Exploring Injury Profiles in Non-elite Cricketers: Harnessing Online Surveys for Effective Assessment

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Cricket Analytics
• Injury Epidemiology

Background:

• Modern cricket's intensity leads to increased player injuries.
• Grassroots cricket lacks access to professional physiotherapy and rehabilitation facilities.
• Undocumented injuries pose a risk to player health and development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a questionnaire-based survey for identifying and documenting cricket injuries at the junior level.
• To establish an accessible method for injury data collection in grassroots cricket.
• To lay the groundwork for creating player injury profiles and identifying chronic issues.

Main Methods:

• An online, self-administered questionnaire was developed.
• The survey link was distributed to junior cricketers (15-35 years) at the Union Territory Cricket Academy (UTCA), Chandigarh, via online platforms.
• Responses were collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• 77 out of 98 participants' responses were evaluated (41 males, 36 females).
• 37/77 cricketers reported injuries in the past two years, with fingers and back being the most common sites.
• Training time lost due to injury ranged from one week to one year.

Conclusions:

• Online surveys can initiate data accumulation and player profiling, even at junior levels.
• This method provides a foundational step for further detailed injury evaluations.
• Coaches and administrators can utilize this data to profile cricket injuries and identify chronic issues.