Common Cricket Injuries

Injuries can happen in every sport, and cricket is no exception. This guide will show you cricket’s most common injuries!, and the best ways to treat them!

 

Common Cricket Injuries

Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the country, with over 340,000 people across the UK enjoying it both recreationally and professionally, as of 2023. And with this year’s Ashes just over the horizon, there’s arguably never been a better time to get into cricket than right now.

And with that renewed interest, it’s important to discuss the risks that come with playing this sport at any level, not just professionally. Namely, the types of injuries that players may run across.

Acute injuries – injuries that happen in an instant due to actions in the game – are just as common in cricket as they are in any other game. Knowing what they are, and how best to treat or prevent them, is essential for any responsible player or enthusiast of the sport.

So, if you’re looking to better understand the risk that you as a player, or your favourite players as a fan, have to know and prepare for, continue reading this guide!

 

Hamstring Strain

Probably one of the most common injuries that you’ll find in cricket are hamstring strains and tears.

These happen when the hamstring muscle – behind the knee on the back of the lower leg – is strained or otherwise damaged. This will often feel like a popping or tearing pain, which is why they’re also known as hamstring tears.

These types of tears typically happen after explosive action, such as a player moving to sprint or, more relevantly, in this case, fielding or bowling a ball. The sudden rush of movement on a muscle that hasn’t been properly stretched can cause the tendons to strain or even fully tear.

This is an injury that can happen in pretty much any position in a cricket match and is very common. It’s been calculated that around 13% of all injuries on professional cricket pitches are related to a hamstring strain, more than one-in-10 of all reported injuries.

For these reasons, try to loosen up and exercise your hamstring as much as the rest of your body before a match starts. If you have suffered a hamstring strain in a match, then you must protect and rest the muscle. This includes applying ice and compression to the affected area whilst elevating it.

This is also known as the P.O.L.I.C.E method of treatment, and stands for the following process:

 

  • Protection (P)
  • Optimal Loading (O.L)
  • Ice Compression (I.C)
  • Elevation (E)

 

Rotator Cuff Injuries

Another common injury for cricket players, rotator cuff injuries happen in the four muscles that stabilize the shoulder area and upper arm.

Similar to the hamstring strain, rotator cuff injuries usually occur when the four shoulder muscles in it are overworked or overloaded. Repeatedly using these muscles will cause them to become sore, making throwing or batting painful to do. If a rotator cuff is particularly strained or torn, this can cause the pain to spread to the upper arm as well.

Given that bowlers, batters, and fielders are often using this muscle group, it’s no surprise that it’s one of the sport’s most common injuries, with almost 80% of all shoulder pain that cricketers experience.

Because this is caused by muscles not being flexible or strong enough, regular training of this muscle group is a good way of preventing the issue from happening in the first place. If you’re already suffering from it, then it can be treated with rehabilitation programs.

 

Ankle Sprain

One of the most common injury points in all sports, ankles are particularly susceptible to a nasty injury, especially in intense games like cricket.

While the ankle is a pretty flexible joint when exercised regularly, it can still be prone to pulling or straining. This is especially the case if it is involved in sudden or explosive movements, such as sprinting, sudden stops, turning, or even being struck with objects at speed.

Cricket can involve any or all of these activities. Bowlers and batsmen can even get this, especially if they suddenly run or step into old/worn footmarks at either side of the pitch, where the ground indents.

Being a common injury, treating ankle sprains is also pretty well understood. Simply apply the P.O.L.I.C.E. method that we mentioned before (Protect, Optimal Loading/Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). It’s also worth seeing a physiotherapist for treatment if you suffer from this injury, especially if you’re susceptible to ankle issues.

 

Medial Meniscus Sprain/Tear

While most people may not have heard of this type of injury, it will be familiar to cricket players who've been playing this sport for long enough.

Medial Meniscus is a type of cartilage that attaches to the shin-bone in a thick, C-shaped formation. This cartilage is vital for protecting the knee from any sort of damage that it could face, especially while running or sprinting.

So, an injury to this body part is serious business. This injury can occur both in acute instances, by sprinting or running, or something over time, as the cartilage wears down from poor practice and care. You may notice this long-term version from discomfort when you squat or bend with your knee, or even pain or swelling on the inside of the knee.

While preventing this injury is hard to manage, outside regular check-ins and proper exercise, a physiotherapist can help you manage this issue. Serious ongoing Medial Meniscus sprains can require keyhole surgery if these issues persist or get worse.

 

Abdominal Side Strain

This can be a big issue for bowlers in cricket. The abdominal muscles on each side of your body are a complex wall of many layers of different muscles.

This usually occurs on the opposite side of the body that a bowler is bowling with, and can vary depending on a ton of different factors, including how intense a throw was, to repeat poor form.

This tension can build up over time and can result in both a sharp, sudden pain when bowling, or can manifest as general stiffness too.

Like with the other strains and sprains in this guide, proper warm-up routines for the abdominal muscles are a great way to reduce the risk of this. Treatment of this kind of injury, like hamstring and ankle sprains, will also depend on the overall size of the sprain. A physiotherapist will be able to tell you how long recovery should take.

 

Contusion/Bruising

This injury is a pretty simple one to understand, and one you might already be aware of.

Contusions are direct impacts to muscles, ligaments, tendons, or other parts from blunt trauma, and can happen on any part of the body. They’re also easy to spot, with large purple and grey bruises spreading and forming around the impact.

These injuries come in different grades, with grade 1 contusions being minor bruising, and grade 3 being serious internal damage.

Cricket players can easily receive contusions from poor bowling or fielding of cricket balls. The legs, lower abdomen, arm, and chest are all easy spots for a stray ball to hit, and with nasty consequences too. Tender bruises and sores are sure to slow a player down.

This isn’t an issue that good warm-up exercises can stop, but wearing the appropriate padding is the best way to prevent it. Batting and thigh pads can help protect your legs from the worst damage, while an abdominal cup and chest pad will help keep your body safe. Make sure that these are properly fastened 

And, of course, make sure that you’re wearing a helmet while in a match!

The bruising and swelling are best treated by applying the P.O.L.I.C.E method, which will cover grade 1 and many grade 2 injuries. Grade 3 contusions will need to be examined by a physiotherapist, however.

 

Thrower’s Elbow

With the arm and upper body being such important muscle groups in cricket, especially for bowlers, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that they can also get different kinds of injuries.

Thrower’s elbow is a perfect example, being an issue that, you guessed it, bowlers can often suffer from. Repeated use of these muscles can cause strain to accumulate, resulting in pain on the inside of the elbow, and even a weaker wrist.

Because it is caused by repetitive use, it’s a pain that most players will recognize towards the end of a season, as the issue gradually makes itself known. Practising rest and rehabilitation between seasons is key to managing this problem. Likewise, following the P.O.L.I.C.E principle will also help manage this injury if it manifests during a season.

 

Lower Back Pain/Sprains

Lower Back Pain is something that everyone has likely experienced in their life, not just cricketers. And, because of that, it’s difficult to establish what exactly is caused by everyday life or is specifically a cricket injury.

Like the side abdominal muscles, the muscles of the lower back are interconnected in a ton of different ways, making pointing to any one muscle as sprained or overworked tricky. 

Repetitive movements, such as bowling, can cause lower back stress over time. You may have noticed that your back pain gets worse or more uncomfortable as the season progresses or closes.

Luckily, lower back pains and sprains can also be pretty easy to manage. A rehabilitation program with a physiotherapist can help relieve or manage that pain.

 

Stress Fractures

Following on from the previous injury, we have its arguably more extreme counterpart, a stress fracture.

Repeated extreme stress and rotation of the back can put tension on the Pars Interarticularis part of your spinal vertebra (the part of the vertebra that makes contact with the facet joint of other vertebrae). Too much movement, and this can potentially fracture, feeling like a searing ‘hot’ pain to a player if they aren’t expecting it.

This is a big issue that pace bowlers can face, as intense and faster bowling can cause these types of fractures to occur.

Treatment for this issue is also a lot more intensive than simple back pain. Alongside a physiotherapist, you’re probably also going to need an MRI scan to determine how back the fracture is, alongside plenty of rest and rehabilitation work.

 

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to injure yourself in this sport, especially if you aren’t prepared for how demanding it is. While there are more types of injuries that you may come across as a cricket player or fan, these are the most common.

While these injuries can be dangerous if not treated, most of them can be easily managed and treated, especially with good warm-up exercises, routines, or quick and responsive medical treatment, if they do happen to you.

And now that you know them, you’ll be that much better prepared to treat them!

 

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