Lawn Bowls

[Pusph]

Hi I went a bowls taster session on Saturday - a nice gentle sport I thought, that I could manage with the added benefit of social activities as I'm on my own. It was great fun and I really wasn't too bad at it. However I woke up a couple of days later and all the muscles at the top of my legs and in my bottom really ache! I'm guessing crouching low with a weight in one hand (and they really are a weight!!) is making me use muscles I don't normally use!? To cap it all I tripped over my cat and to stop myself completely going over stamped my leg down to save myself and now my hips really ache!I'm going to see how a few days of rest go as the training sessions don't start until the 24th and I really enjoyed it and want to continue if I can! This illness does seem to impact everything!🙄☹️

[123-go]

Hello, Pusph. It seems that you’ve answered your own question and have strained muscles you don’t normally use. See this:

nhsinform.scot/illnesses-an...

What dose of prednisolone are you on now?

[Pusph in reply to 123-go]

Hi I've just gone down to 3.25mg.

[123-go in reply to Pusph]

Ok. Although it is fairly clear your aches and pains aren’t due to PMR it may be best if you don’t taper your Pred until your aches and pains have lessened…better safe than sorry. If you’re not already doing so I suggest paracetamol to help on your way:

pmrgca.org.uk/information-a....

I hope you’ll soon feel better.

[SnazzyD]

Any new movement can cause strain. I wonder if you would notice if you went to a gym and a trainer told you to do all those movements in one go with a weight in one hand. I bet you would. I would say because it was fun, you didn’t notice the exercise. Fun has a lot to answer for! 🙂. And pets! My dogs are the cause of many a mishap.

You might want to start slowly and perhaps do the some kind of work on the other side so your shoulders and neck are balanced.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Ah - an innocent at large!!!! Not a sport I would associate the words nice and gentle with - for all sorts of reasons but then, I have lived in large villages with VERY competitive bowls clubs ... 😂😉😮

The position - bending over, crouching a bit, lifting weights that at their lightest are nearly 3lbs, learning the action required, and all that repeatedly - not surprised you are sore afterwards! Like every sort of exercise, when you have PMR, you need to build up slowly. VERY slowly!

But if the weather plays ball too - a lovely way to get out, meet others and have a social life.

[Groggrim]

This illness does seem to impact everything!🙄☹️

Yes Pusph, it does. I was only thinking that and feeling sad about it. Our 11 year old grandson is staying with us. He is a wonderful young man and a delight, however he also has ASD and ADHD and I struggle to keep up with him, it is relentless 🫨. He and his grandad have just gone off to the tennis courts and I feel as though I have been run over by a 🚜. There was a time that I would at least have gone to watch but I can't even think straight 🥴.

This is the legacy of PMR and Pred and it stinks. But it is what it is and his grandad is great with him. GS can't understand why I don't 'want' to do things and I can't explain in a way he can understand 😔

[byebyebicycle]

Hi Pusph, I took up bowling 3 years ago some 18 months before I got PMR. 2 or 3 hours out on the green was a little tiring. After PMR it is much more tiring - I now sit down at each end and let others organise things only getting up to bowl - it does help a lot and everyone understands. There's even a couple of guys in their 80's who find bending difficult and they use a stick like contraption which holds the ball and releases it with a trigger as you swing your arm. I'm very keen to carry on bowling because the social side is so good. good luck.

[ChrisBeeLoop]

As PMRpro says, bowls is not an easy sport! It is a heavy weight to handle, and most of the weight is taken on one side, no wonder you are aching. Also, are you aware that the bowls come in different weights? Firstly there are men's bowls and ladies' bowls, and within that different weights. I bought some very light ladies' bowls second hand and they are Size 0 and weigh 1.24kg each. There is definitely a Size 00 and I think there may be a 000. Take a look on Facebook marketplace for a lightweight secondhand set, and just play a couple of round each time for fun.

[Obscureclouds]

I took up bowls in my late 40s it was a great way to get some exercise and meet some lovely people on a nice sunny day - not so good in the cold and wet. When I started I didn’t realise rain doesn’t stop play. Sadly because of work commitments and arthritic knees I decided to give it up. It’s not such an easy sport as people imagine as the green can be really heavy going at times so it can be a struggle to get your bowl up to the Jack especially if you have lighter weight woods which don’t have the momentum to travel so far as the heavier ones. Technique helps a lot so it’s worth persevering if you can as it certainly a good way to enjoy a few hours in the fresh air (playing indoors in the winter is much easier) Good Luck

[Pinkcrocs]

Good morning Pusph🙂I think its a new exercise and needs to be taken slowly until your body is ok with it.

I know it is v annoying especially when there's so much to be gained from doing it.

Can you go along and watch on your rest days?

Recovery and rest and then small sessions and rest might be the way forward. It sounds a great place to be and meeting lovely folk is so important too.

Best wishes

x

[Pixix]

But this would happen to people without PMR, surely? When I tried new sports (before PMR) I always had trouble! SometimesPMR& pred get used as the scapegoat for everything!! I did some light gardening for first time this year, due to being on crutches & other illnesses, & this morning a lot of the muscles I haven’t used for six months are moaning. Is this because ofPMR?? To be honest, I didn’t think so until I read your post…I just thought it was using muscles that weren’t used to ‘work’!!??!!

[jayemmemm]

Hi, Pusph,

My bowls club has a metal support on which to lean when delivering the wood. I found it very useful for a while although now I am merely a social member due to advancing age. I agree that bowls is a wonderful activity for all ages and I hope you can continue to enjoy it.

[KerryIreland]

We play short mat bowls in the winter which is a wonderful social activity… I can’t play in matches anymore because it takes too long and becomes too repetitive,but if I play socially we stop for tea or coffee in the middle and don’t play overall for so long. Also, I now have a “picker upper” so not so much bending.! Hope you can get back to it …best wishes.