Bowling and Joint Pain

If you’re a bowler, you’ve likely experienced joint pain at some point. This pain occurs when joints become inflamed. Inflammation seems to be a buzzword right now in the health community. We often hear things like, “That particular food causes inflammation…that’s due to the inflammatory response in your body…your joint is inflamed,” etc.

How does inflammation in the body, which will also be referred to as systemic inflammation, impact our bowling games? This article will briefly explain what exactly systemic inflammation is, the physiological process in the body, the overall health implications, and how to reduce inflammation in our bodies in order to feel our best and maximize our performance on the lanes.

What is systemic inflammation?

There are two kinds of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is what happens inside the body when you get injured and your body is trying to heal a specific area. The body initiates a response that includes swelling, tenderness, hotness, and pain. If you are thinking that sounds like a bruise, you are absolutely right.

Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is caused by an overstimulated immune system, either from internal or external triggers, and/or from certain food choices. It typically manifests as joint pain, bloating, overall fatigue, brain fog, and over time it shows up on our skin as wrinkles. We will explore this more and its impact on our bowling games throughout the article.

There are a few currently known biomarkers that measure the inflammatory response in the body. The biomarker that is most commonly utilized to measure general systemic inflammation is known as hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein). Several other biomarkers are being explored in research and in practice, but if you are interested in having yours checked, ...