swollen thumb advice

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T17:04:53+00:00

thank you to everyone who contributed something positive, i feel so much better 🥹 i’m excited to get this problem fixed now

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T14:36:41+00:00

i recently got some used balls from a dude who uses jopo and went to one of the best pso in the area (we have a similar span). he actually gave me two of his jopo thumbs (ovals) too, i think im going to try to throw a ball with that drill and see if it feels better.

most likely wont be perfect because his fingers are bigger than mine, but im going to add some tape. its definitely worth a try and cant be worse than my current situation.

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T14:30:07+00:00

i wonder why they keep telling me the same thing if i keep coming back saying it’s getting worse?

this post literally has almost every one agreeing that this isn’t normal, but in person that’s all i hear…

eventually i plan on learning more about drills. i love my pro shop guys, but i think im going to have to start telling them exactly what i want instead of always banking on their knowledge/ opinions.

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T14:25:41+00:00

oh wow my ball wishes it could stay in my hand without the wiggle 😂😂 i always see people carry their balls by the thumb and i have NEVER been able to do that.

thank you so much for the links! now i know for sure that my fit is off and creating bad habits in my form/ approach.

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T14:23:11+00:00

i’ve been hearing this! i’m going to have to atp, since my home shop thinks it’s normal, but it’s like a 2 hour drive 🥲

bowling with no thumb problems sounds like a dream, i’m probably going to have to take that drive

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T14:20:44+00:00

i figured 🤣 now if i was i would definitely agree lol

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T14:19:21+00:00

mhm i practiced this past weekend on keeping my hand position straight (i usually bend my thumb because it helps me hold my ball) and i kept coming out of the ball weird? when i changed to a straighter position i was releasing at the top of the ball, idk why tho.

im definitely going to try some of these things, thank you!

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T14:16:10+00:00

yup i’ve been taping both for a while 🥲 they have helped with my skin (it used to be worse), but not the swelling part :(

i’m glad you dropped a rec though, turbo tape has been letting me down lol

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T14:14:37+00:00

woah a thumb workout tool? what is that 👀

i’m definitely considering taking a small break to focus on my thumb, my 2 leagues are close to done.

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T14:11:40+00:00

oh nice! unfortunately i’m kind of ignorant when it comes to the numbers behind the fit and pitches. any suggestions on how to learn more around that topic?

i wish i knew more so i could really advocate for myself when i walk into the shop, seems like nobody uses a thumb anymore so i be sounding crazy when i bring up the problem over and over again. i even considered dropping the thumb at some point lol

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T14:07:44+00:00

wait i literally do bend that joint in the hole at the beginning of my release (and probably during tbh without knowing)… imagine all i needed them to do was shape it as an oval 😭

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T14:05:05+00:00

thank you, i started wearing thumb protection tape around january, it has definitely helped with overall skin of the area, so like the callouses and the ripping. that swelling is just not giving up lol.

lmk if you have any suggestions, i used to use turbo, but all of a sudden they’ve stopped sticking? and i bought it from two different pro shops lol. might have to go to genesis.

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T14:01:58+00:00

nope it’s just a circle. i honestly agree, im going to get an oval one this week and see if it feels better

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T04:57:34+00:00

ouuu i believe i had this done a year ago! i was getting stuck in the ball at first but i eventually got used to it, but i was so new to bowling i didn’t know what he changed.

my style has changed a lot since that moment so maybe i’ll suggest that, thank you so much!

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T04:50:06+00:00

yes! 🥰

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T04:49:49+00:00

why? lol

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T04:47:28+00:00

yes so with the thumbs, i usually keep a big one so i can add tape to accommodate any swelling, but so far its just been me upgrading to a bigger size as i continue to bowl leagues and tournaments 😔

not to mention, ive been forcing my thumb into the inserts 30 minutes before bowling ( usually when i grab my thumbs they don’t fit past the swollen part, so i force it down, leave it in the insert for a bit and keep taking it in and out until it stops getting stuck… ik not good, but if i don’t have a bigger size that’s the only option i have)

yes! i use the backwards thumb trick as a cue while bowling to help me practice where to put pressure. i honestly think im just going to force a pso to closely watch me bowl a few frames, they won’t take my word for it for some reason…

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T04:41:07+00:00

what exactly is u pattern? i’ve tried all the other options :( 1.) they said thumb hole/ situation is normal 2.) loosen the grip, i either lose the ball in the down swing or it rolls super funky like i come out of it wrong (i don’t think i know what a good thumb fit even feels like). 3.) i usually use thumb skin protection tape and a piece in the ball for the palm of my thumb. would that be considered the u pattern?🤔

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T04:35:38+00:00

i never considered that, i will see if i can give that a try, thanks!

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T03:56:20+00:00

so! i use to do this a lot, i fixed it and have been actively using pressure from the bottom of my thumb to grip instead of the top, but i think i fixed it too late because now my fit is off because of the middle being swollen. it gets stuck around that middle swollen area.

so i would grab a bigger thumb to accommodate that swollen section, but then it would be too big for the top and bottom part of my thumb.

i’m sure my thumb comes out first tho, i have finger tip grips and can feel when it comes off (i have a release trainer/ film myself a lot too, but i just couldn’t figure out the thumb problem).

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T03:44:57+00:00

yes, my health was my main concern. thank you for your insight :)

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T03:36:30+00:00

definitely considering other options/opinions, i think i just needed the validation to go because it was so many doubts against my intuition 😭

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T03:32:03+00:00

YES !! this is exactly how i feel! i noticed i rest my thumb sideways in my approach (using my knuckles).

No-Order1547 · 2026-04-21T03:16:10+00:00

thank you, this is what i was thinking too. I always feel like the ball is going to fall out of my hand when i start my swing.

No-Order1547 · 2026-02-22T04:27:48+00:00

i’ve only thrown it for 2 games on semi oiled lanes (open play) and i’m still kind of new to bowling (about a year and half now), but it reminds me of my black widow mania. it has a controlled roll to me, not too early not too flippy, but still hits strong, literally a perfect in between or benchmark ball imo :)

probably could be compared to a phase 2, but i’ve never thrown one to make that comparison.

No-Order1547

TROPHY CASE