{"id":18406,"date":"2024-12-15T03:03:43","date_gmt":"2024-12-15T04:03:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=18406"},"modified":"2024-12-15T13:25:39","modified_gmt":"2024-12-15T13:25:39","slug":"dartitis-the-condition-where-you-try-to-throw-a-dart-but-cant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=18406","title":{"rendered":"Dartitis: The condition where you try to throw a dart – but can’t"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"GettyGetty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Former professional darts champion Kevin Painter has thrown arrows almost every day for 40 years. <\/p>\n

Throughout his career he thrived under pressure, playing in the most prestigious competitions<\/a> and taking home more than \u00a3900,000 in prize money. <\/p>\n

But earlier this year, he went to throw a dart and it physically would not leave his hand. <\/p>\n

“You’re in shock, I stood there for ages. I just couldn’t get my arm up to let go of the dart,” he said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Kevin was suffering from dartitis, a mental condition where the brain stops a player from being able to release a dart. <\/p>\n

Finding a cure would become the 57-year-old’s latest challenge. <\/p>\n

“[Dartitis is] in the absence of any physical trauma, it’s purely psychological,” said Dr Linda Duffy, professor of psychology at Middlesex University. <\/p>\n

From 1982 to 1987 she was ranked women’s world number one and also experienced dartitis. <\/p>\n

“I used to combat it with extra practice. It was heard of back in the day, but not many people spoke about it,” she said. <\/p>\n

Dartitis can affect all players, professional or amateur. <\/p>\n

Jack Langston, a darts referee and online content creator, was 12 when he first experienced the condition. <\/p>\n

“There was a little pause just before I threw the dart,” he said. <\/p>\n

It was barely noticeable at first but eventually it became so bad he would take 60 seconds to throw three darts. <\/p>\n

By the age of 13, he was forced to quit and at the time, considered his darts career to be over. <\/p>\n

“You’re turning up and getting beat by people you know you should be beating,” he said. <\/p>\n

“It’s so demoralising. It’s a real mental struggle.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Every case is different, and there is no one single cause, but lots of players report it comes from a fear of missing. <\/p>\n

“It’s brought on by anxiety and stress,” Kevin said. <\/p>\n

“Where others have panic attacks, for me it manifested as dartitis.”<\/p>\n

After he first experienced the condition, Kevin was introduced to a hypnotherapist. <\/p>\n

Chris O’Connor runs Eccleston Park Hypnotherapy, the official hypnotherapy partner of the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA). <\/p>\n

During his sessions, the patient lies on a sofa and is guided into a trance where they are then “hit with all the confidence work and the motivation work”, Mr O’Connor said. <\/p>\n

“It’s all about getting them to visualise an area of their life they want to improve.”<\/p>\n

After eight sessions, it seemed Kevin’s dartitis had been cured. <\/p>\n

He thanked Mr O’Connor and said the treatment had worked, in a video posted to social media. <\/p>\n

But two weeks later, during a televised match at the World Senior Darts tour, the condition returned. <\/p>\n

“I was really, really disappointed,” he said. “I thought it had gone.”<\/p>\n

Dr Duffy admitted she is unconvinced by hypnotherapy. <\/p>\n

“I don’t think it’ll work – ever – because throwing darts is a conscious skill. So having therapy on your unconscious movements, I don’t think is going to help it,” she said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"DrDr Linda Duffy<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Perhaps due to its name, players have a tendency to view dartitis as a problem unique to the sport which therefore demands unique solutions. <\/p>\n

But Dr Duffy emphasises “it’s just another cognitive disorder, so it should be treated that way”. <\/p>\n

She prefers to use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), where the player reframes dartitis as a challenge they need to overcome. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Unlike Kevin, Jack has managed to shake his dartitis and with lasting results.<\/p>\n

In January, the 31-year-old decided to start throwing with his left hand. <\/p>\n

“[It was] the biggest decision of my entire life playing darts,” he said. <\/p>\n

But it worked, and within three months he was winning matches at amateur tournaments. <\/p>\n

Alongside his better performances, Jack found another benefit – he no longer needed to drink alcohol to play. <\/p>\n

“I used to shake if I didn’t have a beer I’d be so nervous,” he said. <\/p>\n

“If you’d have told me a year ago I’d play darts sober, I wouldn’t have believed you.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"JackJack Langston<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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To help aid his recovery, Kevin has also started to drink less.<\/p>\n

“It’s no secret everyone likes a drink when they play,” he said.<\/p>\n

“But you have to put the effort [into the treatment]. I like to go for a walk in the mornings to clear my head.”<\/p>\n

While reducing alcohol consumption is a welcome benefit, Dr Duffy is clear she does not think there is a link between drinking and dartitis. <\/p>\n

“The underlying mechanisms that cause dartitis are the same things that cause any other anxiety disorder,” she said. <\/p>\n

Kevin plans to continue his hypnotherapy treatment, hoping this time the dartitis stays away for good. <\/p>\n

“Everyone’s been very supportive,” he said. <\/p>\n

“I’ve spoken to so many people who have it or have had it. I wouldn’t have had those conversations if I didn’t get dartitis.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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