SpringerLink
Log in

Risk Factors for Non-Contact Injury in Adolescent Cricket Pace Bowlers: A Systematic Review

  • Systematic Review
  • Published:
Sports Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Adolescent cricket pace bowlers are prone to injury. Recognising the risk factors for non-contact injury in this population will aid future injury prevention strategies.

Objective

To identify the risk factors for non-contact injury in adolescent cricket pace bowlers.

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, PEDro, SPORTDiscus, Embase, and the South African Journal of Sports Medicine to identify all experimental and observational studies reporting risk factors for non-contact injuries in pace bowlers (aged 12–19 years). The search syntax included terms relevant to cricket bowling, injury, and known risk factors for injury. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale and a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale were used to assess the risk of bias in the cohort and cross-sectional studies, respectively.

Results

Sixteen studies (five cross-sectional studies, 11 cohort studies) comprising 687 participants (96% male, 75% playing cricket in Australia) met the selection criteria and were included for qualitative synthesis. Three cross-sectional studies were rated as high risk of bias and two as very high risk of bias. For the cohort studies, three were rated as low risk of bias, and eight as high risk of bias. Injury was associated with bowling biomechanics (excessive lateral trunk flexion and pelvis/hip kinematics), reduced trunk endurance, poor lumbo-pelvic-hip movement control, and early signs of lumbar bone stress. Conflicting results were found by studies examining the mixed technique, bowling workload and quadratus lumborum asymmetry.

Conclusions

The current systematic review identified a number bowling biomechanics and various neuromuscular deficiencies as risk factors for non-contact injury in adolescent pace bowlers. These factors may provide a useful target for future interventional research aiming to prevent injury in this population. Future studies should utilise prospective cohort designs, and ensure that participants are injury-free at baseline, confounding factors are well controlled and attrition rates are reported.

Registration

This systematic review was registered a priori (PROSPERO, CRD42016043956).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Orchard J, Seward H. Epidemiology of injuries in the Australian Football League, seasons 1997–2000. Br J Sports Med. 2002;36(1):39–44.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Orchard JW, Kountouris A, Sims K. Incidence and prevalence of elite male cricket injuries using updated consensus definitions. Open Access J Sports Med. 2016;7:187–94. doi:10.2147/oajsm.s117497.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Moore IS, Ranson C, Mathema P. Injury risk in international rugby union: three-year injury surveillance of the Welsh national team. Orthop J Sports Med. 2015;3(7):2325967115596194. doi:10.1177/2325967115596194.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Bartlett R, Stockill N, Elliott B, et al. The biomechanics of fast bowling in men’s cricket: a review. J Sports Sci. 1996;14(5):403–24.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Crewe H, Campbell A, Elliott B, et al. Lumbo-pelvic loading during fast bowling in adolescent cricketers: the influence of bowling speed and technique. J Sports Sci. 2013;31(10):1082–90. doi:10.1080/02640414.2012.762601.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Seay J, Selbie WS, Hamill J. In vivo lumbo-sacral forces and moments during constant speed running at different stride lengths. J Sports Sci. 2008;26(14):1519–29. doi:10.1080/02640410802298235.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Orchard J, James T, Alcott E, et al. Injuries in Australian cricket at first class level 1995/1996 to 2000/2001. Br J Sports Med. 2002;36(4):270–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Engstrom CM, Walker DG. Pars interarticularis stress lesions in the lumbar spine of cricket fast bowlers. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39(1):28–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Olivier B, Taljaard T, Burger E, et al. Which extrinsic and intrinsic factors are associated with non-contact injuries in adult cricket fast bowlers? Sports Med. 2016;46(1):79–101. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0383-y.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Morton S, Barton CJ, Rice S, et al. Risk factors and successful interventions for cricket-related low back pain: a systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(8):685–91. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2012-091782.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Stretch RA. Junior cricketers are not a smaller version of adult cricketers: a 5-year investigation of injuries in elite junior cricketers. S Afr J Sports Med. 2014;26(4):123–7. doi:10.7196/sajsm.543.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Adirim TA, Cheng TL. Overview of injuries in the young athlete. Sports Med. 2003;33(1):75–81.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Moher D, Shamseer L, Clarke M, Petticrew M, et al. Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement. Syst Rev. 2015;4(1):1. doi:10.1186/2046-4053-4-1.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Orchard JW, Ranson C, Olivier B, et al. International consensus statement on injury surveillance in cricket: a 2016 update. Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(20):1245–51. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2016-096125.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Covidence systematic review software. Veritas Health Innovation, Melbourne, Australia. www.covidence.org. Accessed 2 May 2016.

  16. Herzog R, Álvarez-Pasquin MJ, Díaz C, et al. Are healthcare workers’ intentions to vaccinate related to their knowledge, beliefs and attitudes? a systematic review. BMC Public Health. 2013;13(1):154. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-154.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Wells G, Shea B, O’Connell D, Peterson J, et al. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for assessing the quality of nonrandomised studies in meta-analyses. 2000. http://www.ohri.ca/programs/clinical_epidemiology/oxford.asp. Accessed May 2 2016.

  18. Lo CK, Mertz D, Loeb M. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale: comparing reviewers’ to authors’ assessments. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2014;14:45. doi:10.1186/1471-2288-14-45.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Iorio A, Spencer FA, Falavigna M, et al. Use of GRADE for assessment of evidence about prognosis: rating confidence in estimates of event rates in broad categories of patients. BMJ. 2015;350:h870. doi:10.1136/bmj.h870.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Elliott BC, Davis JW, Khangure MS, et al. Disc degeneration and the young fast bowler in cricket. Clin Biomech. 1993;8(5):227–34.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Elliott BC, Hardcastle PH, Burnett AF, et al. The influence of fast bowling and physical factors on radiologic features in high performance young fast bowlers. Sports Med Train Rehabil. 1992;3(2):113–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Gray J, Aginsky KD, Derman W, et al. Symmetry, not asymmetry, of abdominal muscle morphology is associated with low back pain in cricket fast bowlers. J Sci Med Sport. 2016;19(3):222–6. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2015.04.009.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Hardcastle P, Annear P, Foster DH, et al. Spinal abnormalities in young fast bowlers. J Bone Jt Surg Br. 1992;74(3):421–5.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Hecimovich MD, Stomski NJ. Lumbar sagittal plane spinal curvature and junior-level cricket players. Int J Athl Ther Train. 2016;21(2):47–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Bayne H, Elliott B, Campbell A, et al. Lumbar load in adolescent fast bowlers: a prospective injury study. J Sci Med Sport. 2016;19(2):117–22. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2015.02.011.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Burnett AF, Khangure MS, Elliott BC, et al. Thoracolumbar disc degeneration in young fast bowlers in cricket: a follow-up study. Clin Biomech. 1996;11(6):305–10.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Davies R, Du Randt R, Venter D, et al. Cricket: Nature and incidence of fast-bowling injuries at an elite, junior level and associated risk factors. S Afr J Sports Med. 2008;20(4):115–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Dennis RJ, Finch CF, McIntosh AS, et al. Use of field-based tests to identify risk factors for injury to fast bowlers in cricket. Br J Sports Med. 2008;42(6):477–82. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2008.046698.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Dennis RJ, Finch CF, Farhart PJ. Is bowling workload a risk factor for injury to Australian junior cricket fast bowlers? Br J Sports Med. 2005;39(11):843–6. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2005.018515.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Elliott B, Khangure M. Disk degeneration and fast bowling in cricket: an intervention study. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002;34(11):1714–8. doi:10.1249/01.MSS.0000036863.74140.90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Engstrom CM, Walker DG, Kippers V, et al. Quadratus lumborum asymmetry and L4 pars injury in fast bowlers: a prospective MR study. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39(6):910–7. doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e3180408e25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Gregory P, Batt M, Wallace W. Is risk of fast bowling injury in cricketers greatest in those who bowl most? A cohort of young English fast bowlers. Br J Sports Med. 2004;38(2):125–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Kountouris A, Portus M, Cook J. Quadratus lumborum asymmetry and lumbar spine injury in cricket fast bowlers. J Sci Med Sport. 2012;15(5):393–7. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2012.03.012.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Ranson CA, Burnett AF, Kerslake RW. Injuries to the lower back in elite fast bowlers: acute stress changes on MRI predict stress fracture. J Bone Jt Surg Br. 2010;92(12):1664–8. doi:10.1302/0301-620X.92B12.24913.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Foster D, John D, Elliott B, et al. Back injuries to fast bowlers in cricket: a prospective study. Br J Sports Med. 1989;23(3):150–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  36. Stuelcken MC, Ferdinands RE, Sinclair PJ. Three-dimensional trunk kinematics and low back pain in elite female fast bowlers. J Appl Biomech. 2010;26(1):52–61.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Gregory P, Batt M, Kerslake R. Comparing spondylolysis in cricketers and soccer players. Br J Sports Med. 2004;38(6):737–42. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2003.008110.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  38. Portus M, Mason BR, Elliott BC, et al. Technique factors related to ball release speed and trunk injuries in high performance cricket fast bowlers. Sports Biomech. 2004;3(2):263–84. doi:10.1080/14763140408522845.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. King MA, Worthington PJ, Ranson CA. Does maximising ball speed in cricket fast bowling necessitate higher ground reaction forces? J Sports Sci. 2016;34(8):707–12. doi:10.1080/02640414.2015.1069375.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Hulin BT, Gabbett TJ, Blanch P, et al. Spikes in acute workload are associated with increased injury risk in elite cricket fast bowlers. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(8):708–12. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-092524.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Crewe H, Campbell A, Elliott B, et al. Lumbo-pelvic biomechanics and quadratus lumborum asymmetry in cricket fast bowlers. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2013;45(4):778–83. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e31827973d1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. de Visser H, Adam CJ, Crozier S, et al. The role of quadratus lumborum asymmetry in the occurrence of lesions in the lumbar vertebrae of cricket fast bowlers. Med Eng Phys. 2007;29(8):877–85. doi:10.1016/j.medengphy.2006.09.010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Forrest M, Hecimovich M, Dempsey A. Lumbopelvic muscle activation patterns in adolescent fast bowlers. Eur J Sport Sci. 2016;16(6):677–84. doi:10.1080/17461391.2015.1135985.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Biering-Sorensen F. Physical measurements as risk indicators for low-back trouble over a one-year period. Spine. 1984;9(2):106–19.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Salminen JJ, Erkintalo M, Laine M, et al. Low back pain in the young. A prospective three-year follow-up study of subjects with and without low back pain. Spine. 1995;20(19):2101–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Hewett TE, Myer GD, Ford KR, et al. Biomechanical measures of neuromuscular control and valgus loading of the knee predict anterior cruciate ligament injury risk in female athletes: a prospective study. Am J Sports Med. 2005;33(4):492–501. doi:10.1177/0363546504269591.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. McNamara DJ, Gabbett TJ, Chapman P, et al. The validity of microsensors to automatically detect bowling events and counts in cricket fast bowlers. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2015;10(1):71–5. doi:10.1123/ijspp.2014-0062.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Soomro N, Sanders R, Hackett D, et al. The efficacy of injury prevention programs in adolescent team sports: a meta-analysis. Am J Sports Med. 2016;44(9):2415–24. doi:10.1177/0363546515618372.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Finch CF. No longer lost in translation: the art and science of sports injury prevention implementation research. Br J Sports Med. 2011;45(16):1253–7. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2011-090230.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, 90 South St, Murdoch, Perth, WA, 6150, Australia

    Mitchell R. L. Forrest, Jeffrey J. Hebert, Brendan R. Scott, Stefano Brini & Alasdair R. Dempsey

  2. Faculty of Kinesiology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada

    Jeffrey J. Hebert

  3. Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland

    Stefano Brini

Authors
  1. Mitchell R. L. Forrest
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jeffrey J. Hebert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Brendan R. Scott
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Stefano Brini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Alasdair R. Dempsey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

MF contributed to the conception and design of the review, data acquisition, data interpretation, drafting, and final approval of the manuscript. JH, BS, and AD contributed to the conception and design of the review, data acquisition, data interpretation, critical revision, and final approval of the manuscript. SB contributed to data acquisition, data interpretation, critical revision, and final approval of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mitchell R. L. Forrest.

Ethics declarations

Funding

No sources of funding were used to assist in the preparation of this article.

Conflict of interest

Mitchell Forrest, Jeffrey Hebert, Brendan Scott, Stefano Brini, and Alasdair Dempsey declare that they have no conflicts of interest relevant to the content of this review.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 30 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Forrest, M.R.L., Hebert, J.J., Scott, B.R. et al. Risk Factors for Non-Contact Injury in Adolescent Cricket Pace Bowlers: A Systematic Review. Sports Med 47, 2603–2619 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0778-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0778-z

Search

Navigation