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The Effects of a Rugby Season on Neck Strength in Professional Men’s Rugby Union

Will Robinson

Swansea University Author: Will Robinson

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Abstract

Rugby union is a physically demanding sport that places tremendous strain on players' bodies.While physical and mental well-being receive close attention, the importance of neck strength often goes unnoticed. Contact events such as tackles and scrums exert significant pressure on the neck regio...

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Published: Swansea University, Wales, UK 2024
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67066
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first_indexed 2024-07-11T09:57:40Z
last_indexed 2024-07-11T09:57:40Z
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fullrecord <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rfc1807 xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>67066</id><entry>2024-07-11</entry><title>The Effects of a Rugby Season on Neck Strength in Professional Men’s Rugby Union</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>59628cdbb2807dd33c8863833a219ad7</sid><firstname>Will</firstname><surname>Robinson</surname><name>Will Robinson</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2024-07-11</date><deptcode>EAAS</deptcode><abstract>Rugby union is a physically demanding sport that places tremendous strain on players' bodies.While physical and mental well-being receive close attention, the importance of neck strength often goes unnoticed. Contact events such as tackles and scrums exert significant pressure on the neck region, potentially compromising strength and function. This may increase brain and cervical injury risk, as players may struggle to mitigate forceful impacts. Front five players may be particularly susceptible, but limited data exists on how rugby activities affect neck strength throughout the season.In this longitudinal study, the maximal isometric neck strength of 33 professional male rugby union players was measured over the 2021-2022 professional rugby season, using a custom-designed apparatus. Testing comprised two components: (i) pre-, mid-, and post-season testing of the entire squad to explore positional differences and seasonal patterns, and (ii) a front-five case study involving weekly neck strength testing to monitor changes and their associations with-game events.The findings revealed a significant decrease in neck strength among the forwards in all directions from pre- to post-season, while no significant changes were observed among the backs. At the season’s outset, the forwards exhibited significantly greater neck strength compared to the backs, with only neck extension remaining significantly stronger by the end.he front-five case study identified associations between decreased neck strength and in-game events in some players.This study provides valuable insights regarding observed decrements in neck strength among professional male rugby players, despite limited statistical power. Further research is needed to enhance the generalisability of these findings. Moreover, the study demonstrates the feasibility and reliability of a weekly neck strength monitoring protocol, which can help identify weaknesses and imbalances to prevent neck and head injuries. These findings highlight the potential for establishing a standardised methodology for monitoring neck strength within the rugby community.</abstract><type>Thesis</type><journal/><volume/><journalNumber/><paginationStart/><paginationEnd/><publisher/><placeOfPublication>Swansea University, Wales, UK</placeOfPublication><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic/><keywords>Neck strength, Rugby union</keywords><publishedDay>18</publishedDay><publishedMonth>6</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2024</publishedYear><publishedDate>2024-06-18</publishedDate><doi/><url/><notes>A selection of content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis to protect sensitive and personal information</notes><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Engineering and Applied Sciences School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>EAAS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm/><funders/><projectreference/><lastEdited>2024-07-11T11:04:52.3664078</lastEdited><Created>2024-07-11T10:40:31.5982562</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Science and Engineering</level><level id="2">School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Will</firstname><surname>Robinson</surname><order>1</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>67066__30876__dec4e145894a4680a3e64f3f542e6815.pdf</filename><originalFilename>2023_Robinson_W.final.67066.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2024-07-11T10:57:03.3221696</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>1344261</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>E-Thesis – open access</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>Copyright: The Author, Will John Robinson, 2023</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling v2 67066 2024-07-11 The Effects of a Rugby Season on Neck Strength in Professional Men’s Rugby Union 59628cdbb2807dd33c8863833a219ad7 Will Robinson Will Robinson true false 2024-07-11 EAAS Rugby union is a physically demanding sport that places tremendous strain on players' bodies.While physical and mental well-being receive close attention, the importance of neck strength often goes unnoticed. Contact events such as tackles and scrums exert significant pressure on the neck region, potentially compromising strength and function. This may increase brain and cervical injury risk, as players may struggle to mitigate forceful impacts. Front five players may be particularly susceptible, but limited data exists on how rugby activities affect neck strength throughout the season.In this longitudinal study, the maximal isometric neck strength of 33 professional male rugby union players was measured over the 2021-2022 professional rugby season, using a custom-designed apparatus. Testing comprised two components: (i) pre-, mid-, and post-season testing of the entire squad to explore positional differences and seasonal patterns, and (ii) a front-five case study involving weekly neck strength testing to monitor changes and their associations with-game events.The findings revealed a significant decrease in neck strength among the forwards in all directions from pre- to post-season, while no significant changes were observed among the backs. At the season’s outset, the forwards exhibited significantly greater neck strength compared to the backs, with only neck extension remaining significantly stronger by the end.he front-five case study identified associations between decreased neck strength and in-game events in some players.This study provides valuable insights regarding observed decrements in neck strength among professional male rugby players, despite limited statistical power. Further research is needed to enhance the generalisability of these findings. Moreover, the study demonstrates the feasibility and reliability of a weekly neck strength monitoring protocol, which can help identify weaknesses and imbalances to prevent neck and head injuries. These findings highlight the potential for establishing a standardised methodology for monitoring neck strength within the rugby community. Thesis Swansea University, Wales, UK Neck strength, Rugby union 18 6 2024 2024-06-18 A selection of content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis to protect sensitive and personal information COLLEGE NANME Engineering and Applied Sciences School COLLEGE CODE EAAS Swansea University 2024-07-11T11:04:52.3664078 2024-07-11T10:40:31.5982562 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences Will Robinson 1 67066__30876__dec4e145894a4680a3e64f3f542e6815.pdf 2023_Robinson_W.final.67066.pdf 2024-07-11T10:57:03.3221696 Output 1344261 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true Copyright: The Author, Will John Robinson, 2023 true eng
title The Effects of a Rugby Season on Neck Strength in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
spellingShingle The Effects of a Rugby Season on Neck Strength in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
Will Robinson
title_short The Effects of a Rugby Season on Neck Strength in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
title_full The Effects of a Rugby Season on Neck Strength in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
title_fullStr The Effects of a Rugby Season on Neck Strength in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
title_full_unstemmed The Effects of a Rugby Season on Neck Strength in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
title_sort The Effects of a Rugby Season on Neck Strength in Professional Men’s Rugby Union
author_id_str_mv 59628cdbb2807dd33c8863833a219ad7
author_id_fullname_str_mv 59628cdbb2807dd33c8863833a219ad7_***_Will Robinson
author Will Robinson
author2 Will Robinson
format Staff 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 1
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description Rugby union is a physically demanding sport that places tremendous strain on players' bodies.While physical and mental well-being receive close attention, the importance of neck strength often goes unnoticed. Contact events such as tackles and scrums exert significant pressure on the neck region, potentially compromising strength and function. This may increase brain and cervical injury risk, as players may struggle to mitigate forceful impacts. Front five players may be particularly susceptible, but limited data exists on how rugby activities affect neck strength throughout the season.In this longitudinal study, the maximal isometric neck strength of 33 professional male rugby union players was measured over the 2021-2022 professional rugby season, using a custom-designed apparatus. Testing comprised two components: (i) pre-, mid-, and post-season testing of the entire squad to explore positional differences and seasonal patterns, and (ii) a front-five case study involving weekly neck strength testing to monitor changes and their associations with-game events.The findings revealed a significant decrease in neck strength among the forwards in all directions from pre- to post-season, while no significant changes were observed among the backs. At the season’s outset, the forwards exhibited significantly greater neck strength compared to the backs, with only neck extension remaining significantly stronger by the end.he front-five case study identified associations between decreased neck strength and in-game events in some players.This study provides valuable insights regarding observed decrements in neck strength among professional male rugby players, despite limited statistical power. Further research is needed to enhance the generalisability of these findings. Moreover, the study demonstrates the feasibility and reliability of a weekly neck strength monitoring protocol, which can help identify weaknesses and imbalances to prevent neck and head injuries. These findings highlight the potential for establishing a standardised methodology for monitoring neck strength within the rugby community.
published_date 2024-06-18T11:04:51Z
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score 11.016079

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