Bowler's Thumb

my thumb on the mend

It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me - I bowl year round. At least 3 times a week: Monday and Wednesday night league + Sunday morning practice.

With all that bowling and double layers of protection tape on my thumb to prevent swelling, sweating and soreness has a big drawback. The lack of moisture, especially in winter, causes the right side of the thumbnail to crack, split and bleed.

My remedy so far has been to moisturize and bandage the thumb. Healing can take weeks only to find the end of the thumbnail split again.

I've tried liquid bandage and super glue. Didn't help. Exacerbated the dryness and caused the skin to peel further down the base of the thumb (see above photo). The affected skin area is red, raw and very sore.

Waterproof bandages work, but not ideally. In most cases they're too small, too big and/or they're nasty looking from dirt buildup having worn them all day.

finger cots, size medium

After some online research, finger cots seemed to be the right solution. So I bought some on Amazon for a little over $5. And yes, they look like mini-condoms.

After I got them, I'd only gone through maybe 1/3 of the box. Why? The medium size is too small for my thumb. If I wore them like I was supposed to, it'd cut off the circulation at the bottom of my thumb. I then tried to wear them only halfway down, but they'd never stay on. By morning, I find it strewn on my bed, making it look like I had too much fun that night.

My next solution: new finger cots for the same price, size extra large. Hopefully, the better fit will result in a thumbs up outcome.