State of the Art
Injury surveillance in community cricket: A new innings for South Africa
Submitted: 07 December 2021 | Published: 15 June 2022
About the author(s)
Benita Olivier, Wits Cricket Research Hub for Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and, Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South AfricaOluchukwu L. Obiora, Wits Cricket Research Hub for Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and, Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Candice MacMillan, Wits Cricket Research Hub for Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and, Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Caroline Finch, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia
Abstract
Published injury rates amongst elite and club-level youth cricketers highlight the need to implement injury risk-reducing strategies amongst the youth cricketing population. Data from sports injury surveillance systems are a prerequisite for the development and evaluation of strategies to reduce injury risk. Therefore, collecting injury surveillance data is a positive move towards reducing injuries in cricket. In South Africa, a systematic, standardised, evidence-informed injury surveillance system currently does not exist for community levels of play, namely, in cricket-playing high schools and cricket clubs. Although injury surveillance systems exist at elite levels, the obvious differences in elite versus community cricket settings mean that these systems cannot be implemented in their current form at community-level cricket. An innovative model is required to implement an injury surveillance system in community cricket.
Clinical implications: This article proposes and describes a new research–practice partnership model to implement a systematic, standardised, evidence-informed injury surveillance system at cricket-playing high schools or cricket clubs within South Africa. Once this model has been employed, database systems will need to be established to allow long-term data management and sharing.
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