Bowling Injury

Note:  I've tagged this post "Middle Age."  Or "The M Word," as my friend Jane calls it.  I suppose I could tag all of my posts Middle Age, as that is where I am.  But this post is special as it is about the physical discomfort of being middle-aged.  The rest of my blog is about the emotional discomfort of being middle aged.

I sprained my back bowling on Saturday afternoon.  Yes, bowling.  The weather was crummy and the Boy wanted to get out, so the Boy, Jack and I went bowling.  The Big E didn't want to go, so she stayed home and sat on the couch, "reading a book" (i.e., checking her phone every three seconds.)

It really pisses me off that I have a bowling injury.  I feel insanely stupid about the whole thing.  In our first game, Jack joked "Bowling isn't a sport.  It is an activity."  I laughed and was punished by the bowling gods.

It is not as if I am the queen of no physical activity and got a bowling injury because I've sat on the couch 24/7 for the past ten years.  I walk the dog everyday.  Here is a list of things I did in the past year or so where I did not get injured:

• Climbed the Grouse Grind
• Skied at Whistler
• Rode a zipline
• Went white-water rafting
• Rode my bike close to forty miles in one day
• Rode my bike 100 km over three days
• Kayaked (got a small blister on hand from holding paddle too tight)
• Hiked
• Canoed
• Went stand up paddle boarding
• Painted the dining room, bathroom and baseboards in the kitchen
• Cross country skiing

Cross country skiing was probably the most exertion I've had ever.  It uses almost every muscle in your body at the same time, except those used to lift your eyebrows or wiggle your ears.  I'll admit I was sore, but nothing beyond what a soak in the hot tub at the lodge couldn't fix.

The bowling problem started with my attire.  I was dressed as I was earlier in the day.  The Boy and I had Lego Club that morning and then I got my haircut.  I wore one of my three summer skirts because that is what I always wear.  I didn't think I would need special bowling clothes.  There isn't a section at REI for bowling clothes, like there is for ski or biking clothes.  Sure, there are special shoes, but I thought whatever else I had on was fine.  Except this skirt had no flexibility so I couldn't bend down.  Instead, I leaned over at my waist instead of bending my knees and chucked the ball.

This strategy was fine for the first two games.  A few frames into the third game, I bent down to pick up the ball and tweak, my back was not happy.  I finished the frame, but I quit after that.  Sunday I was barely mobile.

Today, I am still sore.  I am taking ibuprofen, which isn't really helping.  What really sucks is that I had to move the vicodin out of the way on the medicine shelf so I could get to the ibuprofen.  The Big E has a fresh and almost full bottle after having her wisdom teeth removed almost two weeks ago.  Argh.  Aside from the fact that vicodin is a controlled substance, I not going to take it as fear I might hurt my back worse if I mask the pain instead of avoiding movements that might cause greater injury.  I am arabesque-ing around the house, loading the dishwasher by tilting up and down on one leg and not bending my back.  I can't empty the lower rack of the dishwasher, feed the dog, move the laundry from the washer to the dryer, put stuff away under the sink, put on my socks, etc.  If I sit too long, I ache.  If I stand too long, I ache.  Good lord, I am going to be a miserable old person.

I feel bad for the kids, as I hurt my back on the last few days of summer.  Summer is supposed to go out with a bang.  I thought perhaps we could go for a bike ride or canoe over to Marsh Island from UW.  Or better yet, bike to the UW Boating Center and then go canoeing.  Oh well.  Maybe next summer.