Sport Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy for Cricket
Cricket was the country’s national sport in the 18th Century and remains very popular with both men and women. There are large numbers of elite and amateur cricket players who can encounter a multitude of injuries. We are experts in many sporting fields and utilise the most up to date treatment techniques and rehabilitative exercises to ensure you remain on top of your game.
Common Cricketing injuries
Due to the variation in positional roles in cricket, there is an array of different injuries that can be sustained during training and match play. These can vary from chronic overuse injuries to traumatic impact injuries. The different roles and positions undertaken, pose differing risks and can therefore lead to differing types of injury.
Upper limb injuries are very common in cricket, especially in bowlers. The high velocity and repetitive nature of bowling can cause rotator cuff tears, shoulder and elbow tendinopathy’s and impingement syndrome to name a few. Many sportspeople that participate in repetitive overhead activities find these are common issues, with the majority of cases being resolved using high quality rehabilitative techniques.
Lower limb injuries that are sustained through cricket, again occur most commonly in bowlers. The high torsional loads that are placed through the knee and ankle can cause damage to the collateral ligaments and cartilage in these areas.
Other areas that are commonly injured are lower back and hands. Lower back pain can arise due to repetitive twisting movements during batting and bowling, which can be very painful and debilitating. Impact injuries commonly occur in cricketers hands when catching the hard, fast moving cricket balls. Fractures and dislocations may be the result of an impact injury and there is a possibility this may require attention from a specialist consultant. If this is the case, treatment after a potential procedure can be vital to ensure full recovery is achieved.
Reducing the risk of Cricket related injuries
There are many training methods that can help reduce the risk of a cricket related injury. A combination of mobility, stretching, strengthening, sport specific movement patterns and proprioception are fundamental to a well-rounded pre/rehabilitation programme.
Tight muscles can cause imbalances and restrictions that can increase the risk of injury, so it is important that joints are kept mobile and elastic structures are appropriately stretched. Strengthening muscles not only improves the muscle’s capabilities, but adds support to the structures they surround to decrease the risk of failure. It is key to include the correct mixture of stretching and strengthening to ensure there is a balance between stability and mobility.
Proprioception is the brain’s awareness of joint and limb position. It is important that this is continually trained, especially to reduce the risk of ankle sprains. It is also fundamental, that after a traumatic injury, proprioception is trained to reprogram the neural pathways that may have been altered by any change in the joint position. At Metro Physio, your therapist will have a plethora of sport specific exercises to prescribe, ensuring a smooth transition back to sport
Treatments following a Cricket related injury
Varying treatment techniques are employed to aid in the rehabilitation of a sporting injury. Your therapist will assess and observe your biomechanics to identify any underlying dysfunction that could have caused the injury or lead to a repeat injury. Following this, a plan will be formulated to overcome any issues that are detected.
Treatment sessions will be tailored towards the individual and the injury, but will typically consist of some of the following techniques; deep tissue massage, deep frictional massage, trigger point release, joint mobilisations, fascial release, Ultrasound Therapy, acupuncture, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, taping/strapping and a specific tailored exercise programme.
Cricket Injury Specialist
All our therapists are more than capable of treating Cricket injuries, however, John is our expert in this field. He acts as first contact for all other therapists and provides in-service training to ensure the team are up to date with the latest research and developments.
John has held a cricket bat for as long as he can remember and played club cricket since the age of 8. He played for Ramsbottom and Radcliffe Cricket Clubs before helping set up Greengate CC within the Ashton and Oldham League. As a junior John played at town team and interleague level, and his claim to fame is bowling out England’s very own James Anderson! At each club he has been associated with, John has used his physiotherapy knowledge and skills to develop warm-up and prescribe exercises to minimise the risk of developing the above top 5 injuries. When fellow cricketers sustain injury, John is there first port of call for assessment, advice and treatment.