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Head Acceleration in Men’s University Rugby Union and the Effect of Neck Strength Training / THOMAS PENNINGTON

Swansea University Author: THOMAS PENNINGTON

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Abstract

There is increasing concern regarding concussion and exposure to repeated head impacts in rugby union due to the associated long-term health consequences. To date, measurement systems associated with a high degree of measurement error have been utilised to research head impacts. Moreover, increases...

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Published: Swansea 2022
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Master of Research
Degree name: MSc by Research
Supervisor: Williams, Elisabeth M.P ; Mackintosh, Kelly A. ; McNarry, Melitta A.
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa59108
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first_indexed 2022-01-07T10:03:36Z
last_indexed 2022-01-08T04:28:06Z
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spelling 2022-01-07T10:15:12.3244301 v2 59108 2022-01-07 Head Acceleration in Men’s University Rugby Union and the Effect of Neck Strength Training 830d2424e4c9114acf1aaf8caeab8eb2 THOMAS PENNINGTON THOMAS PENNINGTON true false 2022-01-07 There is increasing concern regarding concussion and exposure to repeated head impacts in rugby union due to the associated long-term health consequences. To date, measurement systems associated with a high degree of measurement error have been utilised to research head impacts. Moreover, increases in neck strength have been shown to reduce the risk of concussion risk. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between neck strength and head acceleration in Rugby Union players. Maximum isometric strength data were collected from 27 male university rugby players at the start of the competitive season and following neck-specific resistance training completed throughout the season. The training programme was completed two times per week and consisted of deep neck stabiliser exercises, weighted isometric training, and dynamic resistance training. The bespoke isometric apparatus utilised four, 150 kg load cells, measuring neck strength in flexion, extension, and left and right lateral flexion. Linear and rotational head acceleration data were recorded throughout the season using mouthguards that were instrumented with a nine-axis inertial motion unit and an additional triaxial accelerometer. The neck strength training programme resulted in improvements in all outcome parameters (5.5 – 18.8%), with significant improvements for all, except extension (p < 0.05). A median (IQR) of 13 g (11 - 18 g) and 849 rad•s-2 (642 - 1,115 rad•s-2) were observed for peak linear and rotational acceleration, respectively. Results revealed that participants with greater neck strength experienced lower head acceleration values throughout the season (p <0.05). The neck-specific training programme was effective in increasing isometric neck strength. The head acceleration values recorded in the current thesis were substantially lower than those previously recorded. Findings indicate that increasing neck strength may be effective in reducing head inertial load experienced during rugby matches. E-Thesis Swansea Neck strength, Head acceleration, Concussion, Brain injury, Rugby, Rugby Union, Neck strength training 7 1 2022 2022-01-07 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Williams, Elisabeth M.P ; Mackintosh, Kelly A. ; McNarry, Melitta A. Master of Research MSc by Research Keytree Ltd. 2022-01-07T10:15:12.3244301 2022-01-07T09:59:39.3755476 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Uncategorised THOMAS PENNINGTON 1 59108__22066__34da51723d5d4de0a0c27b27f32f0801.pdf Pennington_Thomas_N_MSc_by_Research_Thesis_Final_Redacted_Signature.pdf 2022-01-07T10:09:04.0670103 Output 2373585 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true Copyright: The author, Thomas N. Pennington, 2021. true eng
title Head Acceleration in Men’s University Rugby Union and the Effect of Neck Strength Training
spellingShingle Head Acceleration in Men’s University Rugby Union and the Effect of Neck Strength Training
THOMAS PENNINGTON
title_short Head Acceleration in Men’s University Rugby Union and the Effect of Neck Strength Training
title_full Head Acceleration in Men’s University Rugby Union and the Effect of Neck Strength Training
title_fullStr Head Acceleration in Men’s University Rugby Union and the Effect of Neck Strength Training
title_full_unstemmed Head Acceleration in Men’s University Rugby Union and the Effect of Neck Strength Training
title_sort Head Acceleration in Men’s University Rugby Union and the Effect of Neck Strength Training
author_id_str_mv 830d2424e4c9114acf1aaf8caeab8eb2
author_id_fullname_str_mv 830d2424e4c9114acf1aaf8caeab8eb2_***_THOMAS PENNINGTON
author THOMAS PENNINGTON
author2 THOMAS PENNINGTON
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2022
institution Swansea University
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Uncategorised{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Uncategorised
document_store_str 1
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description There is increasing concern regarding concussion and exposure to repeated head impacts in rugby union due to the associated long-term health consequences. To date, measurement systems associated with a high degree of measurement error have been utilised to research head impacts. Moreover, increases in neck strength have been shown to reduce the risk of concussion risk. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between neck strength and head acceleration in Rugby Union players. Maximum isometric strength data were collected from 27 male university rugby players at the start of the competitive season and following neck-specific resistance training completed throughout the season. The training programme was completed two times per week and consisted of deep neck stabiliser exercises, weighted isometric training, and dynamic resistance training. The bespoke isometric apparatus utilised four, 150 kg load cells, measuring neck strength in flexion, extension, and left and right lateral flexion. Linear and rotational head acceleration data were recorded throughout the season using mouthguards that were instrumented with a nine-axis inertial motion unit and an additional triaxial accelerometer. The neck strength training programme resulted in improvements in all outcome parameters (5.5 – 18.8%), with significant improvements for all, except extension (p < 0.05). A median (IQR) of 13 g (11 - 18 g) and 849 rad•s-2 (642 - 1,115 rad•s-2) were observed for peak linear and rotational acceleration, respectively. Results revealed that participants with greater neck strength experienced lower head acceleration values throughout the season (p <0.05). The neck-specific training programme was effective in increasing isometric neck strength. The head acceleration values recorded in the current thesis were substantially lower than those previously recorded. Findings indicate that increasing neck strength may be effective in reducing head inertial load experienced during rugby matches.
published_date 2022-01-07T04:16:09Z
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score 11.013776