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Olivier B.1, Gray J.2,3
1University of the Witwatersrand, Physiotherapy, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2Cricket South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa, 3University of Cape Town, Division of Exercise Science & Sports Medicine, Cape Town, South Africa
Background: The prevalence and incidence of injury amongst cricket players globally remains high. The musculoskeletal pre-participatory screening of cricketers to ensure the early identification of intrinsic risk factors to injury forms a crucial part of injury prevention models. The results of these pre-participatory screening tests allow clinicians to implement secondary preventative strategies. These tests which are used in the early identification of injury need to be able to predict injury; otherwise they do not serve their purpose.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the ability of musculoskeletal pre-participatory tests to predict incidence of injury in South African provincial cricket players.
Methods: Adult cricketers (≥18yrs) playing at professional level for the following franchises: Titans (Northern Gauteng), Cobras (Western Cape), Dolphins (KwaZulu Natal), Knights (Free State), Lions (Southern Gauteng), Warriors (Eastern Cape) were invited to participate. Cricketers completed a standardised baseline questionnaire and screening procedure consisting of 21 tests including flexibility, neural tension, stability, strength, balance and pain provocation tests at the start of the cricket season. Injury incidence was monitored for eight months over the course of the cricket season. Only non-contact injuries were included in the statistical analysis. Relationships between items were analysed using a multivariate logistic regression model. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.
Results: A total of 98 cricket players (age 26.7 SD 4.12years) participated in this study. Overall 93 injuries were sustained by 58.2% (n=57) of cricket players during the course of the cricket season. The majority of players (n=31) sustained one injury, 20 cricketers sustained 2 injuries; 2 sustained 3 injuries; 4 sustained 4 injuries. Most of the injuries were lower back and lower limb injuries at an incidence of 71.0% (n=66) while 69.9% of injuries (n=65) were non-contact injuries. The following items predicted the incidence of non-contact injury during the course of the cricket season: previous non-contact injury (p=0.006), symptoms experienced passive straight leg raise on the right (p=0.003) and low reach distances on the star excursion balance test (p=0.003).
Conclusion(s): In line with current research, previous non-contact injury is a predictor of a future non-contact injury. Non-contact injury can be predicted through the use of various intrinsic physical tests. Tests with good predictive validity can be included in future screening tools and cricket players at risk to injury should be invited to participate in a secondary injury prevention programme.
Implications: It is important to identify the factors which can predict injury in cricket as each sport is unique and has its own sports specific functional goals. This implies that predictors associated with injury in other sports may not be associated with injury in cricket. Also, only pre-participatory screening tests with good predictive validity should form part of screening tools which will make it less time consuming and compliance will be better.
Funding acknowledgements: University of the Witwatersrand's Friedel Sellschop Award and the local physiotherapy society
Topic: Sport & sports injuries
Ethics approval: Human Research Ethics Committee (Medical) of the University of the Witwatersrand (M141114)
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
