The Long-Term Health Outcomes of Recreational Cricket Participation 

Overview:

We have previously explored the joint-health risks and benefits of men who have played elite Cricket. We will now expand our research population and refine our previously designed questionnaires to include an expanded set of research outcomes including general health and Quality of Life.  This questionnaire will be deployed to males and females who play recreational sports (specifically Rugby and Cricket). 

Having previously gathered information within an Elite athlete population we have developed an athlete clinical prediction tool to help predict onset of osteoarthritis (OA).  We will evaluate and refine this clinical prediction tool to make it relevant to the recreational population.  Once this is done, we will attempt to validate the clinical prediction tool in other international sports cohorts.  We will then work with our PPI (Patient and Public Involvement) groups to produce a user-friendly digital interface so that the clinical prediction tool can be rolled out into the general population.    

Aims and Objectives:

• To identify the joint health risks and benefits of recreational Cricket.
• To refine the core epidemiological questionnaires for use in recreational sport studies of men and women.
• To produce a clinical prediction tool to forecast Osteoarthritis in recreational athletes 

Key Findings:

Current cricket participation and a higher standard-of-play was associated with greater Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Further research is needed to understand if cricket participation may have psychological benefits that persist beyond cricket retirement.

Cricketers that who had played sport while injured had impaired HRQoL and, increased odds of osteoarthritis and persistent joint pain, compared to those who had not played sport while injured.

All-rounders had a higher chance of having OA (especially knee or shoulder OA) and batters had a reduced chance of having shoulder OA. A higher playing standard was associated with OA (any joint, knee and shoulder). These associations are unlikely to be explained by cricket-related injury alone.

Outcomes: 

• Filbay SR, Bullock GS, Sanchez-Santos MT, Arden NK, Peirce N. A Higher Playing Standard, Bowling, and Intermittent Helmet Use Are Related to a Greater Odds of Injury or Concussion in Cricket. Clin J Sport Med. 2022 May 1;32(3):e300-e307. doi: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000000933. Epub 2021 Apr 29. PMID: 34009794.

• Panagodage-Perera NK, Bullock GS, Arden NK, Filbay SR. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in current and former recreational and elite cricketers: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2021 Nov 3;11(11):e052014. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052014. PMID: 34732485; PMCID: PMC8572389.

• Bullock GS, Collins GS, Peirce N, Arden NK, FIlbay SR. Health-related quality of life and flourishing in current and former recreational and elite cricketers. Health Quality of Life Outcomes. 2020;18:41.  

• Bullock GS, Collins GS, Peirce N, Arden NK, FIlbay SR. Having played sport while injured is associated with osteoarthritis, joint pain and worse health related quality of life. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2020;21:111.  
• Bullock GS, Collins GS, Peirce N, Arden NK, FIlbay SR. Physical activity and health related quality of life in former elite and recreational cricketers with persistent upper extremity or lower extremity joint pain. BMJ Open. 2019;9:e032606. 
• Bullock GS, Perera NKP, Murray A, Arden NK, FIlbay SR. The relationship between cricket participation, health, and wellbeing: A scoping review protocol. BMJ Open. 2019;9:e032070. 
• Cai H, Bullock GS, Arden NK Peirce N, Filbay SR. Playing position and playing standard is associated with knee, back, hand and shoulder pain in former cricketers. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2019;20(1):596.

Work Package	Early Disease and Risk Prediction: Prevent
Objective	1.2
Lead	Steph Filbay, Garrett Bullock, Nirmala Perera and Maja Radojčić.
Investigators	Nigel Arden and Nick Peirce
Institution	University of Oxford