Shoulder injuries among fast bowlers of school cricket teams in Colombo district

Abstract

Cricket is identified as one of the famous games in the world which consists of three primary activities: bowling, fielding and batting. Among those of different activities, the fast bowlers are identified to be having a high incidence of shoulder injuries relative to the other regions of the body. Neglecting and improper management of such injuries can lead to permanent disabilities and ultimately results discontinuing the carrier in cricket. Therefore, this study was aimed to describe the impact of shoulder pain caused by injuries among fast bowlers in the school teams during the performances including bowling, batting and fielding. A total of 40 fast bowlers of 06 boys schools in Colombo district who had experienced shoulder pain at any time during the past 12 months were recruited in this study. Players with neurological abnormalities and/or congenital abnormalities of upper extremities, diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and who had upper limb injuries from other sports were excluded. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess their socio-demographic characteristics and collect data on shoulder injuries with the impact on different activities of cricket. The data was analysed using SPSS-17 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) computer software package. The study population was between 12-19 years (mean age=16, SD=2.3). Majority (82.5 %) were right hand bowlers, who practiced 3 days per week. Shoulder pain was always presented in the players 15 % during bowling, 12.5 % during batting and 10 % during fielding. Reduction in ball swinging (85 %), reduce power of shot (65.2 %) and avoidance of delivery (62 %) were significantly affected by the shoulder pain (p<0.05). School fast ballers generally play on with shoulder injuries though their performance is often compromised. Therefore, they should be targeted for appropriate measures of injury prevention in order to preserve and promote future development of cricket in Sri Lanka.