Can Neck Strength be Measured Using a Single Maximal Contraction in a Simulated Contact Position?

Salmon, DM, Handcock, PJ, Sullivan, SJ, Rehrer, NJ, and Niven, BE. Can neck strength be measured using a single maximal contraction in a simulated contact position? J Strength Cond Res 32(8): 2166–2173, 2018—Neck strengthening has been postulated to potentially reduce the incidence and severity of concussions and neck injuries in collision-based sports. A quick and reliable method to assess neck strength would permit identification of those at risk and tracking of progress after injury. The purpose of this study was to determine if neck strength could be reliably assessed in a simulated contact posture using a single maximal contraction. During a single session, 30 healthy male university students performed 3 maximal voluntary contractions of the neck musculature in each of the following directions: extension (Ext), flexion (Flx), left lateral flexion (LtFlx), and right lateral flexion (RtFlx). To evaluate the reliability of these measures, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated. The findings revealed a significant effect for direction (p
Source: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Original Research Source Type: research