Research article: How cricket spikes together with weight training in a season can lure injuries to cricketers?
The questions I am trying to answer via this:
a) Should cricketers, particularly fast bowlers and wicketkeepers, engage in resistance (weight) training during the season, given that their muscles tend to get fatigued after every practice session or match due to the demands of cricket? Considering the minimal recovery time between practice sessions and matches (often less than 24 hours), it seems unlikely that resistance training would be beneficial and in all likelohood, increase the risk of injuries.
b) Is strength training beneficial for cricketers? The answer is an unequivocal YES. It is important, however, to incorporate strength training during the off-season or when there is a substantial gap between practice sessions or matches – ideally, a minimum of 3 to 4 days. Net practice exerts a similar level of stress on the muscles as matches do or in fact, more! Therefore, if you have the necessary time and enjoy strength training, it is advisable to pursue it. But I don’t see that kind of time anywhere – neither in domestic season, nor in IPL or international matches. Yes, test matches possible allows for few extra days where you can indulge in strength training if you like to. But its not needed. You haven’t lost out on strength required by you to perform the task that you have to perform.
This article explains the science behind muscle fatigue due to common movements in cricket and highlights the importance of adequate recovery to prevent muscle breakdown instead of building.
There exists a substantial body of literature discussing the adverse impact of shoes on our biomechanics, leading to a higher risk of injuries. Shoes are not build to support our foot architecture and instead they are designed to support the movement. Cricket spikes is the best example for this.
FACT: When we engage in activities such as running or jumping, the force exerted on our legs can be as high as twelve times our body weight. Despite this immense impact, we humans have a natural affinity for these activities, indicating that our feet possess a remarkable resilience. However, there exists a misconception that shoes equipped with cushioning and spikes minimize the strain on our foot muscles.
STUDY: A study conducted by Steven Robbins, MD, and Edward Waked, Ph.D., from McGill University in Montreal sheds light on this matter. The researchers performed a series of tests on gymnasts and observed that the thicker the landing mat (providing more cushioning), the stronger the gymnasts’ landings became. This instinctive behavior reflected their search for stability. Now, let’s imagine a shoe with a thick sole and nails positioned at the bottom, resembling spikes.
(My thought: This is why I get surprised when doctors recommend insoles for people with platar fasicitis!)
Conclusion: Cushioning does NOTHING to reduce impact.
Part 1: How spikes impact musculature in cricket
CRICKET SPIKES : In the context of cricket shoes, spikes play a crucial role as they offer enhanced traction on the surface, reducing the risk of slipping or losing balance. Hence, the intention of this article is not to criticize the use of spikes but rather to explore foot mechanics and discover approaches to mitigate the potential negative impacts they may have on our feet. It is important to acknowledge that cricket shoes with spikes can promote a heel strike pattern, resulting in prolonged contact time with the ground and placing additional strain on the muscles. Consequently, this can limit the time available for the foot to execute a complete action, from dorsiflexion to plantar flexion.
My thought: Could we not design the placement of nails on spikes in a manner that it promotes mid foot landing? I think we can.
Q: How does spikes impact our musculature?
SCIENCE: At the ground contact, both the increased time of GRF and GRF forces generate an external knee extension together with the hamstrings. The eccentric load put on hamstrings definitely put extra strain on hamstrings specifically ‘biceps femoris’ which exhibits greater activation than the other two semi’s. In addition, because of biceps femoris attachment to sacrotuberus ligament (hip); the entire posterior chain is involved in counteracting the torque forces putting extra mechanical stress on hamstrings. This also suggest that any alterations at pelvis (at SI joint) will have an impact on the biceps femoris.
Further: The size of spikes, how well it fits, the biomechanics of the individual determine the foot’s range of motion, including jumping, landing, and maintaining balance while shuffling. The foot muscles and arches naturally seek compensation since take-off cannot be delayed and the kinetic chain cannot be interrupted. Consequently, the foot is made to compensate at various levels to achieve take-off and withdraw energy from the ground without the full springiness of the natural medial arch.
Conclusion:
- Biceps femoris muscle greater activation putting stress on entire posterior chain
- Compensation of the foot arches – compromised biomechanics
- Heel strike locks the ankle, knee, impeding forward momentum before takeoff. This can lead to weakness (due to overactive musculature) in the ankle, knee, hip, and lower back joints.
Part 2: How does this make weight training injury prone for cricketers?
CRICKET: lets study the game of cricket and how the movement nuances of the game effect our musculature.
Science: The main role of the Biceps Femoris, besides stabilization of the Sacroliac Joint and lateral aspect of lower extremity, is also –
– eccentric control
– and proprioception
during the swing and heel strike phases of the gait. (Cricketers are known to do both)
First: Outcome for cricketers – overactive Biceps Femoris
Biceps Femoris (most powerful muscle of DLS) also has a propensity toward over activity and becoming synergistically dominant for an inhibited POS (posterior oblique system) in
– triple extension movements
– and stance-to-push phase
Both movements are pretty common in cricket while batting, bowling and fielding.
Second: Outcome for cricketers – another case of overactive Biceps Femoris
Hypothesis 1: Biceps Femoris overactivation & glute max inhibition
Based on the previous explanations, it can be hypothesized that cricketers have a tendency for overactive biceps femoris, which may lead to overuse of this muscle and the hamstring part of magnus. Additionally, inhibited POS may result in an inhibited Glute Max, which is a large muscle that requires heavy load to activate. As a result, during most hip extension movements, Bicep Femoris/hamstrings and possibly adductor magnus may end up being used more.
IMPACT: This could potentially mean that the glute max may not be able to fire to its potential during activities such as running, jumping, or squatting in cricket due to the overactive biceps femoris group. Furthermore, an inhibited glute max may give synergistic dominance to piriformis and deep rotators for external rotation of the hip. These hypotheses are based on scientific interpretations and should be further explored through research and testing.
Hypothesis 2: BACK PAIN
This pertains to the potential relationship between overactive biceps femoris and underactive glute max muscles in cricket players, and how it may lead to lower back pain. It would be interesting to investigate how many players experience both hamstring and lower back injuries and whether hamstring injury is a potential precursor to lower back pain.
The situation is as follows:
– Overactive Biceps Femoris
– Underactive Glute Max
Glute maximus: The glute max muscles are attached to several structures, including the posterolateral sacrum, thoracolumbar fascia, aponeurosis of erector spinae, posterior ilium, and iliac crest. The fibers that originate from the thoracolumbar fascia and erector spinae aponeurosis allow glute max to perform the following actions, which are crucial in cricket:
– Assist in closed chain lumbar extension
– Generate a posterior rotary force on the ilium
– Produce lumbar extension
– Stabilize the lumbar spine
Therefore, is it fair to conclude:
- If the glute max is inhibited, would it not be able to assist in the above actions as a synergist, potentially leading to overwork of the erector spinae muscles (lower back)?
- Would inhibited glute max and overactive biceps femoris increase the likelihood of overactive erector spinae muscles, leading to back pain in cricketers?
My thoughts: Although there are other factors contributing to lower back pain, it is important to explore the potential relationship between inhibited glute max and overactive biceps femoris, which may affect the functioning of the DLS and POS subsystems. Regardless of the size of the glute muscles, they may not function appropriately if synergistic muscles are not functioning to their full potential.
Q. Considering the frequency of cricket games, are cricketers overusing the abovementioned muscles? If so, would this result in an imbalance of overactive and underactive muscle groups?
OF COURSE!
Q: Should cricketers and/or fast bowlers be involved in weight training in a season?
Science: Engaging in weight training during the season can further fatigue already overworked muscles, increasing the risk of imbalances and injuries. Consequently, in-season resistance training often fails to improve strength and may instead heighten the likelihood of injury.
Detailed articles:
Foot mechanics: you can read the full article on this topic to dive deeper into foot architecture & mechanics:
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Umesh Chhikara 