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A Season Long Investigation into Neck Strength Testing in Professional Men’s Rugby Union / DANIEL WALKER

Swansea University Author: DANIEL WALKER

Abstract

AbstractGrowing global concern surrounds the long-term health consequences and brain injuries in rugby union players due to repetitive head impacts. Addressing and mitigating these risks is urgent. Prior research indicates that enhancing neck strength may potentially reduce head accelerations and th...

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Published: Swansea University, Wales, UK 2024
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Master of Research
Degree name: MRes
Supervisor: Williams, E. M. P.
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68314
first_indexed 2024-11-25T14:21:51Z
last_indexed 2024-11-25T14:21:51Z
id cronfa68314
recordtype RisThesis
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spelling 2024-11-21T09:50:19.2895755 v2 68314 2024-11-21 A Season Long Investigation into Neck Strength Testing in Professional Men’s Rugby Union 9ad651c49ec05a8a00334f62e5cf817f DANIEL WALKER DANIEL WALKER true false 2024-11-21 AbstractGrowing global concern surrounds the long-term health consequences and brain injuries in rugby union players due to repetitive head impacts. Addressing and mitigating these risks is urgent. Prior research indicates that enhancing neck strength may potentially reduce head accelerations and the associated risk of brain injuries. This study focuses on neck strength as a potential factor in reducing head accelerations. Conducted over a nine-month period with 41 professional male rugby union players, the research began with two preliminary studies: a fatigue investigation trial to assess the impact of repeated testing, and a resistance priming study that explored short-term strength enhancements through targeted exercises. The main body of research comprised four sub-studies: a comparison of maximum neck strength in forwards versus backs, a two-month analysis of neck strength changes in these groups, an assessment of off-season effects on neck strength, and individual player case studies to explore specific responses.A bespoke isometric neck strength testing apparatus (INSTA) enabled consistent and reliable measurements. The fatigue investigation revealed minimal impact on test results, suggesting that the testing protocol did not induce significant fatigue. The resistance priming study demonstrated significant improvements in lateral flexion strength shortly after intervention, indicating potential for injury prevention.Forwards consistently showed greater neck strength than backs across all directions. During the two-month playing period, significant changes were noted only in the right lateral flexion for backs. No significant differences were found in neck strength between pre- and post-off-season measurements, suggesting stability in neck strength despite seasonal changes.The findings underscore the importance of enhancing neck strength to reduce head injuries and concussions in rugby union. Further research should aim to establish a standardised method for assessing neck strength, facilitating comparisons and improving injury prevention strategies. E-Thesis Swansea University, Wales, UK Neck Strength, Rugby Union, Head Neck Injuries 17 9 2024 2024-09-17 A selection of content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis to protect sensitive and personal information. COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Williams, E. M. P. Master of Research MRes 2024-11-21T09:50:19.2895755 2024-11-21T09:45:09.2341949 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences DANIEL WALKER 1
title A Season Long Investigation into Neck Strength Testing in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
spellingShingle A Season Long Investigation into Neck Strength Testing in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
DANIEL WALKER
title_short A Season Long Investigation into Neck Strength Testing in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
title_full A Season Long Investigation into Neck Strength Testing in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
title_fullStr A Season Long Investigation into Neck Strength Testing in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
title_full_unstemmed A Season Long Investigation into Neck Strength Testing in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
title_sort A Season Long Investigation into Neck Strength Testing in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
author_id_str_mv 9ad651c49ec05a8a00334f62e5cf817f
author_id_fullname_str_mv 9ad651c49ec05a8a00334f62e5cf817f_***_DANIEL WALKER
author DANIEL WALKER
author2 DANIEL WALKER
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2024
institution Swansea University
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
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 - Sport and Exercise Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences
document_store_str 0
active_str 0
description AbstractGrowing global concern surrounds the long-term health consequences and brain injuries in rugby union players due to repetitive head impacts. Addressing and mitigating these risks is urgent. Prior research indicates that enhancing neck strength may potentially reduce head accelerations and the associated risk of brain injuries. This study focuses on neck strength as a potential factor in reducing head accelerations. Conducted over a nine-month period with 41 professional male rugby union players, the research began with two preliminary studies: a fatigue investigation trial to assess the impact of repeated testing, and a resistance priming study that explored short-term strength enhancements through targeted exercises. The main body of research comprised four sub-studies: a comparison of maximum neck strength in forwards versus backs, a two-month analysis of neck strength changes in these groups, an assessment of off-season effects on neck strength, and individual player case studies to explore specific responses.A bespoke isometric neck strength testing apparatus (INSTA) enabled consistent and reliable measurements. The fatigue investigation revealed minimal impact on test results, suggesting that the testing protocol did not induce significant fatigue. The resistance priming study demonstrated significant improvements in lateral flexion strength shortly after intervention, indicating potential for injury prevention.Forwards consistently showed greater neck strength than backs across all directions. During the two-month playing period, significant changes were noted only in the right lateral flexion for backs. No significant differences were found in neck strength between pre- and post-off-season measurements, suggesting stability in neck strength despite seasonal changes.The findings underscore the importance of enhancing neck strength to reduce head injuries and concussions in rugby union. Further research should aim to establish a standardised method for assessing neck strength, facilitating comparisons and improving injury prevention strategies.
published_date 2024-09-17T20:36:13Z
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score 11.04748

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