Effect of Injury Prevention Program on Cricketers
Condition: Sports Physical Therapy
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The main aim of the study is to prevent the injuries during cricket.Total 60 players were
      included in the study. 20 players were in warm up group,20 players were in cool down group
      and 20 players in control group.Base line assessment was by 100m sprint, Illinios agility
      test, 3 minute burpee test, SEBT and plank. After intervention of 6 weeks assessment will be
      done again by using the same tests.
    

Detailed description: 
      Cricket is referred to as the second most popular game in world after football and in
      subcontinent along with south east Asian countries its popularity is increasing day by day
      it's also referred to as gentle's man game and was regarded as relatively injury free, but
      recently all witnessed that, changes brought to the cricketing world thus making the game
      more exciting for the viewers and demanding for players , as a result of these changes and
      high frequency of matches the game of cricket is no longer an injury free and involves risk
      of moderate to high level of injuries. These changes in game posed their effects on the
      players and now they are required to have and maintain high level of fitness In addition to
      technical skill, however this fitness regimen is also causing problems for players i.e.
      making them prone to overuse injuries a survey conducted by BSC and ACB reported 2.6 injuries
      and 24.2 injuries per 10,000 players hours respectively and there are studies to prove that
      most injury cases are reported in specific stages of the season. The major areas of concern
      are impact injuries to the head, face and fingers and injuries to the back.

      Here it's worth defining that what actually is a injury An injury, which could be an acute or
      an overuse injury, is defined as any physical damage that took place during a game play,
      practice or training session and which prevented the player from completing that particular
      game, practice or training session. In similar way a cricket injury is defined as harmful
      condition or other medical related issue faced by the player that inhibits him/her from being
      selected for play or makes the player unable to resume his/her normal game for a partial or
      whole game when required by either the rules or the team captain.The most common injuries
      reported are hamstring strains, side strains, groin injuries, wrist and hand injuries, and
      lumbar soft tissue injuries .

      While all cricketers are at the a risk of assuming an acute soft tissue injury to lower limb
      along the Fast bowlers fall under the highest risk category, as well as role-specific
      injuries. According to statistical data presented by Stretch & Venter 66% of overall reported
      injuries fall in serious category, while chronic and acute-on-chronic made up 12% and 22%,
      respectively. Where reported Soft-tissue injuries were primarily muscle related injuries
      constituting up to (41%).

      According to Stretch The frequency of injury to the head, neck, and face varied from 5.4% to
      25%, and the upper limbs accounted for 19.8% to 34.1% of injuries. Back and trunk injuries
      accounted for 18.0% to 33.3% of the injuries, and lower-limb injuries accounted for 22.8% to
      50.0%. Most were first-time injuries; recurrent injuries from the previous season accounted
      for 23.9% to 29.8%, and injuries sustained during the season recurring again during the same
      season, 22.7% to 36.8%. Dhillon et al., report that upper limb injuries are more common in
      cricket players and account for 16.8%

      Dhillon et al., in their research also report that 62.5% injuries were severe enough to
      prevent cricketers from returning to play for more than 4 weeks. Orchard et al gave a further
      insight to Injury prevalence (the percentage of players missing due to an injury at any given
      time) was 14% for pace bowlers, 4% for spin bowlers, 4% for batsmen, and 2% for wicket
      keeper.

      In researches carried out by Dhillon et al, the percentage of injuries reported for fast
      bowlers as compared to rest is quite high this is due to the fact that pace bowling involves
      repetitive twisting, extension and rotation of trunk and at the same time bowlers are
      absorbing high reaction forces over a short period of time. These movements, if performed
      incorrectly or too frequently, can lead to overuse injuries of the back, particularly in
      elite and high-level cricketers

      An increased throwing workload is a risk factor for the development of upper limb injury in
      elite cricketers.Stretch & Venter conducted a longitudinal study showing a pattern for the
      causes of injuries sustained by the cricketers and reported that the young fast bowlers are
      most likely to sustain an acute soft tissue injury to the lower limb in early part of the
      cricketing season while playing in games of cricket or practice sessions. Cross-sectional
      studies have also demonstrated that spinal overuse injuries occur more frequently to
      cricketers adopting a mixed bowling action than to those who favor a front or a side-on
      bowling technique

      Strategies are placed in order to ensure that cricketers do not adopt the mixed action or
      bowl too fast for extended periods thus helping to prevent the back injuries. Along with
      injuries resulting from impacts, injuries from cricket ball impact can also occur and are
      more common during low level competition or informal participation. Because of the potential
      severity of these impacts, a range of protective equipment ranging from body padding to
      gloves and face protectors are now common features of standard cricket equipment. Although a
      number of measures to prevent cricket injuries have been widely suggested in the literature,
      there have been very few studies that have formally assessed their effectiveness in
      preventing injury. Further research is needed to gain a greater understanding of the bio
      mechanics of cricket actions, the mechanisms of resultant injuries and the role of various
      risk factors in injury causation. The extent of the sports injury problem must be identified
      and described. Secondly the factors and mechanisms which play a part in the occurrence of
      sports injuries have to be identified. The third step is to introduce measures that are
      likely to reduce the future risk and/or severity of sports injuries.
    

Intervention name(s): Experimental: warm up; Experimental: cool down; No intervention: control
Intervention type(s): Other; Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Phase 1 is dynamic stretching and running exercises which includes, A jogging ,B walking lunge and sweeps, C hip in and out running : jog 3 steps stop and do "hip in"/hip out" for Phase 2 is strength and agility which includes A- squat, B- push-ups: wide palmer push-ups. C vertical jumps. D- lateral jump. E- nordic hamstrings,. F (a)- shoulder external rotations, F(b)- modified inverted rows, Phase 3 is balance and core strength which includes A- modified ankle discs, B - planks: standard forward planks 2 repetitions for 30secs. C- side planks: standard side planks on both sides 1 repetition for 20 secs. Da- bird-dog,Db- modified back extensions, Phase 4 is run sprint which includes A- run sprint: 100% speed running between running (20m) with 1 repetition; Phase 1 is dynamic stretching and running exercises which includes, A jogging ,B walking lunge and sweeps, C hip in and out running : jog 3 steps stop and do "hip in"/hip out" for Phase 2 is strength and agility which includes A- squat, B- push-ups: wide palmer push-ups. C vertical jumps. D- lateral jump. E- nordic hamstrings,. F (a)- shoulder external rotations, F(b)- modified inverted rows, Phase 3 is balance and core strength which includes A- modified ankle discs, B - planks: standard forward planks 2 repetitions for 30secs. C- side planks: standard side planks on both sides 1 repetition for 20 secs. Da- bird-dog,Db- modified back extensions, Phase 4 is run sprint which includes A- run sprint: 100% speed running between running (20m) with 1 repetition; sprint exercise and general stretching as conventional protocol as follows in star club
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: cricket injury prevention program,sports injuries,