Impact of neck strength in prevention of traumatic brain injury in athletes
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Citation
Abstract
Many athletes endure head impact events during both practice and game play of their sport. Head impacts can have serious repercussions including traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disease. While modern helmet technology and pre-screening concussion testing have been implemented in many sports, serious head impacts still occur. The goal of this research paper is to determine whether the factor of neck muscle strength can play a role in reducing sports-related traumatic brain injury incidence.
Eleven previous works of research were identified, summarized, and analyzed. The experiments varied to include laboratory studies, field studies, simulations, and literature reviews. Mixed results were found pertaining to the question of this research paper. Some studies concluded that increased neck strength reduced risk of sport-related traumatic brain injury. However, other studies found no significant association between neck strength and sports-related traumatic brain injury.
Each previous work of research was first reviewed separately. Then, the experiments were compared and contrasted based on interpretation of neck strength, interpretation of head impact, study type, participant population, and additional variables considered. Finally, a conclusion was reached which indicated further research must be performed in order to answer the question of this research paper. While previous works of research appear to measure similar variables and answer similar questions, there are too many differences identified between the experiments to directly compare their results and draw broader conclusions.