Cricket season is about to hit full swing for the summer. Did you know that Cricket can present a plethora of injuries should you not warm up correctly? Today we are going to touch on the most common injuries cricket can present, and how they can best be avoided. Spoiler alert – it’s mostly by warming up!
So, let’s start at the top of the body – the shoulder. The shoulder is a delicate structure, and it needs to be looked after! Shoulder injuries are very common in cricketers, including tendonitis, bursitis, capsulitis, and acute muscle tears. Sub-luxation of the shoulder joint is also common, both when fielding and batting. For this reason, it is important to ensure you warm up the shoulder properly prior to taking to the field and also complete strengthening exercises during preseason.
If we move a little further down, the low back is another point of interest! Bowlers often find themselves with low back pain as the bowling action is very repetitive and introduces a large load through the joints. Not following bowling loads, and/or having a poor action, can lead to a number of injuries such as stress fractures, facet joint dysfunction, and even disc injury. By ensuring you are sufficiently warmed up, are sticking to your bowling loads could significantly reduce your risk of back pain. It’s also a good idea to ask your coach about your action, and make sure its biomechanically sound!
We’ve made it to the legs. Hamstring and quad strains rear their head often for cricketers due to the high level of quick sprinting required. These strains occur when the muscles are cold and tight, and are then over stretched. In order to try avoid a strain, it’s important to warm up correctly to encourage blood flow into the muscle, in turn increasing muscle flexibility.
At Ormond Physiotherapy we are here to help you should you have sustained one of the above injuries. We are also able to help you to develop an ideal warm up so you can try your best at staying on the field batting and bowling for as long as possible.
To book your appointment call our friendly team on 9578 6588 or click the button below!
