Lumbar spine stress fractures are the most debilitating fast bowler injury and results in the most time missed due to an injury in young fast bowlers. Adolescence provides a window of opportunity to increase bone loading to be able to withstand the forces places upon the lumbar vertebrae during fast bowling.

Cricket Australia continues to research the volume of bowling that increases the risk of lumbar stress fractures and has recently found that the frequency of bowling sessions has a greater impact when compared to the number of balls bowled. Sustained bowling over a period of more than 3 months without rest is also a risk factor for the development of lumbar stress fractures.

Our understanding of how workload may contribute to bone stress injury in young fast bowlers continues to evolve. In this blog we have unpacked the current guidelines to help reduce the risk of sustaining a stress fracture in adolescents.

GUIDELINES

Avoid bowling more than 2 days in a row where possible
Avoid bowling more than 4 days in a week
Allow one easy week (e.g. 50% of target load) every 4 -5 weeks
Schedule a week off after every 10-12 weeks of bowling to allow your body to recover

BOWLING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADOLESCENT FAST BOWLERS
*rest between spells should be the same number of overs from the same end as the completed spell

Want to discuss bowling guidelines more specifically for you? Get in contact with one of our physiotherapists today on 9873 2770 or book online https://bookings.nookal.com/bookings/location/39XKS.

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