The sad reality of amateur cricket is very few play pain-free cricket. This is even sadder considering it doesn’t have to be that way! With the right strength & conditioning, you can enjoy the game you love without pain. But let’s assume you’re not there right now and have instead found this article as you’re suffering from a cricket-related injury. Where do you go from here? We’ve got you, let’s get stuck in.

Upper-body Cricket Injuries

Lower Back Pain

Symptoms

Players often experience dull or sharp pain, muscle stiffness, or difficulty moving or bending. “Whats the best stretch for your lower back” is probably the most common question we get but it isn’t quite that simple…

*For the purpose of this article, we aren’t focused on stress fractures but you can click here for more information on that particular injury.

Causes

Often results from repetitive twisting motions during bowling or batting, and poor conditioning and/or posture. Ultimately, the lower back struggles because it’s doing more than it’s supposed to. A lack of mobility through the hips and thoracic spine, coupled with weak glutes & core, send the lower back into overdrive. It has to compensate and pick up the slack from other areas not doing their job.

Prevention Tips

Focus on core & glute strengthening alongside improving mobility in the hips and thoracic spine. This will help you to improve your technique and posture during play to reduce your risk of injury. Be aware of gradual onset low back pain as this can be one of the key symptoms secondary to a lumbar pars stress fracture. 

Treatments

Treatments may include physiotherapy or more holistic treatment modalities. Consulting with a sports medicine specialist is crucial for a tailored treatment plan.

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Thrower's Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)

Symptoms

This injury manifests as pain on the inner side of the elbow, which may extend along the inner side of the forearm. Pain typically worsens with throwing motions or when gripping objects, such as your bat.

Causes

Repeated stress from overusing the forearm muscles, especially during bowling or throwing, can lead to thrower's elbow. The throwing mechanism adopted by both close-in fielders and fast bowlers is a whip-like motion of the arm, which places repetitive valgus strain on the elbow. If the shoulder isn’t appropriately conditioned then the elbow is going to be picking up the slack and working overtime. 

Prevention Tips

Regular breaks and proper warm-ups before playing are essential. Using equipment appropriate to one's skill level and body size can also prevent overloading the elbow. Also, focus on bulletproofing your shoulders. Focus on the big muscle group areas to protect the smaller ones!

Treatments

Rest and ice are initial conservative treatments. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and physical therapy focusing on stretching and strengthening can be effective. Severe cases may require medical intervention.

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Lateral epicondylitis 

Symptoms 

Pain, burning, or an ache along the outside of the forearm and elbow. It may get worse and spread down to the wrist if you continue to partake in the activity that aggravates the condition. Your grip may also become weak.

Causes

Lateral epicondylitis is common in batsmen and is often caused by improper batting biomechanics or inappropriate equipment such as a heavy bat. 

Prevention Tips 

Stay away from repetitive movements where appropriate or train the body to be strong enough to withstand the demands required of the sport. Warm up before exercising or using your arms for sports or other repetitive movements. Also making sure your equipment is right for you.

Treatment

This injury is managed in the early stages using physiotherapy and rehabilitation to recover strength imbalances of the forearm and correct biomechanical alterations in the elbow. For persistent symptoms referral may be warranted for further opinion. 

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Side Strain

Symptoms

Sharp pain on one side of the abdomen, particularly noticed during bowling or sudden movements.

Causes

Side strains are typically caused by sudden contractions of the abdominal muscles during a forceful bowling or throwing action. This is exacerbated by too much lateral flexion or “falling over” when you’re bowling.

Prevention Tips

Strengthening the core muscles, especially the obliques, and ensuring proper bowling technique is key. Regular stretching and warm-up exercises before games can also reduce risk. Side planks, farmer carries and Palof variations are great starting points for anti-lateral flexion

Treatments

PEACE & LOVE approach if soft tissue injury is suspected. Treatment may also consist of taping, a rehabilitation program aimed at pain relief, recovery of mobility and strength, and modifying bowling technique as the pain subsides. The role of corticosteroid injections is controversial, although they have been administered with some success.

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Shoulder Injuries

Symptoms

Discomfort, stiffness, and pain in the shoulder, especially when lifting the arm or moving it away from the body.

Causes

Shoulder injuries in cricket often stem from repetitive overuse, such as frequent bowling or throwing. If the rotator cuff isn’t doing its job of acting as a break, then the shoulder joint is going to have its work cut out. Since fielding and bowling involve overhead throwing and abnormal torque across the shoulder joint, this activity is most at risk for shoulder injuries.

Prevention Tips

Proper technique is crucial, as well as exercises that strengthen and stabilise the shoulder muscles and rotator cuff. 

Treatments

Depending on the severity, treatments can range from rest and ice to anti-inflammatory medications and physical therapy. In some cases, surgery may be necessary.

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Rotator Cuff Tear

Symptoms

Pain and weakness in the shoulder, particularly when reaching overhead. A noticeable snapping sound or sensation may also occur during movement.

Causes

Rotator cuff tears can occur from acute injury or due to the degeneration of the tendon tissue over time.

Prevention Tips

Strengthening the rotator cuff and supporting muscles through specific exercises can greatly help in prevention.

Treatments

Minor tears often heal with physical therapy, which includes exercises to restore strength and flexibility. More significant tears may require surgical intervention if deemed appropriate upon seeking further assessment.

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Wrist & Hand Injuries

Symptoms

Pain, swelling, and reduced range of motion in the wrist or hand.

Causes

Commonly result from falls, direct impacts, or repetitive stress from batting and bowling or during catching e.g. mallet finger.

Prevention Tips

Strengthening exercises for the hand and wrist, along with proper technique, can reduce the risk. You should also focus upstream and build strong biceps, triceps and forearms so the wrists haven’t got more to do that they can handle.

Treatments

Treatment includes PEACE and LOVE approach for soft tissue injury. Severe cases may require physical therapy or surgery. Strapping the last 2 fingers has been advocated to prevent injuries

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Lower body cricket injuries

Contusions

Symptoms

Bruising, swelling, and pain at the injury site are common symptoms of contusions.

Causes

Direct impacts, such as being hit by the ball or colliding with another player, commonly cause contusions in cricket.

Prevention Tips

Wearing the correct protective gear can help shield against impacts. Also, use your bat ;)

Treatments

To optimise soft tissue recovery utilise: PEACE and LOVE. These two acronyms (PEACE and LOVE) include the full range of soft tissue injury management from immediate care to subsequent management. It also highlights the potential harmful effects of using anti-inflammatory medication for recovery.

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Sprained Ankle

Symptoms

Swelling, bruising, pain when bearing weight, and limited range of motion are typical symptoms of a sprained ankle.

Causes

Ankle sprains usually occur when the foot twists or rolls inward, causing the ligaments outside the ankle to stretch or tear.

Prevention Tips

Balance and proprioceptive exercises can strengthen the muscles around the ankle, improving stability. Proper footwear that offers good support is also crucial. Building a strong foot-calf-achilles complex is also a key focus. Building support around the joint gives the ankle more stability.

Treatments

This is individualised and dependent on the grade of the injury which is determined based on the amount of force during the mechanism of injury which can be diagnosed by a healthcare professional based on symptoms.

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Hamstring Strain

Symptoms

Sudden sharp pain in the back of the thigh, sometimes accompanied by a popping or snapping feeling.

Causes

Overstretching, or tearing of the hamstring muscles, often occurring during high-speed running or abrupt starts and stops.

Prevention Tips

A thorough warm up is a great first step. Secondly, you should focus on hamstring exercises that take you through a full range of motion, working both the proximal & distal ends. Finally, sprinting needs to be approached the same way as bowling is. We can’t just go from zero to 100, we have to build our volume and intensity up gradually and have sprinting as a regular instalment in any training we do.

Treatments

Hamstring strain injuries remain a challenge for both athletes and clinicians, given their high incidence rate, slow healing, and persistent symptoms. The initial recovery of a hamstring injury should include the PEACE and LOVE approach. Physiotherapy is key to rehabilitating the muscle back to normal function. The healing tissue will need protection initially and then gradual, milestone-based reintroduction to activity to prevent scar tissue and stiffness from developing.

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Groyne Injuries

Symptoms

Pain and tenderness in the groyne and inner thigh area, especially when bringing the legs together or raising the knee.

Causes

Groyne injuries typically occur from sudden movements during running, twisting, or turning.

Prevention Tips

Regular stretching and strengthening exercises for the hip adductors and flexors. Also, you should be building change of direction (COD) work into your training. Doing this in a closed environment will reduce your risk of injury when you have to react in an open environment e.g. game.

Treatments

PEACE and LOVE approach initially, followed by a gradual exercise rehabilitation program. Persistent issues may require medical evaluation.

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Medial Meniscus Tear

Symptoms

Pain, swelling, and locking or catching sensation in the knee are common indicators of a medial meniscus tear.

Causes

This injury can occur due to forceful twisting or rotation of the knee, often while the foot is planted.

Prevention Tips

Exercises that enhance knee stability and flexibility can help prevent these injuries.

Treatments

Treatment ranges from physical therapy to surgical repair depending on the severity of the tear.

Cricket, like any sport, carries an inherent risk of injury. However, with the right knowledge and support, many injuries can be prevented or effectively treated. At Cricfit, in partnership with the White House Clinic, we are dedicated to not only helping you recover from injuries but also to preventing them with tailored strength and conditioning programmes and physiotherapy support. Whether you're looking to recover from an injury or prevent future ones, we're here to support your cricketing journey.

What is being done in cricket to help minimise injuries?

Injury prevention programmes are present in many sports including cricket,  however, injuries can involve a vast range of factors, some that are controllable and others that are very difficult to control. 

This can be illustrated in fast bowlers for example who have a high incidence of serious and career-threatening lumbar spine injuries. These injuries can be sustained acutely during bowling or can be chronic resulting from repetitive stress of lateral flexion with rotation sustained during the delivery stride and follow-through. 

Several key screening tests are also being utilised to help identify bowlers at a higher risk of sustaining back and lower trunk injuries. Poor performance on these tests is predictive of injuries later in the season.

Cricket injury prevalence

While the incidence of cricket injuries hasn’t changed much, the prevalence of injuries has been steadily increasing. This is attributable to the increasing number of matches played and the decreasing rest periods between matches. The most common cricket injury reported is hamstring strain, and the most severe is a lumbar stress fracture in young fast bowlers, which is usually season-ending. 

Conclusion

Modern-day cricket requires greater physical prowess, and it is the duty of the players, medical / physiotherapy and coaching and administrative staff to balance off the need for very high performance, but also consider the need for recovery and tissue adaptation after games and training in addition, to incorporating measures to ensure that unnecessary injuries do not prevent players from fulfilling their full potential in the sport. 

It is encouraging to note that there is an ever improving understanding of cricket's scientific and medical aspects, along with advances in surgical and nonsurgical techniques. However, the prevalence of cricket injuries has increased, their severity has ultimately decreased over the past decades, and the time to return to play has shortened considerably.