Gender Differences in Head???Neck Segment Dynamic Stabilization during Head Acceleration

Tierney, Ryan; Sitler, Michael R.; Swanik, C. Buz; Swanik, Kathleen A.; Higgins, Michael J.; Torg, Joseph S.

doi:10.1249/01.mss.0000152734.47516.aa

Cited by 262 publications

(241 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

226

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…77 Neck strength may be particularly important at the junior and youth athletic levels and in female athletes. 4,5,15,81 In general, modern players have amassed a greater total size (mass), thus increasing the kinetic energy imparted in blows to the head. Moreover, during the past several decades, the velocities of impacts have increased and are probably the single greatest factor in the apparent rise in concussion incidence.…”

Section: 75mentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of subconcussion in repetitive mild traumatic brain injury

Bailes

Petraglia

Omalu

et al. 2013

JNS

432

340

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Research now suggests that head impacts commonly occur during contact sports in which visible signs or symptoms of neurological dysfunction may not develop despite those impacts having the potential for neurological injury. Recent biophysics studies utilizing helmet accelerometers have indicated that athletes at the collegiate and high school levels sustain a surprisingly high number of head impacts ranging from several hundred to well over 1000 during the course of a season. The associated cumulative impact burdens over the course of a career are equally important. Clinical studies have also identified athletes with no readily observable symptoms but who exhibit functional impairment as measured by neuropsychological testing and functional MRI. Such findings have been corroborated by diffusion tensor imaging studies demonstrating axonal injury in asymptomatic athletes at the end of a season. Recent autopsy data have shown that there are subsets of athletes in contact sports who do not have a history of known or identified concussions but nonetheless have neurodegenerative pathology consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Finally, emerging laboratory data have demonstrated significant axonal injury, blood-brain barrier permeability, and evidence of neuroinflammation, all in the absence of behavioral changes. Such data suggest that subconcussive level impacts can lead to significant neurological alterations, especially if the blows are repetitive. The authors propose “subconcussion” as a significant emerging concept requiring thorough consideration of the potential role it plays in accruing sufficient anatomical and/or physiological damage in athletes and military personnel, such that the effects of these injuries are clinically expressed either contemporaneously or later in life.

show abstract

Section: 75mentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of subconcussion in repetitive mild traumatic brain injury

Bailes

Petraglia

Omalu

et al. 2013

JNS

432

340

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Whilst we should not be surprised by strength increases as a result of training the neck musculature, the magnitude of increase suggests a prior detrained condition, and supports the simple protocol demonstrated herein. Previous publications have reported lower values for female's neck strength, compared to males 13 , and that this muscular weakness has likely resulted in higher head acceleration values in female soccer players 11,12 . The data presented herein shows pre-intervention neck strength in females to be significantly lower (p < 0.001 for all exercises tested) compared to males, supporting previous research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…11,12 In addition, data suggests a far greater prevalence of whiplash associated disorders (WAD) in females which, it has been hypothesised, is linked to the weaker neck strength compared to males (32% weaker in flexion, and 20% weaker in extension; p < 0.001). 13 Fundamentally it appears that as strength in the head and neck muscles increase, kinetic energy from concussive and sub-concussive forces can be better dissipated.…”

Section: Neck Strengthmentioning

confidence: 99%

A neck strengthening protocol in adolescent males and females for athletic injury prevention

Fisher¹,

Asanovich²,

Cornwell³

et al. 2016

Journal of Trainology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives: Sport plays a major role in the physical activity, wellbeing and socialisation of children and adults. However, a growing prevalence of concussions in sports persists, furthermore, that subconcussive forces are responsible for neurodegenerative conditions. Current approaches towards concussion prevention are dependent upon coaching strategies and enforcement by referees, or only attempt to reduce further injury, not prevent initial injury occurring. A growing body of research has shown that strengthening the muscles of the neck might serve to reduce head acceleration, change in velocity and dissipate kinetic energy from concussive and subconcussive forces.Design: Following ethical approval and parental consent a single arm, pilot study recruited 13 male and 13 female high school students to undertake 8 weeks of neck strengthening exercises 2 d.wk -1 . Method:A low-volume, time-efficient approach considered progressive strength training for neck extension, flexion, and rightand left-lateral flexion exercises for a single set to muscular failure.Results: Strength outcome data was analysed using paired samples t-tests comparing predicted 1-repetition maximum for week 1 and week 8 revealing significant strength improvements for both males and females for all exercises; p < 0.001. Effect sizes were very large (2.3-4.3) for all exercises for both males and females. Conclusions:Participants showed very large increases in neck strength suggesting previous detrained condition and the potential to significantly improve strength using a simple, low volume, resistance training protocol. Athletic training should prioritise health of participants and longevity of career and as such the authors present a neck strengthening protocol with a view to reducing injury risks.(Journal of Trainology 2016;5:13-17)

show abstract

“…While it is known that there is a higher prevalence of NP/LBP in civilian female workers (Cote et al, 2008;Hoy et al, 2012) and that sex differences in musculoskeletal characteristics related to NP/LBP exist (Allison et al, 2015;Garces et al, 2002;Lee et al, 1999;Sullivan et al, 1994;Tierney et al, 2005), sex-specific studies in military helicopter pilots are lacking, most likely due to the relatively low percentage of female pilots (Pena-Collazo, 2013). The current investigation evaluated sex differences in cervical and trunk musculoskeletal characteristics in Army helicopter pilots.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%