Playing Through Illness: Is it safe for elite athletes?

In elite sport, the line between heroic determination and risky overreach is often fine.

- DR. ABHISHEK VAISH

The hidden cost of playing injured Take Chris Woakes's striking act at The Oval during the 5th Test against India: though sidelined by a dislocated shoulder, he emerged at the crease, arm in a sling, refusing to let his team face a last-wicket stand without him. It was a moment fitting of sporting folklore—but was it wise?

A shoulder dislocation, as in Woakes's case, occurs when the upper arm bone (humerus) pops out of its socket in the shoulder blade, often following trauma or an awkward fall. It's an intensely painful injury that can cause swelling, weakness, and instability—sometimes requiring months of rehabilitation.

"When a cricketer dislocates the shoulder, even simple movements like lifting the arm or rotating it can be excruciating," explains Dr. Abhishek Vaish Sports Injury Specialist and Orthopedic Surgeon from Indraprastha Apollo Hospital & Healing Touch Clinic, Okhla New Delhi.