A Comparative Assessment of Neck Muscle Strength and Vertebral Stability

Franco, J L; Herzog, Walter

doi:10.2519/jospt.1987.8.7.351

Cited by 14 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Our results suggest that the extensor muscles may have a larger role to play than previously thought in attenuating forces of impact. The cervical extensors are consistently reported to be the muscle group that generate the highest isometric neck force 25 39 40. It may be possible, therefore, that this strength range represents the greatest defensive mechanism at reducing the force of impacts during sagittal plane impact, previously identified as the most common direction of concussive impacts in male professional rugby players 12…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Poor isometric neck extension strength as a risk factor for concussion in male professional Rugby Union players

Farley

Barry²,

Sylvester

et al. 2022

Br J Sports Med

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BackgroundConcussion is one of the highest burden injuries within professional Rugby Union (‘rugby’) and comes with a high health and financial cost to players and teams. Limited evidence exists as to the existence of modifiable intrinsic risk factors for concussion, leaving athletes and clinicians with few options when developing prevention strategies.ObjectiveTo investigate whether neck strength is significantly associated with concussion incidence in professional male rugby players.Methods225 rugby players were assessed for neck strength at three time points throughout the 2018/2019 season using a method of isometric contraction. Associations with clinically diagnosed concussion injuries are presented as incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% CIs.ResultsThirty concussions occurred in 29 players during the study period; a rate of 13.7 concussions per 1000 hours played. Greater neck strength was observed at mid and end of season time points versus preseason across the study population. There was a significant association between extension strength and concussion; a 10% increase for extension strength was associated with a 13% reduction in concussion rate (adjusted IRR (95% CI) 0.87 (0.78 to 0.98). No other significant associations were observed between concussion incidence and any other unique neck strength range or composite score.ConclusionHigher neck extension strength is associated with lower concussion rates in male rugby players. Neck strength is a modifiable intrinsic risk factor for concussion and may be an important component of a strength and conditioning regime.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Poor isometric neck extension strength as a risk factor for concussion in male professional Rugby Union players

Farley

Barry²,

Sylvester

et al. 2022

Br J Sports Med

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“…The larger force produced by males can be attributed to anatomical differences between sexes regarding muscle morphology [ 30 ]. The larger forces in Ext for both sexes are perhaps in part due to the larger cross-sectional area of extensor muscles in relation to flexors, which plays an important role in neck and head postural stability [ 31 ]. Findings relating to differences in force produced, disaggregated by sex, offer practitioners valuable insight when establishing baseline neck strength measurements in different populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intra and Inter-Rater Reliability of a Novel Isometric Test of Neck Strength

McBride

James

Alsop

et al. 2022

Sports

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There is no single, universally accepted method of measuring isometric neck strength to inform exercise prescription and injury risk prediction. This study aimed to establish the inter- and intra-rater reliability of a commercially available fixed frame dynamometer in measuring peak isometric neck strength. A convenience sample of male (n = 16) and female (n = 20) university students performed maximal isometric contractions for flexion (Flex), extension (Ext), left- (LSF) and right-side flexion (RSF) in a quadruped position over three sessions. The intra-rater reliability results were good-to-excellent for both males (ICC = 0.83–0.90) and females (ICC = 0.86–0.94) and acceptable (CV < 15%) across all directions for both males and females. The inter-rater reliability results were excellent (ICC = 0.96–0.97) and acceptable (CV < 11.1%) across all directions. Findings demonstrated a significant effect for sex (p ≤ 0.05): males were stronger in all four directions, and a significant effect for direction (p ≤ 0.05): Ext tested stronger (193 N) than Flex (176 N), LSF (130 N) and RSF (125 N). The findings show that the VALD fixed frame dynamometer can reliably assess isometric neck strength and can provides reference values for healthy males and females.

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“…Eine lateralflektierte Kopfhaltung bei gleichzeitig kontralateraler Depression des Schultergürtels oder eine Kombination aus Hyperextension und Rotation kann über entstehende Traktions- bzw. Kompressionskräfte erhebliche Schäden an sämtlichen Strukturen der HWS anrichten 10 , 11 .…”

Section: Epidemiologie Von Verletzungen Und Deren Mechanismenunclassified