4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

micoach

Active Member
4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

Overuse injuries of the shoulder is a big problem for bowlers, especially those of the faster variety. How can you avoid this?

In the UK, the ECB have done what they can by restricting the amount of overs young bowlers are allowed to bowl in practice and live games. But what if you are over 18?

There are some simple things you can do to prevent shoulder issues.

  • Less pushing, more pulling. If you regularly push stuff in life or in the gym more than you pull stuff you are causing an imbalance in your shoulder. That is a recipe for injury. Pulling exercises like inverted rows strengthen the muscles around the scapular (the big bone in your shoulder). If you workout make sure you do double the amount of pulling exercises compared to pushing and cut out the bench press altogether. Replace it with rotational press ups as they strengthen your chest and stabilise your shoulder in one movement. If you don’t workout, start.
  • Put the guns away. It’s bad news if you like doing the biceps. Large guns can cause issues in the shoulder too. The bicep muscle connects to the shoulder and when it gets too big it pulls on the shoulder directly and can hurt you. That means you need to cut out the curls. Those big biceps might look great in your best shirt on Saturday night but come game time you could be out.
  • Stabilise your knee and core. Our muscles are all linked together in a chain. An unstable knee or core can lead to issues in the shoulder through this chain effect. Train knees for stability with exercises like squats, single leg squats, and straight leg deadlifts. Train core stability and cut out any exercises that cause you to rotate the trunk rather than the upper back.
  • Mobilise you ankles, hips and upper back (t-spine). Mike Boyle recommends these joints (not the shoulder, which needs to be stable not mobile) are all as mobile as they can be. A good range of motion at all these joints allows for a good action which stops your shoulder having to get into positions that might cause injury. It might seem odd that your ankle can affect your shoulder, but the body will always try and compensate for poor mobility somewhere further up the chain. If the compensation happens in the knee, lower back or shoulder you are in trouble. Take a look at Boyle’s joint by joint training article for tips on how to get these joints mobile and remember your warm up.

Have you got anything to add here? Liz?
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

Harrowdrive said:
Have you got anything to add here? Liz?

Not me, :D this is fantastic advice and I urge everybody to follow it.

I particularly like the rotational press ups; they are beneficial in so many ways; activating deep muscles you didn't know you had.

As for Mike Boyle's article; what's he doing? He's trying to put me out of a job! :laugh:

Seriously, although I appear to have become a rehabilitator, I really am a great believer of prehabilitation. If everybody reads this article, I can get back to doing what I love. x

I agree, the ankles are often neglected and must be mobilised, in the coronal (frontal) and transverse (horizontal) planes as well as the sagittal plane. This is very important for those of you who have taken up boxing for fitness. You must remember to turn the knee in by pivoting on the ball of your foot and mobilising the ankle when performing the hook.

Great job David :D
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

Thanks Liz. I have put those rotation push ups into a superset with lateral lunges in my own workout currently. Very taxing and pretty cricket specific.

plus I can do a few sets at the in-laws this Christmas.

PS. If anyone has questions feel free to post away. Liz and I are always on hand.
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

great advice
i have a question i get a stabbing pain in my lower left side of my back when bowling??
anyone no what it is or whats causing it??
i only get it sometimes tho
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

this one day i was playing and it was quite cold (for an australian summer). i think i pulled my left ab whilst bowling. i feel the strain occasionaly during games and practise, and not only when its cold. have you any ideas what my problem could be???????
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

by the way are [ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=qHQ_E-f5278&feature=related]these[/ame] the rotational push ups or press ups or what ever you want to call them. cause they look pretty tough. do you have to brace the core and all that jazz when doing them?
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

oh ok, but when i tried them it wasnt that difficult. what are the things i should do to get the burn. was i meant to feel something in the torso?
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

jimmy33 said:
this one day i was playing and it was quite cold (for an australian summer). i think i pulled my left ab whilst bowling. i feel the strain occasionaly during games and practise, and not only when its cold. have you any ideas what my problem could be???????

When you say 'left ab', do you mean the rectus or transverse area?

Can you pinpoint it for me in relation to your [say] tummy button, ribs, midline, hip bone etc?

Did this happen during the follow through?

Is it a sharp pain you feel or an ache?
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

jimmy33 said:
this one day i was playing and it was quite cold (for an australian summer). i think i pulled my left ab whilst bowling. i feel the strain occasionaly during games and practise, and not only when its cold. have you any ideas what my problem could be???????

I don't know what the problem is but considering you stretch that muscle area when bowling, I advise you to take about two, three weeks (more, if possible) off bowling.
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

jimmy33 said:
oh ok, but when i tried them it wasnt that difficult. what are the things i should do to get the burn. was i meant to feel something in the torso?

Never quite sure why guys like to feel the burn :D

Press ups really are not that difficult. As long as your core is strong enough to support your spine, you are really only working your pectoralis major, anterior deltoid and triceps. If you are not that heavy, you should be able to press away quite happily.

I like the rotational press ups because it also uses the rotator cuff muscles, extremely important for throwing and bowling [and other things ;)]

I like this video very much; I could watch this guy all day but I do wish they would perform these exercises without t-shirts. That way, you can see what is happening to the muscles.

As David says, as you rotate, everything should be stacked; ankles, knees, hips and shoulders [good alignment] and there should be no momentum involved at all, the exercise must be slow and controlled.

BTW, you should brace your core whatever you do... everything!
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

Liz Ward said:
Press ups really are not that difficult. As long as your core is strong enough to support your spine, you are really only working your pectoralis major, anterior deltoid and triceps. If you are not that heavy, you should be able to press away quite happily.

I have literally no triceps, is there any way to build them for the use of helping do core exercises. I can barely do one pressup because the pain in my shoulders (assumed that they take the weight that my triceps can't) gets too much.
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

Sit on the stairs with your feet on the ground, about 5cm apart Manee.

Put your hands behind you, close to your body, on the step above the one you are sitting on, fingers facing forward, shoulder blades lowered, elbows sticking out directly behind you.

Push yourself off the step with your arms [try to use your legs a little as possible]. Lower your bottom just above the step below the one you were sitting on. Hold.

Then using your arms [making sure your elbows are still facing directly behind you] lift yourself back on to the first step you were sitting on.

How are your shoulders?
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

Liz Ward said:
Sit on the stairs with your feet on the ground, about 5cm apart Manee.

Put your hands behind you, close to your body, on the step above the one you are sitting on, fingers facing forward, shoulder blades lowered, elbows sticking out directly behind you.

Push yourself off the step with your arms [try to use your legs a little as possible]. Lower your bottom just above the step below the one you were sitting on. Hold.

Then using your arms [making sure your elbows are still facing directly behind you] lift yourself back on to the first step you were sitting on.

How are your shoulders?

Brilliant, I found it very easy.
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

That's great Manee.

As you found that easy:

Sit on the first step with your legs outstretched in front of you, feet close together resting on your heels. Assume the previous position with your hands on the step above the one you are sitting on.

Using just your arms, lower yourself to just above the floor and raise without sitting back on the step. Always ensure your elbows are facing directly behind you, do not 'wing' them outwards.

Do this in a controlled fashion; lower to the count of one, raise to the count of one, lower to the count of one, raise to the count of one, lower...

Do this as often as you can; it will give your triceps a head start.

Progress to counts of 2/2, 3/1, 1/3 etc.

When you feel that your triceps are strong enough, move on to push/press ups etc.
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

Yep, that is much harder and I can feel it in my triceps.

Can I clarify that I should bend my knees when I'm near the ground?
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

Liz Ward said:
When you say 'left ab', do you mean the rectus or transverse area?

Can you pinpoint it for me in relation to your [say] tummy button, ribs, midline, hip bone etc?

Did this happen during the follow through?

Is it a sharp pain you feel or an ache?

Hmmmmm, well you know when you see a six pack (not that i have one), how there are 3 lumps in columns, well the pain was on the left column.

It occured just after i released the ball, at my lowest point towards the ground and it was a sharp pain which continued to hurt after wards

Liz Ward said:
Never quite sure why guys like to feel the burn :D

Press ups really are not that difficult. As long as your core is strong enough to support your spine, you are really only working your pectoralis major, anterior deltoid and triceps. If you are not that heavy, you should be able to press away quite happily.

I like the rotational press ups because it also uses the rotator cuff muscles, extremely important for throwing and bowling [and other things ;)]

As David says, as you rotate, everything should be stacked; ankles, knees, hips and shoulders [good alignment] and there should be no momentum involved at all, the exercise must be slow and controlled.
well i was wondering if i was doing it right because it was quite easy. im pretty sure i am because i am doing it right because i was doing it how the guy did it in the video
 
Re: 4 ways bowlers can prevent shoulder injuries

Sorry for all the questions James but was the pain in the centre of the 'column' or more to the midline of the body?

Was it the whole column or just one of the 'virtual' lumps?
 
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