Sports Medicine Shortage in India
BY SHELLY ACHAIBAR, AUGUST 25, 2005
Cricket is a well known international sport played in over 60 countries. Although the sport had been around for a century, it became formalized in 1744 after the by-laws were created by the London Club. The game is competitively played in England, Australia, India, Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa. Ten nations are full members of the International Cricket conference and 45 more are affiliated members. Each team consists of 11 players and games last up to 7 hours per match.
Although it is a non-contact sport, injuries in cricket are common and occur frequently. Test series in cricket is comparable to the world-series in baseball and usually run for five consecutive days, leaving players vulnerable to numerous mishaps. Injuries can result from a number of positions, such as bowling, batting or fielding. Unlike baseball, cricket players do not use protective gloves to field or catch, cricket balls are made of leather-covered solid cork sphere and can travel at speeds upward of 150 km/h. Many players have injured their fingers, head, neck, face, knee, groin, lumbar region of the spine (33%) and shoulder joints (34.1%) as a result of a fast ball. Bowlers often suffer from spondylolisthesis, spondylolysis, pedicle sclerosis and pars defect. Batsman are prone to head, face, neck, and groin trauma if they collide with a fast ball. Another element to consider, players face extended periods of exposure to the sun with temperatures ranging from 85-90 degrees generally causing fatigue.
More developed nations like Australia and England have a gamut of sports specialists to care for players, but other countries like India are faced with a shortage of treatment due to a lack of expertise in the sports medicine field. Sports medicine doctors are scarce and most patients have to rely on general orthopedic surgeons for relief. Sports medicine training in India is still at a developmental stage and courses are only offered at one or two universities. Enrollment at one institution has been nominal. Since being offered in 1987, only 12 out of 60 students who participated in the course became actual sports medicine doctors. There needs to be greater recognition for the role of and demand for sports medicine specialists. Until then, cricketers, tennis players, runners, and the athletic majority shall continue to seek treatment for their injuries abroad.
