Nature and incidence of upper limb injuries in professional cricket players a prospective observation

Abstract

IntroductionCricket is the most popular sport in India, and is gaining in importance in all south-east Asian countries. The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the incidence, nature, and site of acute upper limb injuries sustained by professional cricketers of north India over a period of one year.Material & methods95 cricket players (mean age 18.9 years) were prospectively evaluated for nature and incidence of upper limb injuries from 1st November 2008 to 31st October 2009. For the purpose of comparison the calculated injury incidence included injuries sustained during match as well as practice. Injuries were also grouped according to the type of cricket activities such as batting or fielding.ResultsOut of 95 players evaluated, 24 were bowlers, 19 were batsmen, 8 were wicket keepers and the other 44 cricketers declared themselves as all rounders. There were a total of 16 upper limb injuries in 16 (16.8%) players. The majority of injuries (10/16) occurred while fielding. Out of 16 injuries, 11 were seen in hand, 3 were observed in elbow, while 2 patients suffered from shoulder problem. Twelve were acute injuries while 4 were classified as repetitive stress injuries (RSI).ConclusionThe incidence of upper limb injuries in cricketers at the professional and semi-professional level is significant, causing them to miss matches or practice for a significant number of days. This is the first study of Indian cricketers which documents the high incidence of upper limb injuries. The study highlights the importance of injury surveillance for Indian cricket. It is a concern which needs to be addressed by the players, coaches, teachers, administrators and medical personnel involved with cricket.

Problems of Injury Surveillance and Documentation in Cricket: Indian Experience

“…Ours was a different methodology, as our calculations were based mainly upon injuries sustained during practice and involved a larger number of younger players (under 19 and under 17); the total number of playing hours also included the time spent in physical training, which was not factored in the other studies. 1 Some aspects of playing cricket were noted to be unique to India; we found that most of our players continued to practice or play cricket during the so-called "off season" (summer months) also; thus, the total playing time becomes much more in these circumstances, during one calendar year. We also suggested that international players anyway play more intense matches, with more competitive strains, and this may be one of the reasons for higher injury rate in the international studies.…”

“…1 Most of the previously published epidemiological studies on cricket injuries have come from South Africa, Australia, and England, particularly at the elite level.…”

“…Publication of regular data has the potential to stimulate more funding and research efforts toward injury surveillance and pre-participation evaluation of cricketers in the whole of the subcontinent. 1 This would go a long way in looking at some specialized positions unique to cricket, like wicket keeping, where many potential problems are anticipated. 16 …”

The Wicketkeeper and Injury

“…In one of the recently published studies on upper injuries in cricketers, Dhillon et al 11,12 looked at 95 players of the Punjab Cricket Association; this included eight wicketkeepers, and three injuries were seen in these wicketkeepers, with one serious hand injury ( Table 2). The overall incidence of injuries to wicketkeepers was noted to be 7%.…”

Sports Medicine and Indian Cricket: Exploring the Past, understanding the Present and accommodating a Future of Scientific Conception

“…There has been research at grassroot level on the incidence of upper limb injuries sustained by professional cricketers of North India, 20 cause of chronic low back pain in a young Indian fast bowler, 21 exploring the connection between hand grip strength and anthropometric variables in district cricketers, 22 examining the effects of sleeper's stretch on glenohumeral internal rotation and horizontal adduction range of movement in male elite cricket bowlers from Southern India 23 and investigating the effect of body composition on VO 2 max in under-19 and under-16 male cricket players. 24 Additionally, research has been conducted on university level cricket players testing their physical fitness levels, 25 investigating the correlation between back strength and leg strength 26 and comparing the anxiety levels of male university cricket players across different universities during sporting competitions.…”