There are two main types of shoulder injuries which affect cricketers.

The first type is an overuse injury of the shoulder associated with throwing, typically referred to as 'Thrower's shoulder'. The second type refers to acute, traumatic injuries, that are especially prevalent when players fall on a shoulder while they are fielding.

Advertisement

Thrower's shoulder

This is a chronic shoulder pain that gradually worsens while the player is throwing the ball. There are a number of potential causes: poor throwing technique, shoulder muscle imbalance, previous injury, shoulder instability, too much or too little practice and poor posture.

Thrower's shoulder involves injury to the tendons of the rotator cuff, and may include weakness around the scapula (shoulder blade). There may be associated bursitis within the shoulder.

Management of this injury includes appropriate diagnosis and identification of all the potential causes of the shoulder pain. Pain management and rehabilitation are the two mainstays of treatment for this condition.

Rehabilitation is focused on both stability and strength around the shoulder joint. It is essential that there is a balance of strength around the joint.

Rehabilitation and correction of the cricketer's throwing technique is important to prevent the recurrence of injury.

Traumatic injury to the shoulder
These injuries classically occur when a fielder dives for the ball and lands hard on an outstretched arm. The injury could include damage in the form of tears to the tendon or labrum, and in isolated cases dislocation may occur. Pain in this kind of injury usually limits participation in the game.

Management includes appropriate diagnosis, which in some cases will require referral to an orthopaedic surgeon. If the injury is significant, surgery may be necessary.

Following this, it is essential that the cricketer is appropriately rehabilitated to prevent weakness of selected muscles, which may in turn lead to a future overuse injury.

(Source: Janine Gray (BSc (physio), BSc (Med)(Hons) Exercise Science. Lecturer at the University of Cape Town and affiliated to the High performance Centre at Cricket South Africa.)

Rate this article Poor 1 2 3 4 5 Excellent

JOBS

Senior Secretary Gauteng - North/Sandton Infrastructure Resource Gauteng - Johannesburg Management Accountant R450,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial Manager R350,000-400,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial and Project Accountant R300,000-360,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial Accountant R380,000-420,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg SSIS Business Intelligence Specialists (SSIS; SSAS) R350,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - North/Sandton Financial Accountant R350,000-450,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - South Find more jobs Register your CV Post a job