Comparative Effects of Nerve Gliding Exercises and Conventional Grip Strength Exercises on Grip Strength, Range of Motion and Performance of Cricket Batters

Cricket is transformed over the years and dynamic of batting has changed. Gone are the days, when batters used to play the game with defensive mindset. Maintaining higher striker rate and arsenal of power hitting is the epitome of stroke play in limited overs cricket. After modernization of the game, several exercises are adapted to enhance the hitting capability of batsmen with conventional grip strength training but the effectiveness of nerve gliding exercises on handgrip strength is not utilized in cricketing population effectively as compared to tennis and squash players, where it improves the efficiency of wrist mobility in efficient stroke play. This study will compare the effects of the nerve gliding exercises and conventional grip strength exercises on handgrip strength, range of motion and performance of cricket batters. It will be a randomized clinical trial where non-probability convenience sampling will be used to recruit participants aged 18 to 35 years from various cricket academies in Lahore.

Participants will be randomized through lottery method and allocated into two groups. Group A (n=20) participants will receive nerve gliding exercises intervention, while Group B (n=20) will receive conventional grip strength exercises intervention. The Adjustable Hand Dynamometer for Grip Strength, Goniometer for Range of motion while Batting Tee Test for performance will be outcome measure tools. Data will be analyzed by SPSS version 26. The normality of the data will be conducted through the Shapiro-Wilk test; for between-group analysis, an independent t-test or Mann-Whitney will be conducted. Similarly, a paired t-test or Wilcoxon Rank test will be conducted for within-group analysis.