Avoid Getting Bowled Over
As we roll into the warmer months, we see the dusting off of the whites and broad brimmed hats as cricket takes its place as the main sport of the summer. However, for a sport that is technically non-contact, injuries in cricket still occur in lots of ways.
In an elite team of cricketers in Australia, it has been detailed that there will be 18 injuries out of 25 players in a 20-week season. On average, at any given time 9% of cricketers will be carrying an injury. In fast bowlers, this number jumps to 14%!
Low back pain is particularly prevalent amongst young fast bowlers. The repetitive and high-powered movement of fast bowling places large amounts of stress on the tissues of the lower back, which can result in a stress reaction, and even stress fracture, to the vertebra in the lower back.
In addition, research indicates muscle strains, especially to hamstrings and side of the torso are the most common cricket injuries. These are due to the repetitive running, throwing, batting and bowling, and the demands on the body associated with these actions.
In order to prevent the shortening of your summer season it is important to be prepared!
Here are some of our top tips to be prepared for your season, and avoid being bowled over!
Be Prepared
Make sure you spend time in the pre-season conditioning for the season
Attend training sessions
Always warm up and cool down sufficiently
Stay hydrated
Practice good techniques
Identify risk factors
Ensure you have correct technique
Slowly increase your training – avoid sudden intensity/duration/frequency changes to training
Avoid training errors
Imbalances in muscle strength and flexibility
Activation patterns of muscles for cricket specific movements
Biomechanical malalignment
Recent growth spurt
Develop preventative strategies
Injury prevention is the ultimate goal of every player, coach and physiotherapist – complete an injury prevention program
Utilise the correct technique
If you feel you need some assistance to make sure your season is bulletproof make sure you book in to see one of our Physiotherapists to get a personalised cricket-based assessment and exercise program.
Call 9873 2770 or book online now https://bookings.nookal.com/bookings/location/39XKS.