Can field-based two-dimensional measures be used to assess three-dimensional lumbar injury risk factors in cricket fast bowlers?

Bayne et al. (2016) recently established a direct link between lumbar injury incidence and increased 3 0 measures of thorax lateral flexion, pelvis rotation and hip extension during the cricket fast bowling action. However, the majority of bowlers are not able to avail themselves to 3 0 biomechanical analysis. Therefore, we set out to ascertain whether it is appropriate to use 20 measures to assess 3D lumbar injury risk factors in fast bowlers. Nineteen fast-medium bowlers were simultaneously recorded by 30 motion capture and 20 video. Results showed that 2D thorax lateral flexion and pelvis rotation at ball release correlate particularly well with the 3D equivalents. The information presented may be practically applied by coaches to improve field-based lumbar injury risk screening processes.