Cricket and the Tennis elbow-Part I
All the sports headlines these days are screaming
that Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar is out of the
game for some time because of injury, which has
been diagnosed as tennis elbow. Cricket-lovers in
India and elsewhere have been speculating and
debating about the exact nature of the injury.
What is a tennis elbow, and how is it caused?
Reverse sweeping can cause a tennis elbow
As the name suggests, this particular injury is
found mostly in tennis players, especially those
who hit hard backhand shots and in the process,
sprain the lateral ligament of their elbow. The
chances of suffering this injury increase if the
wrist extensor, triceps or forearm muscles are
weak.
The injury is accompanied with pain and tenderness
over the lateral (outer) part of the elbow,
medically termed as lateral epicondylitis i.e
inflammation of radiohumeral ligament. The pain
usually begins after forceful or repetitive motions
of wrist extension.
In the acute (initial) phase, a tennis elbow causes
intense pain and prevents any sports activity. The
mere lifting of a cup or even a gentle handshake
can be painful, so there is no question of lifting
of a heavy bat. In fact it can seriously aggravate
the condition, if not treated and rested properly.
The ache may subside with rest and icing, only to
reappear with greater severity if the arm and wrist
continue to be actively used, until the pain and
tenderness is constant and disabling.
In the 'chronic' (latter) phase, a tennis elbow
develops over a period of time after initial
symptoms of the conditions have been ignored and
not treated. Unlike the acute phase, mere rest
cannot heal the injury. The pain is often steady
and recurrent, so the symptoms may last for longer
durations like weeks or months.
Cricketers are also susceptible to a tennis elbow,
as we are all aware. It can occur due to:
1- Throwing: a flat-arm throw with a great thrust
which a player normally does while fielding in the
30-yards circle at point, short cover, short
mid-wicket, or square-leg. If the player has a weak
wrist, forearm or triceps, he can sustain this
injury.
2- The bat and handle: Using a heavy bat despite
your arm and wrists not having the corresponding
strength. A heavy bat may put too much strain while
playing strokes in quick succession and may cause
tennis elbow. The next thing to be considered is
the size of the handle, which must be correct. A
handle that is too thick or too thin handle calls
for greater strength to play different shots, and
thereby increases the danger of overstressing the
muscles while swinging the arm.
3- The weight of the cricket ball: Nowadays,
players try to practise with different balls in the
rainy season. This is something that is commonly
seen in Mumbai, where they practise with a rubber
ball or with the ball used in bowling machines. The
weights of these balls differ from the normal
cricket ball. What could happen is that a batsman
while practising with a rubber ball, which is
lighter than a cricket ball, will apply greater
force while trying to hit it. More force means more
pressure, more pressure means more stress on the
joint, and more stress means injury if your muscles
are weak.
4- Playing shots: Trying to flick the ball using
more of the wrist muscles or trying to hit the ball
with a horizontal bat may give rise to this injury,
if the forearm and wrist muscles are weak. A
reverse sweep with a jerky movement can give a
thrust to the elbow, which can sprain the lateral
ligament. Digging out a yorker can also put a lot
of pressure on the elbow.
The treatment of a tennis elbow in the acute and
chronic phase will be discussed in the next
article.