Article
Is hand dominance and a history of hand injury associated with a higher prevalence of hand pain and osteoarthritis in cricketers?
Search Medline for
Authors
Published: | February 6, 2020 |
---|
Outline
Text
Objectives/Interrogation: Hand osteoarthritis (HOA) is the most common form of OA. However, factors associated with hand pain and HOA in current and former sport participants is poorly understood. We aimed to determine if hand pain and HOA are more prevalent in (i) cricketers with a history of hand-injury (ii) the dominant hand.
Methods: 28,152 current and former cricketers of all playing standards who were registered on a national database were invited via email to complete a questionnaire. 2,598 participants responded and consented to the questionnaire. To be eligible for this study, participants must have played at least 1 cricket season and be aged at least 18 years.
Self-reported explanatory variables included any former cricket-related hand injury leading to more than 4 weeks of reduced participation in exercise/training/sport; and dominant hand used to throw/bowl. Outcomes were current hand pain on most days of the last month; and doctor diagnosed HOA.
Chi-squared test was used to compare outcome prevalence between groups. The association between injury and pain was only assessed in former cricketers (to minimise confounding by acute injury). Other analyses were performed on all cricketers (current and former).
Results: 2294 were eligible for this study, mean age 52+/-15 (range 18-94) years, mean BMI 27.8+/-5, mean seasons played 29+/-15 (range 1-68), 65 (2.8%) female, 835 (36.4%) former cricketers.
Former cricketers reporting former hand-injury (n=128, 15%) had a higher prevalence of hand pain, compared to former cricketers reporting no hand-injury (38% vs. 17%, p<0.01). All cricketers reporting a hand injury (n=385, 17%) had a higher prevalence of HOA, compared to all cricketers reporting no hand injury (7% vs. 3%, p<0.01). There was no difference in the prevalence of hand pain or HOA between dominant and non-dominant hands (pain 6.6% vs 5.2%, OA 3.9% vs 2.8%, respectively).
Conclusions: Cricket-related hand injury was associated with a higher prevalence of hand pain in former cricketers and a higher prevalence of HOA in current and former cricketers. Hand pain and HOA prevalence was similar between the dominant and non-dominant throwing hand. This suggests hand injury may be a risk factor for the development of hand pain and HOA.