Playing pool might seem like a safe sport to many out there. It does not pose any threats of injury like basketball, football, Bowlingball or any other extreme physical sport. But it still can be an unsafe sport at times. Small injuries from playing pool go on to become big health problems in the future.
But what if you had a clear idea about pool injuries beforehand? This article is written keeping that factor in mind.
Knowing about pool injuries beforehand can help you prevent them even before they happen. We have compiled a list of top 10 effective pool injuries, which may occur to you during any time playing the game.
Pool Injuries You Can Have Playing on the Table
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Fractured wrist
This is a pretty uncommon injury, but it does happen. Incidents, like playing with an injured hand or hitting your hand hard on the table, can cause injuries like a fractured wrist.
This can happen even if you use the best pool tables with proper comforts. It is best to consult a doctor as soon as you face this kind of injury. A fractured wrist must be wrapped with a cast immediately as it needs healing.
Sometimes a wrist fracture is so severe; you might need to go through a wrist surgery. Avoid playing with a fractured wrist, as it might cause permanent damage to your wrist. Give it some proper time to heal.
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Waist injury due to bending too much
Don’t ever dare to bend from the waist when taking a shot on the pool table. You may put a strain on the waist, which may result in back and waist pain.
Always try to bend from the hip. This is the right position when taking a shot. First stand upright and hold the cue stick in your hand properly. Put your hand on your hips and bend from the hip joints.
Bending from the waist applies pressure on the back. You don’t want that to happen. Always try to bend in a way so that you stay comfortable. There should not be any tension on your muscles when taking a shot.
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Tendonitis injury
This type of injury occurs when too much pressure is applied to the wrist, causing the tendon sheath to inflame. This could lead to swelling and some severe wrist pain.
Severe tendonitis can actually bench you, so be careful. Avoid playing with an injured hand, as it may cause long-term damage.
Take some time off and let it heal. In the meantime, you could watch your friend and opponents play and learn from their mistakes and way of playing pool.
Try putting some ice on the tendonitis affected area. This will help you to cure this injury a bit faster.
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Spraining the wrist
If excessive pressure is applied to the wrist, it may soon lead to injuries like spraining the wrist. This will limit your hand use and cause you severe pain.
Take some rest from the pool match and apply some ice to the affected area. Compress the sprain injury by wrapping it with some elastic tape or bandage.
It is also advisable to hang your sprained wrist using some bandage across your neck.
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Shoulder bursitis
Excessive and repetitive movement of your shoulder and its ligaments can lead to you facing problems like shoulder bursitis. The gap between your shoulder joints has lubrication filled sacs called shoulder bursa.
This shoulder bursa helps with the smooth movement of your shoulders. The subacromial bursa is inflamed causing your shoulder pain.
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Slipped foot
Your foot might slip if you are trying to stretch too far while taking a shot with your cue stick. This injury mainly happens when you try to balance yourself on just one foot while taking a shot. A slipped foot might lead to a sprained foot injury or something worse like a torn ligament or fractured foot.
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Hitting the pool table lights
This pool injury may occur if you are a tall pool player. A pool player usually bends a lot when taking a shot. His/her whole concentration is on the game.
After the shot, he/she will obviously pay less attention to the lights above their head and quickly raise themselves up. This will then result in them connecting with the overhead lights, thus injuring the head.
The injury might be a small bruise or a minor fracture in the skull. Always try avoiding long reach shots, to prevent this kind of pool injuries from occurring.
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Getting jabbed or tapped in the head by a cue stick
This kind of injury usually occurs when a player passes too close to a player already bent over in a stroke, ready to take a shot at any moment.
Sometimes your opponent might not pay attention and may hit you in the head with the cue stick, especially if you are standing right behind him/her.
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Getting hit by a ball hard in face or stomach
Always drop a ball in the other player’s hand and do not toss it. Make sure the other player does the same.
Tossing the ball towards someone might result in it hitting their head or stomach badly. Also, avoid trying gimmicks or stunts like juggling the pool balls.
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Cutting your hand
This type of injury might occur from protrusions in the pool table pockets. Sometimes pool table trims are damaged and may have sharp edges sticking out. Direct contact with these sharp edges might result in a severe cut.
See More: How to Build a Pool Table
Final thoughts
Careless people will invent numerous ways, which may cause you injury during playing pool. Some of the most common pool injuries occur due to carelessness from either you or your opponent.
Make sure always to double check your surroundings before taking a shot. Always remember that there is no hurry in taking your shot. Do not be impatient, and wait for your turn always.
The above article has mentioned top 10 effective pool injuries that you might face.
They will help you take precautions beforehand, and keep yourself and your opponents away from any injuries. We sincerely hope that they will be helpful for you in the game of pool.
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