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Cricket is one of the popular sports played across the world. It involves various physicalactivities that put high pressure on the shoulder joint. The intensive throwing of the ball by a bowler, the power required by the fielder to throw the ball, along with frequent movements in batting – all place stress on the player’s shoulder. Because of this, shoulder injuries are common among cricket players.

It is important for the players and coaches to have a clear understanding of these common shoulder injuries. By identifying the risks and adopting all preventive actions, it is possible to reduce the chance of getting injuries.

Kinds of Shoulder Injuries in Cricket

Here are some of the common shoulder injuries that can occur while playing cricket:

Rotator cuff injury

This occurs because of an over driven shoulder due to movements such as bowling, fielding and batting. The rotator cuff muscles stabilize the shoulder joint and might get strained while playing cricket. This results in pain and reduced motion. If the tendon gets torn, it causes burning pain in the arm, making it very unstable. These symptoms may need several weeks to get settled, and patience is important for rehabilitation.

Soft tissue bruising

This occurs when a cricket player is hit by a hard ball at any part of their body. A direct blow can cause inflammation, which indicates the damage that has occurred. It needs proper care and assistance for quick healing.

Glenohumeral internal rotation deficit

It is a kind of injury where the internal rotational movement of the shoulder, used for throwing, is reduced. This occurs when the player raises the shoulder repetitively due to overhead throwing, because of which the posterior capsular and rotator cuff muscles become tight. Treatment needs stretching and firming the posterior capsular to enhance the scapula functioning.

Shoulder dislocations

These are common injuries that occur while playing cricket, mainly during bowling and fielding. Sometimes injuries become serious because of frequent dislocations along with rigorous rehabilitation, thereby needing surgery.

Acromioclavicular joint injury

This injury mainly affects the fielders, where low-grade injuries can be treated by conservative treatment methods. But high-grade injuries can become highly devastating and might need surgical interference. It is, therefore, important to follow safe practices while fielding to decrease the occurrence of such injuries. Prevention of Common Shoulder Injuries in Cricket Even though it’s not possible to prevent such injuries completely, there are certain measures a player can adapt to decrease the risk of getting injured:

• Warming up and cooling down are important before playing. Warm-up exercises mainly involve dynamic exercises, and cool-down exercises include static stretches.
• Having musculoskeletal screening and expert advice from a sports trauma professional or a physiotherapist is good.
• It’s important to undergo training for core stability, mainly for the bowlers. It helps in decreasing strains and sprains in the shoulders while throwing balls.
• Target strength training helps in decreasing injury risk.
• Wearing defending supports for the shoulder and proper clothing also helps prevent shoulder injuries to some extent.

Conclusion

To summarize, shoulder injuries in cricket are common because of tedious and intensive movements in this sport. On-time diagnosis and proper treatment are important for quick rehabilitation and proper recovery. Seek early medical help, execute rehabilitating exercises, and follow an effective treatment strategy to regain strength and functioning of the shoulder.

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