Cricket is one of the most popular sports to play for young people and engaging in sports such as cricket provide numerous health benefits. However, like any other sport playing cricket involves some risk of injury.
The young athlete is particularly vulnerable due to some of the physical and physiological processes during the growth period. Additionally, some might be an increased risk due to poor coordination, strength and skills.
Some common injuries that frequently come into the clinic include lower back pain, knee pain and heel pain. Below I will describe some of the common injuries that occur in younger athletes.
Low Back Pain
Back pain is common particularly in cricket due to the high demands that the sport has on a person’s back, particularly for bowlers. The back is particularly vulnerable in adolescents during the growth period. Generally speaking, young people respond really well to physiotherapy and a structure strength and conditioning program.
Knee pain otherwise referred to as Osgood-Schlatter’s
This is an extremely common condition in adolescents at the time of a growth spurt. It is typically associated with sports that involve running and jumping. Osgood-Schlatter’s is a self limiting condition that generally settles with time, however, physiotherapy can be beneficial for pain management and strengthening of the leg.
Heel Pain otherwise referred to as Sever’s Apophysitis
Heel pain is another common complaint in adolescents. Once again sever’s is common in children that play sports that involve running and jumping. Physiotherapy is very effective in managing pain and providing advice on activity modification for children who have Sever’s Apophysitis.
If you or anyone else has got an injury similar to the injuries that are explained above, please feel free to get in contact with one of the fantastic physiotherapists here at Physiologic and get an assessment to see how you can best manage and treat your injury.