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CRICKET INJURIES

Cricket has come a long way from 'kreckett', when it was being played by children during the 16th century, with a curved stick, in the fields of southeast England. Cricket today, is a much more sophisticated game and is enjoyed by millions all over the world.

Player attributes

It is a game of endurance, strength, flexibility and agility. While all the players need fast reactions and endurance to last the duration, the different specialists require specific attributes. Batsmen need excellent hand-eye coordination and the ability to make rapid decisions. Pace bowlers on the other hand need good aerobic fitness and power to deliver the ball at the required speeds. Good fielders in particular are very agile and have a strong and an accurate throw, while the wicket keepers need to be extremely quick on their feet with good reaction times.

Training

As in any sport, a good training program should involve a warm up, sport specific conditioning, skills practice, team practice and a cool down. Players are likely to benefit from interval training, where the player can intersperse rest periods, in between bouts of sprinting and running, in keeping with the nature of the game. Strength training in the gymnasium would also be an essential part of the training.

Injuries

Playing cricket, like any sport, would greatly enhance one's cardiovascular (Heart) fitness. But as in any sport, injuries to some players may be inevitable. Though the incidence of these injuries are minimal, when compared to some of the contact sports that are played around world, unfortunately, for some of the elite players these injuries may be career ending.
Though any player can sustain any type of injury, specific players are prone for particular type of injuries.

Bowlers seem to sustain most injuries, followed by fielders and batsmen, in that order. Injuries of the lower limbs seem to be most common, compared to anywhere else in the body. Fast bowlers can sustain acute injuries like muscle strains (quadriceps and hamstrings), ankle and knee injuries. Repeated running can lead to shin pain, tendonitis, muscle tears and stress fractures. Poor bowling technique, especially during fast bowling, can pre-dispose the players to overuse problems in the spine like spondylosis, disc degeneration and facet joint arthropathy (wear and tear). Spin bowlers can develop splitting of their skin on their fingers, due to repeated movement over the seam and can also develop arthritis of their finger joints.

The batsmen can sustain injuries like concussions ( Head Injury), broken fingers and cracked ribs, from the direct impact of a ball. They can also injure their rotator cuff (shoulder muscles), whilst trying to swing away a ball and suffer tendinosis (tendon degeneration) at the elbow.
Fielders can sustain injuries to their knees like meniscal tears and anterior cruciate ligament injuries, shoulder injuries like instability, impingement and rotator cuff tears due to repeated throwing. Repeated squatting can cause knee problems in a wicket keeper, apart from being directly struck by a ball.

Treatment

Treatment, is best provided by a team with experience in treating sports injuries. The goal would be to get the sportsperson back to playing sport as soon as possible. It ranges from the non-operative to the operative, depending on the nature of the injury. The non-operative modalities include pain killers, physiotherapy, massage therapy, orthotics etc.

The development of arthroscopic (key-hole) surgery for most joints like the knee, shoulder, hip, elbow, ankle and wrist has greatly helped in the diagnosis and treatment. These procedures are performed through very small incisions, with the aid of a telescopic camera resulting in better visibility, precision and minimal tissue trauma during the procedure. All these treatment modalities aim to get the injured sportsman back onto the playing field.

Prevention

A good coaching technique, safe environment and good fitness are some of the factors that may prevent injuries in players. Young (children) bowlers are particularly prone to injuries and so it is important to restrict the number of bowlers that they can bowl in a day. Careful attention should be paid to their bowling and fielding techniques. During the play the players should keep themselves well hydrated, wear the appropriate protective gear to protect themselves from injuries.

And if they do sustain an injury, immediate first aid should be available and if appropriate, should be seen by a doctor proficient in the management of sports injuries, to aid them in recovery and to help them get back to playing again.