Cricket injuries: Drive them out of the boundary

Do you love playing cricket? Do you have a budding cricketer at home? Here is a round-up of the most common cricket injuries and ways to prevent them or at least reduce their impact.

Editorial Team | Published: May 3, 2019 5:50 pm

A player can get injured in various ways while playing cricket due to overuse or hyperextension of a muscle. ©Getty Images

With the Indian Premiere League (IPL ) 2019 in full swing and the ICC Cricket World Cup about to commence (30th May), the whole of India is engulfed in cricket fever. Cricket, at one point of time, used to be a winter sport. But with time, this game started to be played throughout the year. Now, you have some cricket match almost every other day. According to a 2019 report by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), India’s last domestic cricket season (2018-19) witnessed more than 2,000 matches being played involving over 6,400 players among both the genders whereas during the previous season (2017-18), the number of matches was 1032. With this increase in the number of cricket matches played, there has been an uptick in the instance of injuries as well because cricketers hardly get any rest. Cricket injuries can affect the fittest of players and keep them out of the field for long. Take MS Dhoni for example. The captain of Chennai Super Kings, Dhoni had to sit out for a couple games in the this IPL series, thanks to his aching back. This was the first time in nearly a decade that the former India captain had to be off field in an IPL match for an injury.

Though cricket is not a combat sport like boxing or mixed martial arts, it is a contact sport indeed. So, injuries are common in this game. A player can get injured in various ways while playing cricket and your body is more prone to damages at the start of a season (due to sudden increase in the workload) or when the season is about to conclude (too much workload). However, the injuries can be avoided or their impact can at least be reduced if you have strong bones and muscles. If you love playing cricket or have an aspiring cricketer at home, make sure that strengthening workouts are practised regularly. In case of an injury, the usual line of treatment includes ice treatment for 20 to 30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 to 3 days, thigh compression with a bandage and painkillers. In severe cases, you may need intravenous injections or surgical intervention.

Here is a list of common cricket injuries and ways to prevent them or at least reduce their impact.

Rotator cuff tear

Rotator cuff is a group of muscles and ligaments that surround the joint of your shoulder. Repetitive movements can lead to a tear in your rotator cuff muscles. Bowlers are more prone to this injury as compared to batsmen because they have to throw the ball regularly which necessitates the rotation of their rotator cuff muscles. During a T20 game the minimum repetitions of this rotation are around 24 times for a bowler while the same goes up to 60 in the 50-over format. A damaged rotator cuff will make it difficult for you to take part in any of the three departments of the game: Bowling, batting and fielding. If your rotator cuff is injured, you will experience pain over the top of the shoulder, heaviness in the arm and inability to lift your arm above your head. Visit a physical therapist to understand your condition. He will perform a physical examination to assess your injury and, in some cases, MRI scan or CT scan can also help in the diagnosis.
Pain protection: If you want to reduce your risk of suffering from a rotator cuff tear, you should stretching exercises that work on your shoulders and enhance their flexibility. Doorway stretch, sleeper stretch are a few stretching exercises you can opt for. These exercises work on reducing the tightness around your shoulder.

Hamstring pull

Another common occurrence in cricket, hamstring injuries usually affect fast bowlers who tend to put a lot of strain on their thighs as they approach to their delivery stride. Some estimates suggest that hamstring issues account for 15 per cent of all the cricket-related injuries. In some cases, even a batsman or a fielder can injure their hamstrings while running between the wickets or chasing a ball in the field.
Pain protection: It is mandatory for every sportsperson to have a warm up session at least 20 minutes before he takes to the field. You can lower your chances of a hamstring pull by performing exercises like lunge with a twist, body bridges, slump leg swings, and basic glutes stretches. All of these exercises work to ease your hamstring, hip flexor and glutes (three muscles that can lead to a hamstring pull).

Lower back pain

Fast bowling requires a combination of spinal hyperextension and if you are frequently extending your spine, you are more likely to experience lower back pain. Even the wicketkeepers who have to consistently crouch and stand throughout the game tend to develop lower back pain on a regular basis. Various parts of your lower back including discs, ligaments, muscles or facet joints are in danger when you are out on the field playing cricket.
Pain protection: You need to strengthen your lower back muscles if you want to prevent lower back pain. Knee-to-chest stretches, lower back rotational stretches, pelvic tilts, lying lateral leg lifts are the few recommended exercises to strengthen your lower back.

Side strain

You must have heard this term very often while watching cricket. This is another injury that is more common in bowlers as compared to batsmen. When a bowler delivers a ball, he puts a lot of strain on his lateral muscles. Initially it may look like a stiffness in the abdominal region, but it can suddenly cause severe pain that makes it difficult for a bowler to complete their action. Pain protection: Warm-ups and stretching workouts are a must to reduce the risk of this injury. Also, make sure that your torso is warm. Practise trunk rotation and side flexion exercises

Ankle sprain

Ankle injury can affect anyone on the cricket field, regardless of their role (batting, bowling or fielding). The most common ankle injuries that you see on a cricket field include twist while running or accidently stepping on the ball. Pain protection: Exercises like calf raise, shin raise and single leg balance prevent your ankles from rolling in and out and give them better control when there is a shift in your body weight during a match. Moving your ankles clockwise and anti clockwise while you are sitting with your legs extended to the front will also help. Additionally, try lunges and resistance band workouts.

Groin injury

Groin injuries are commonly found in a cricket field. They take place when a batsman swings extremely hard to send the ball over the boundary rope or when a fielder dives as he tries to take a catch. This happens due to the overuse and over extension of your hip abductor and hip adductor muscles. If you suffer from a groin injury, it can slow down your movement or in some cases, you may not be able to move at all.
Pain protection: Stretch your hamstrings, inner and outer thigh muscles to keep your groin muscles smooth. This will help you avoid or reduce the impact of groin injury. Focus on cricket-specific drills that will help your muscles adjust to the movements required for change of direction or other manoeuvres. Also, focussing on your core stability will reduce the chance of strain in your adductor muscles, one of the reasons behind groin injury

Published: May 3, 2019 5:50 pm

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