Background: Upper extremity injuries are common in cricket, and fast bowlers are especially prone to shoulder problems. However, the pain and sport-specific functional limitation of amateur fast bowlers with upper extremity pain have not been well described.

Objective: To assess upper extremity pain, throwing performance, and functional limitation in amateur fast bowlers with upper extremity pain using the Functional Arm Scale for Throwers (FAST).

Methods: This cross-sectional survey study was conducted on 122 amateur male fast bowlers aged 16-30 years from cricket academies of Navi Mumbai and Mumbai, recruited by convenience sampling. Participants had at least 2 years experience and practiced at least 2 hours a day, at least 3 days a week, with acute to sub-acute upper limb pain (up to 3 weeks) and without prior physiotherapy. They were screened by the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and the FAST was administered by interview. Data were analysed descriptively in MS Excel.

Results: Mean age was 17.45 ± 2.27 years, and 114 participants (93%) were right-hand dominant. Mean experience was 3.54 ± 1.92 years, with practice of 2.93 ± 1.08 hours a day and 5.61 ± 0.92 days a week. Pain onset was gradual in 74 (61%) and sudden in 48 (39%), with a mean duration of 11.24 ± 5.56 days. On FAST total score, 117 (96%) had mild and 5 (4%) had moderate disability; none had severe disability. Mean domain scores were highest for throwing (35.77 ± 7.37), followed by pain (33.13 ± 8.24) and activities of daily living (25.41 ± 9.70).

Conclusion: Young amateur fast bowlers with upper extremity pain reported predominantly mild overall disability. Their symptoms were more evident during throwing than during daily activity and had a gradual onset. This group may require sport-specific assessment and early physiotherapy screening.