Preventing Cricket Injuries in Young Athletes
Do you know the most common cause of low back pain in junior cricketers?
Bowling too much is not the biggest injury risk to young bowlers, bowling too much, too soon is.
A high proportion of young cricketers have lower back pain that is due to a bone stress injury, which in the early stages can be a bruise to the bone, but if not managed correctly can develop into a stress fracture. Bone in the lower back does not mature until our early 20s which means that it can be more susceptible to injury as an adolescent that it is when we are adults. While the term stress fracture can seem alarming they are rarely serious but it does mean several months out of playing sport.
If the young bone is given time to adapt to loading, it does get stronger. The importance of carefully planned training ahead of the season cannot be emphasised strongly enough. By allowing the bone time to gradually be exposed to increasing loads it can develop strength and resilience and be better prepared for the start of the new season where the opportunities to participate in training sessions and games can be numerous.
However it is not just young cricketers who get low back pain. Many children play other sports that stress the lower back bones such as kicking in soccer, netball, tennis, rugby and athletics.
It is important to be aware as they start the new sporting season, that however well prepared they are there will inevitably be a spike in load as the seasons overlap. The key is in the pre season preparation.
There are directives from the England and Wales Cricket Boards for junior pace bowlers that limits how many balls they can bowl in a spell and per day for each age group.
It is suggest that pace bowlers, bowl no more than 4 times in every 7 days and no more than 2 days in a row. This avoids too many back to back days of high intensity activity, ensuring the bones have time to adapt to the increasing loads.
For example an U14 player can bowl 6 overs in a spell and up to 12 overs in a day. At 72 balls a day and a maximum of 4 times in a continuous 7 day period that adds up to nearly 300 balls a week.
This level is safe to bowl, but only if adequate training has been completed.
Often winter net sessions are in large groups with kids bowling around 30-50 balls on average per session and they are usually limited to 1-2 net sessions per week.
Look at the most recent training done over 4 weeks to work out the training average:
Week 1: 30 balls
Week 2 35 balls
Week 3: 0 (player was ill)
Week 4: 35 balls
Total balls bowled: 100 over 4 weeks so average 25 balls a week.
The player above has trained to bowl 25 balls a week. Whilst the majority of kids can cope with about a 10% increase per week depending on whether they are in a growth spurt, eating and sleeping well and have been bowling for several years, some kids will tolerate a little more and some kids a little less.
Over the next few weeks, providing the player continues training pain free and is coping with the current load, they can gradually add more volume and build up the intensity gradually in preparation for the start of the season.
How to prepare for the season if you are not currently bowling.
If you decide you want to run a marathon, you would (hopefully) follow a graduated training plan. It starts slowly and builds up each week. The same approach is a sensible way to prepare a junior bowler for the season.
Just like running, if you are new to it, or haven’t bowled since last season, you shouldn’t start hard and fast. It is not just about how any balls are bowled. The intensity of the training session is also relevant. Bowling at half pace in the first few sessions can ease the load on the tissues and allow them time to adapt to the change in activity.
Most players tolerate around 3-4 overs at half pace in the early weeks of training.
It is important not just to concentrate on bowling alone in training but to also begin introduce some running over the length of their run up. Poor running technique and in particular crossing over the feet as the bowler approaches the crease has been associated with injury.
Gradually build up the volume and intensity adding around 10% more each week and monitor for any signs of low back or shoulder pain.
It is important to remember, that whilst kids build up their training load over the winter, many then take 2 weeks off over the easter holidays and their average training load drops.
If the player has bowled 100 balls a week in winter nets, that is the level they have trained and prepared for to start the beginning of the season with. Just because they are invited to to play in multiple games and training session for different clubs and school, it doesn’t mean they should if it means they are going above the levels trained for during the graduated training programme. A slow start to the season, gradually adding a little more over the first few weeks is a much safer approach to ensure a successful, injury free season.
Much better to start slowly, than get injured in those first few weeks of the season.
How can they boost their capacity to do more?
Children are just like mobile phones. They need to be recharged each night to perform well in the day. They need adequate energy for optimal performance. If they don’t eat enough for what they do, they will prioritise where the remaining energy is spent and that rarely includes bone health, immunity and building new muscles. Focus on getting good quality sleep (8 hours minimum), good nutrition and ensuring there are adequate recovery days.
If they are ill, stressed, going through a growth spurt, or very tired, they may not have the same capacity as a child who is achieving a better activity:recovery balance. This explains why given the same volume of activity, some kids get injured when others don’t.
What to do If your child develops low back pain when playing sport
STOP all activities involving arching their back (kicking, throwing, twisting, not just bowling) for a minimum of 2 weeks to allow the bone to adapt to the load.
As they return to sport, add one new activity in every other day at low intensity and assess the reaction. If they start to get pain again, it is important to see a health professional with experience in youth athletes. This condition is rarely seen in adults so most clinicians are not aware of the diagnosis and management.
If you have any concerns or questions then please do get in contact helenjermy.physio@gmail.com
Ref: Angela Jackson kids back 2 sport
