The most common injuries in the sport of cricket occur in the lower back, thighs, shoulders, and hands. [1] They can be classified as direct injuries or indirect injuries. Direct injuries are due to impact with the cricket ball, bat, or ground. Indirect injuries occur mostly due to repetitive movement causing overuse of muscles. Fast bowlers have the highest injury prevalence rate followed by batsmen. [2]
Shoulder injuries to cricketers are most often a result of fielding. Overuse of the shoulder when throwing repeatedly during fielding in a cricket game can lead to problems such as tendinitis in the biceps, a tear of the supraspinatus tendon, or even degenerative changes to the rotator cuff which could result in surgery to fix the tear. [3] Impingement, a syndrome that occurs when the rotator cuff muscles are inflamed or irritated, is a major injury risk that can develop amongst bowlers. [4] A 2001–2002 study focused on identifying a workload threshold that would avoid an increased risk of shoulder injuries. The study found that bowlers who produced an average of 123–188 deliveries per week were less likely to face injury whereas bowlers who averaged below 123 deliveries or above 188 deliveries per week were at a greater risk of causing injury. [5]
Injuries to the elbow are predominantly a result of poor techniques when both batting and bowling. Having a poor technique causes excess strain on the joint resulting in inflammation of the tendons surrounding the elbow. The inflammation can be treated through physiotherapy and rehabilitation to reduce the inflammation and strengthen the imbalance in the forearm. [3]
The majority of injuries sustained to the hands and wrists of a cricketer are impact injuries from the contact of the ball causing fractures, dislocations, and sprains. Wicket keepers are particularly prone to hand injuries. Injuries to the fingers are the most common regarding the hand. Injured fingers are often splinted and compressed to reduce swelling around the joint. Physiotherapy is essential to ensure the stiffness of the joint does not become too severe so that movement at the joint returns to normal. [3]
The most common injury location for most cricketers, specifically bowlers, is the back. According to Stretch (1995), 33.3% of schoolboys and 17% of A-grade players suffer from back injuries. [6] A 1984 study in the Journal of Human Movement Studies compared international bowlers who had a side-on action and those who had a front-on action to determine which was a better option regarding the players back. [7] They concluded that "an inability to achieve a side-on orientation during the delivery stride was the main cause of back injuries". [7] One of the most common problems that young bowlers face is pain in the lower back. Performing a bowling action continuously for long periods of time can place excess stress on the lower back muscle tissue, which can then lead to serious stress fractures of the vertebra. These stress fractures can lead to a significant amount of time out of the game. [8]
The most common knee injuries associated with cricket occur when a player is bowling. In the landing stride, bowlers are constantly twisting and putting extreme force through the knee joint, which can result in a strain or even a tear to the collateral ligaments. [9] Patellar tendinopathy frequently occurs in bowlers due to overuse of the tendon, and can lead to the tendon fibres beginning to break down. [10] David Lawrence, an English fast bowler is one particular example of how the landing stride when bowling can cause serious injuries to the knee: on 10 February 1992, his left patella shattered during a delivery. [11]
Epidemiological studies looking at the most common injuries that affect fast bowlers found that 11% of injuries involve the foot and the ankle. The majority of the injuries to the feet and ankles of fast bowlers are a result of the impact of the foot planted in the delivery stride. [12] A bowler whose forefoot in their delivery stride is a plantar flex action can cause posterior impingement. After a long duration this plantar flexion can lead to the creation of a bone spur which can then be treated through surgery. [13]
Tendinopathy is a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, or ankle.
Shoulder problems including pain, are one of the more common reasons for physician visits for musculoskeletal symptoms. The shoulder is the most movable joint in the body. However, it is an unstable joint because of the range of motion allowed. This instability increases the likelihood of joint injury, often leading to a degenerative process in which tissues break down and no longer function well.
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (heel) bone. These muscles, acting via the tendon, cause plantar flexion of the foot at the ankle joint, and flexion at the knee.
Fast bowling is one of two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket, the other being spin bowling. Practitioners of pace bowling are usually known as fast bowlers, quicks, or pacers. They can also be referred to as a seam bowler, a swing bowler or a fast bowler who can swing it to reflect the predominant characteristic of their deliveries. Strictly speaking, a pure swing bowler does not need to have a high degree of pace, though dedicated medium-pace swing bowlers are rarely seen at Test level in modern times. There are different categories in fast bowling known in international cricket such as fast bowling, medium fast bowling, medium bowling, etc.
Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis or enthesopathy of the extensor carpi radialis origin, is an enthesopathy of the origin of the extensor carpi radialis brevis on the lateral epicondyle. Those with tennis elbow often report pain and tenderness over the bony prominence of the lateral epicondyle, which serves as the common origin of the forearm and hand’s long extensor tendons. Symptoms range from mild tenderness to severe, persistent pain. The pain may also extend into the back of the forearm. Onset of symptoms is generally gradual, although they can seem sudden and be misinterpreted as an injury.
Achilles tendinitis, also known as Achilles tendinopathy, is soreness the Achilles tendon. It is accompanied by alterations in the tendon's structure and mechanical properties. The most common symptoms are pain and swelling around the back of the ankle. The pain is typically worse at the start of exercise and decreases thereafter. Stiffness of the ankle may also be present. Onset is generally gradual.
A soft tissue injury is the damage of muscles, ligaments and tendons throughout the body. Common soft tissue injuries usually occur from a sprain, strain, a one-off blow resulting in a contusion or overuse of a particular part of the body. Soft tissue injuries can result in pain, swelling, bruising and loss of function.
Rotator cuff tendinopathy is a process of senescence. The pathophysiology is mucoid degeneration. Most people develop rotator cuff tendinopathy within their lifetime.
Osgood–Schlatter disease (OSD) is inflammation of the patellar ligament at the tibial tuberosity (apophysitis) usually affecting adolescents during growth spurts. It is characterized by a painful bump just below the knee that is worse with activity and better with rest. Episodes of pain typically last a few weeks to months. One or both knees may be affected and flares may recur.
Nintendo thumb, also known as gamer's thumb and similar names, is a form of repetitive strain injury (RSI) caused by excessive playing of video games with the traditional Nintendo controller. This injury mainly occurs due to repeated thumb movements while playing video games. The symptoms can include blistering, paraesthesia, as well as swelling of the thumbs, though any finger can be affected. This can lead to stress on tendons, nerves, and ligaments in the hands, and further onto lateral epicondylitis, tendinitis, bursitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Similar injuries can occur with other gaming systems, such as PlayStation thumb from playing Sony PlayStation. The general recommendation for the treatment is to rest and stop the repetitive motion of the affected finger. In more severe and painful cases, using NSAIDs is also recommended.
Patellar tendinitis, also known as jumper's knee, is an overuse injury of the tendon that straightens the knee. Symptoms include pain in the front of the knee. Typically the pain and tenderness is at the lower part of the kneecap, though the upper part may also be affected. Generally there is no pain when the person is at rest. Complications may include patellar tendon rupture.
The flexor hallucis longus muscle (FHL) attaches to the plantar surface of phalanx of the great toe and is responsible for flexing that toe. The FHL is one of the three deep muscles of the posterior compartment of the leg, the others being the flexor digitorum longus and the tibialis posterior. The tibialis posterior is the most powerful of these deep muscles. All three muscles are innervated by the tibial nerve which comprises half of the sciatic nerve.
The knee examination, in medicine and physiotherapy, is performed as part of a physical examination, or when a patient presents with knee pain or a history that suggests a pathology of the knee joint.
Golfer's elbow, or medial epicondylitis, is tendinosis of the medial common flexor tendon on the inside of the elbow. It is similar to tennis elbow, which affects the outside of the elbow at the lateral epicondyle. The tendinopathy results from overload or repetitive use of the arm, causing an injury similar to ulnar collateral ligament injury of the elbow in "pitcher's elbow".
Enthesitis is inflammation of the entheses, the sites where tendons, ligaments and joint capsules attach to bones.
Calcific tendinitis is a common condition where deposits of calcium phosphate form in a tendon, sometimes causing pain at the affected site. Deposits can occur in several places in the body, but are by far most common in the rotator cuff of the shoulder. Around 80% of those with deposits experience symptoms, typically chronic pain during certain shoulder movements, or sharp acute pain that worsens at night. Calcific tendinitis is typically diagnosed by physical exam and X-ray imaging. The disease often resolves completely on its own, but is typically treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain, rest and physical therapy to promote healing, and in some cases various procedures to breakdown and/or remove the calcium deposits.
Injuries in rock climbing may occur due to overuse or falls. However, injuries due to falls are relatively uncommon; the vast majority of injuries result from overuse, most often occurring in the fingers, elbows, and shoulders. Such injuries are often no worse than torn calluses, cuts, burns and bruises. But overuse symptoms, if ignored, may lead to permanent damage.
Muscle strain is one of the most common injuries in tennis. When an isolated large-energy appears during the muscle contraction and at the same time, bodyweight applies huge amounts of pressure to the lengthened muscle, which can result in the occurrence of muscle strain. Inflammation and bleeding are triggered when muscle strain occur which resulted in redness, pain and swelling. Overuse is also common in tennis players from all levels. Muscle, cartilage, nerves, bursae, ligaments and tendons may be damaged from overuse. The repetitive use of a particular muscle without time for repair and recover in the most common case among the injury.
Running injuries affect about half of runners annually. The frequencies of various RRI depend on the type of running, such as speed and mileage. Some injuries are acute, caused by sudden overstress, such as side stitch, strains, and sprains. Many of the common injuries that affect runners are chronic, developing over longer periods as the result of overuse. Common overuse injuries include shin splints, stress fractures, Achilles tendinitis, Iliotibial band syndrome, Patellofemoral pain, and plantar fasciitis.
Ankle problems occur frequently, having symptoms of pain or discomfort in the ankles.