MRI Screening for lumbar bone stress injuries in young male cricket fast bowlers: a 15- year retrospective cohort study

Key Points

1. Early MRI screening detects Lumbar Bone Stress Injuries at earlier, less severe stages.

All key points available for members only

Start free trial

Or log in here

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Lumbar Bone Stress Injuries (LBSIs) cause significant time loss and medical costs in cricket, with young fast bowlers at greatest risk. For aspiring athletes, these injuries also come at a cost, as rehabilitation to return to play (RTP) can take 6-12 months. LBSIs develop along a continuum: from bone marrow oedema (BMO) without fracture, to incomplete, then complete fractures where the fracture line extends through the cortex.

Symptomatic management may prolong recovery, as pain can appear up to four months after radiographic changes. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is increasingly used to screen high-risk bowlers pre-symptomatically, yet studies rarely examine whether early detection improves long-term outcomes for young athletes.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term and long-term outcomes from LBSI’s in young, male fast bowlers, comparing injuries detected through MRI screening versus those through clinical examination.

Lumbar Bone Stress Injuries (LBSIs) cause significant time loss and medical costs in cricket, with young fast bowlers at greatest risk.

Injuries detected through proactive MRI screening required only conservative treatment and achieved a 100% return to play success rate, with substantially shorter rehabilitation durations.

METHODS

• The England and Wales Cricket Board have been proactively scanning athletes for LBSIs for 15 years. This retrospective cohort study analyzed injury data from 2009–2024, comparing outcomes between LBSIs detected through proactive MRI screening versus clinical detection with diagnostic MRI.

Start free trial

to unlock full access to this review and 1217 more

Or log in here