Article

Greater neck girth and strength may be associated with a lower risk of
sport-related concussion due to mitigation of head accelerations by the neck.
However, neck strengthening exercise remains unstudied in youth athletes.
Therefore, this pilot study assessed the feasibility and effect of targeted neck
strengthening exercises in youth athletes. Seventeen participants were allocated
to perform 8-wk manual resistance-based neck strengthening (n = 13) or control
resistance exercise (n = 4) programs. Before and after the intervention,
participants completed laboratory-based assessments of neck size, strength, and
head kinematics during standardized test loading in each plane of motion.
Descriptive statistics were calculated to compare pre-post changes between the
two groups. All participants safely and successfully completed the intervention.
Neck girth and strength increased in both groups, with greater increases in the
neck strengthening group. Across all planes of motion, overall changes in head
linear and angular velocity decreased in both groups, with greater decreases in
DeltaV in the neck strengthening group and greater decreases in Deltaomega in
controls. These results suggest the potential for resistance exercise training to
reduce youth athletes' risk for sport-related concussion by increasing neck girth
and strength. Additional research is needed to determine optimal neck
strengthening programs.

Langue : ANGLAIS