me if I play long sessions of pool.

Here's my choices: play pool and deal with the pain or don't play pool? I'm playing pool!!!!!

James
 
busted knuckles while breaking on side of table

pulled muscle while shooting behind the back

pool elbow
 
well I'm 6'6" so back pain is a givin:rolleyes: I also have some neck issues so that the longer I play the more it hurts until the headache starts. I have tried to raise my stance but after a couple of months of that I realized that I just couldn't play like that. I do see a chiopractor and massage theripst almost on a weekly basis to keep it down to a level that i can deal with.
 
I have degenerative disk disease in my lower back. Three disks are about 25% gone. If I play too long, I start getting severe pain. If I keep playing, I end up in the hospital. I didn't play league last night because my back was bad and I didn't want to irritate it further.
 
bsmutz said:
I have a couple and one that's not on your list. Some time around the middle of last summer, I changed my grip in an attempt to make it looser. I now hold it with the last section of my thumb, forefinger and middle finger; curling my last two finger above the butt. After a couple of months of playing this way, I noticed a sensitive bump under the skin of the lower section of my thumb. My impression has been that on some shots (harder ones), the butt jumps out of my grip and hits my thumb there, although I can't say that for sure as it happens too fast for me to feel it. I've been putting a band-aid or piece of tape with a folded piece of toilet paper over it to protect it. It does seem to move around a little and is more sensitive when doing things like gripping a hammer or screwdriver/drill. It doesn't seem to be going away at all.

My second injury is my bridge shoulder. I had been playing every day for going on 4 years with fairly minimal pain. During long sessions I would feel some pain that felt like a bone ache between my shoulder and elbow. One morning about a month ago, I woke up with what felt like a torn rotator cuff. There was an almost constant pain and it was difficult to find a comfortable position when sitting or trying to go to sleep. Just during the past week or so, it has started to subside. It is most painful when bending over a shot with my arm outstretched and then lifting my head to look down the cue. If I stand more upright, there is less pain, but then I can't see how well I'm lined up. I've tried Aleve and cold/hot packs without much relief. Just in the past week, if I leave my arm/shoulder in the wrong position, I start to get pins and needles in my shoulder and arm. It does feel like it's finally starting to recover after about a month which is normal for a rotator cuff tear. It also gets less painful after shooting for awhile and seemed to disappear completely after a couple Aleves and a couple of ales the one time I tried drinking it away.
Click to expand...
If you suspect a rotor cuff tear I advise you to have it checked as soon a possible.
I know of two people that continued to play and made matters worse. By continuing to play they made the repair more difficult and recovery time last longer.
 
I have shoulder and neck pain as well. I've started applying heat from a hair blower to my neck and shoulders before I start playing and it seems to help me. It just relaxes my muscles to the point that they don't feel so stretched out.
 
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