diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioDatagramChannel.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioDatagramChannel.java
index 29d54f40cd..a82fa60d00 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioDatagramChannel.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioDatagramChannel.java
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@
  */
 package org.jboss.netty.channel.socket.nio;
 
-import static org.jboss.netty.channel.Channels.*;
+import static org.jboss.netty.channel.Channels.fireChannelInterestChanged;
+import static org.jboss.netty.channel.Channels.fireChannelOpen;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.InetAddress;
@@ -27,7 +28,6 @@ import java.nio.channels.DatagramChannel;
 import java.util.Queue;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
-import java.util.concurrent.locks.Lock;
 import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantLock;
 
 import org.jboss.netty.buffer.ChannelBuffer;
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ class NioDatagramChannel extends AbstractChannel
     /**
      * Monitor object for synchronizing access to the {@link WriteBufferQueue}.
      */
-    final Lock writeLock = new ReentrantLock();
+    final ReentrantLock writeLock = new ReentrantLock();
 
     /**
      * WriteTask that performs write operations.
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioDatagramWorker.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioDatagramWorker.java
index 72194c20dd..62d26ae90b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioDatagramWorker.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioDatagramWorker.java
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
 import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReadWriteLock;
+import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantLock;
 import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantReadWriteLock;
 
 import org.jboss.netty.buffer.ChannelBuffer;
@@ -446,7 +447,8 @@ class NioDatagramWorker implements Runnable {
             return;
         }
 
-        if (!channel.writeLock.tryLock()) {
+        final ReentrantLock writeLock = channel.writeLock;
+        if (writeLock.isHeldByCurrentThread() || !writeLock.tryLock()) {
             rescheduleWrite(channel);
             return;
         }
@@ -458,7 +460,7 @@ class NioDatagramWorker implements Runnable {
         boolean removeOpWrite = false;
         int writtenBytes = 0;
 
-        synchronized (channel.writeLock) {
+        try {
             // loop forever...
             for (;;) {
                 MessageEvent evt = channel.currentWriteEvent;
@@ -535,6 +537,8 @@ class NioDatagramWorker implements Runnable {
                     fireExceptionCaught(channel, t);
                 }
             }
+        } finally {
+        	writeLock.unlock();
         }
 
         fireWriteComplete(channel, writtenBytes);
@@ -622,7 +626,8 @@ class NioDatagramWorker implements Runnable {
         boolean fireExceptionCaught = false;
 
         // Clean up the stale messages in the write buffer.
-        synchronized (channel.writeLock) {
+        channel.writeLock.lock();
+        try {
             MessageEvent evt = channel.currentWriteEvent;
             ByteBuffer buf = channel.currentWriteBuffer;
             if (evt != null) {
@@ -667,6 +672,8 @@ class NioDatagramWorker implements Runnable {
                     fireExceptionCaught = true;
                 }
             }
+        } finally {
+        	channel.writeLock.unlock();
         }
 
         if (fireExceptionCaught) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioSocketChannel.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioSocketChannel.java
index 034c3163c7..3a8f6c46c1 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioSocketChannel.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioSocketChannel.java
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import java.nio.channels.SocketChannel;
 import java.util.Queue;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
-import java.util.concurrent.locks.Lock;
 import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantLock;
 
 import org.jboss.netty.buffer.ChannelBuffer;
@@ -61,7 +60,7 @@ class NioSocketChannel extends AbstractChannel
     private volatile InetSocketAddress remoteAddress;
 
     final Object interestOpsLock = new Object();
-    final Lock writeLock = new ReentrantLock();
+    final ReentrantLock writeLock = new ReentrantLock();
 
     final Runnable writeTask = new WriteTask();
     final AtomicBoolean writeTaskInTaskQueue = new AtomicBoolean();
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioWorker.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioWorker.java
index 902486cb38..0dae337fb2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioWorker.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioWorker.java
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
 import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReadWriteLock;
+import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantLock;
 import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantReadWriteLock;
 
 import org.jboss.netty.buffer.ChannelBuffer;
@@ -378,8 +379,9 @@ class NioWorker implements Runnable {
             cleanUpWriteBuffer(channel);
             return;
         }
-
-        if (!channel.writeLock.tryLock()) {
+        
+        final ReentrantLock writeLock = channel.writeLock;
+        if (writeLock.isHeldByCurrentThread() || !writeLock.tryLock()) {
             rescheduleWrite(channel);
             return;
         }
@@ -460,7 +462,7 @@ class NioWorker implements Runnable {
                 }
             }
         } finally {
-            channel.writeLock.unlock();
+            writeLock.unlock();
         }
 
         fireWriteComplete(channel, writtenBytes);