Stress on the Repetitive

Over the past few months I've been noting a painful twinge in my right wrist. At times it has been bad enough to keep me from doing things-- for example my kayaking while visiting Maine this summer was at a minimum. It's gotten bad enough that the sports medicine doctor looking after my achilles tendon recommended an MRI.

The potential causes of this affliction? It doesn't seem to be carpal tunnel, so I can keep blogging away. I can think of two possiblities-- Pappy or Pappy. Either his antics chasing after cats and lunging at dogs while on leash caught me at a bad angle, or I'm a victim of ball tossing. I'm pretty certain it was the latter, because we are talking about hundreds of hours of fetch. I would get a little bored from time to time, and would try my fast ball, then trick shots ricocheting off of trees, then the long bomb the length of the dog park, then the misdirection throw over the shoulder or around the back. I'm like the one man Harlem Globetrotters of chucking.

The MRI didn't turn up anything, so I've just been resting the wrist. I've been working at throwing with my left arm, but the results are pretty feeble and can end up just about anywhere within a 180 degree range. I have yet to throw behind myself, but I'm sure that's coming. Pappy got me a Chuckit ball sling for my birthday, but that doesn't seem much less stressful on my wrist than throwing. Occasionally I gingerly throw with my right arm, and it's pure bliss. Those were the glory days.