Asif Shazada, Senior Physiotherapist to the UAE Cricket Team explains how biomechanical analysis and physiotherapy can help with lower back pain in bowlers.
Bowling is one of the major fields in cricket with fast bowlers experiencing a higher rate of injury than spin bowlers and lower back pain being the most common injury in professional fast bowlers.
Fast bowling biomechanics can be broken down into the following phases; running, gather, jump and follow through after ball delivery. When analyzing bowling action we can also categorize bowling movement into Front on, Side on and Mixed.
When looking at the delivery stride, the mixed bowling action can sometimes show more lateral flexion and hyperextension of the lower back when the front foot impacts the ground. We can also observe a greater range of motion of the trunk during the delivery stride, when compared with ‘side-on’ and ‘front-on’ techniques. This movement completed repetitively can strain certain structures of the lower back.
In order to correct this, fast bowlers should reduce shoulder counter-rotation during the delivery stride in order to reduce the incidence of back injuries.
It is also important to point out that when a player is required to bowl for extended periods of time excessive load can also contribute to injury even if the technique is good.
What a Sports Physio can do?
As a Sport Physiotherapist that specializes in cricket biomechanics and injury prevention, we are perfectly placed to deal with lower back injuries through manual therapy and bowling technique analysis and correction.
To book an appointment with Asif, call RU Active Sports Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Center on 044-4481399 or email info@ruactivephysiotherapy.com.