Introduction: Bowling is an immensely popular, but
scarcely researched sport associated with overuse injuries in
its participants. The purpose of this study was to investigate
and report on the incidence of common upper extremity
complaints in elite bowling athletes.
Materials and methods: All Malaysian national level
bowlers (n=39) were evaluated via questionnaire on their
upper limb symptoms. A focused, relevant clinical
examination was performed on each subject to exclude de
Quervain’s tenosynovitis, tennis and golfer's elbow, carpal
tunnel syndrome and trigger finger. The athletes were then
allowed to resume bowling for two hours before completing
another symptom-related questionnaire.
Results: Pain was the predominantly observed symptom,
with a predilection for the wrist, ring and middle fingers, and
thumb. De Quervain’s tenosynovitis was found in 53.8%
(n=21) of the subjects, with 52.4% and 42.9% of them
experiencing pain during and after training, respectively.
Other repetitive injury-related disorders were also
considerably more common than in their non-playing limb
and the general population.
Conclusion: The incidence of de Quervain’s tenosynovitis
was exceptionally high in this population. Further studies on
sports kinematics are needed to prevent long term
morbidities in these athletes.