Cluster randomised control trial for cricket injury prevention programme (CIPP): a protocol paper.

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Injury Prevention
• Cricket Science

Background:

• Injury prevention programmes (IPPs) are proven effective in adolescent team sports.
• A validated cricket-specific IPP is lacking despite high injury rates in amateur cricketers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of a cricket injury prevention programme (CIPP) in reducing injury rates among amateur cricket players.
• To determine if CIPP is more effective as a pre-training warm-up or post-training cool-down.

Main Methods:

• A cluster randomised controlled trial involving 36 male amateur cricket teams (14-40 years old).
• Teams were assigned to three groups: warm-up CIPP, cool-down CIPP, or control.
• Intervention groups performed a 15-minute CIPP either before or after training sessions.

Main Results:

• The primary outcome is injury incidence per 1000 player hours.
• Secondary outcomes include comparing warm-up vs. cool-down CIPP effectiveness and assessing adherence.

Conclusions:

• The study will provide data on the effectiveness of a cricket-specific injury prevention programme.
• Findings will inform best practices for injury reduction in amateur cricket.