Feasibility and Effect of Cervical Resistance Training on Head Kinematics in Youth Athletes: A Pilot Study.
James T Eckner, Alireza Goshtasbi, Kayla Curtis and 6 others
PMID 29557889WHAT IT FOUND
After 8 weeks, the neck-strengthening group did not change head movement more than controls.
The training group had some significant changes on its own, including neck girth, but this pilot cannot show reduced concussion risk.
Key findings
0117 youth athletes were allocated to 13 neck-strengthening and 4 control participants.
02The neck-strengthening group did not differ significantly from controls in pre-post changes for any primary or secondary outcome.
03Within the neck-strengthening group, head velocity and angular velocity decreased significantly in extension, and angular velocity decreased significantly in lateral flexion.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 17 athletes were studied, and only 4 were in the control group. The groups were imbalanced by sex and age, so the neck group was slightly younger, shorter and lighter than the control group. The study was not powered to detect between-group differences. All participants did general resistance exercises, so the effect of the added neck exercises and dumbbell shrugs cannot be separated. The manual resistance force was not objectively measured. The study measured head motion in a laboratory, not concussion risk in sport.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not report author conflicts of interest or a specific funding source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the added neck exercises alone reduced head acceleration or concussion risk in youth athletes. The neck group also did general resistance exercises and dumbbell shoulder shrugs, and between-group differences in primary head movement outcomes were not significant.