Neck strength testing in professional rugby union
: a novel approach

  • Lesley McBride

Student thesis: Doctoral ThesisDoctor of Philosophy

Abstract

Recent audits have indicated that some of the most common injuries affecting professional rugby union players occur to the head and neck and can have serious, long-term consequences. Over recent years, researchers have found promising evidence to suggest that the stronger a player’s neck, the lower the incidence of head- and neck-related injury. To test this causal relationship, more robust data is required from a larger population of players. However, there remains no single, standardised method for neck strength measurement, meaning that there is little consensus among researchers and practitioners alike and, in turn, that it is impossible to establish broader trends across such a methodologically heterogeneous data set. The overall aim of this thesis was therefore to establish a novel,unified, practically oriented method for neck strength measurement that can serve to facilitate larger-scale, longer-term studies of the impact of neck strength on injury prevention in rugby union.First, the thesis reviewed existing literature pertaining to injuries in rugby union and their possible relationship with neck strength and identified gaps in the research relating to current neck-screening practices in professional rugby contexts (Chapter 2). As there waslittle consensus regarding best practices in neck strength measurement across the academic and professional sporting communities, an initial exploratory survey was conducted highlightingthe diversity and prevalence of neck strength measurement practices currently employed by professional rugby clubs (Chapter 3). The results showed that there was a range of techniques and technologies used but little or no consensus in methodology, despite a clearly voiced need among practitioners for a standardised, commercially viable system that would be easy to administer and interpret outside of the scientific research community.To begin to develop the requisite standardised model, a review was conducted of the available commercial technologies applicable to neck strength measurement (Chapter 4). Despite it never having been used to measure neck strength prior to this study, the VALD ForceFrame fixed-frame dynamometer was identified as a viable piece of equipment given its suitability and existing credibility as a measuring apparatus adopted within professional clubs.Chapter 4 assessed the reliability of the ForceFrame for neck strength measurement through testing a novel empirical protocol on a group of university-age participants (n = 40). Attention was also paid to how best to account for the influence of wider bodily force distribution on residual neck strength (Chapter 5). This was achieved through trialling a variety of test positions to assess their overall impact on neck strength. The results demonstrated thatoptimal reliability was achieved through participants’ adoption of the quadruped position, wherein the ForceFrame demonstrated excellent reliability in the measurement of neck flexion and extension strength and good reliability with regard to left and right side flexion.Moreover, the quadruped position was also found to increase the face validity and ecological validity of the test, thereby serving to meet the adoption requirements of practitioners.These findings were further applied to real-world sporting situations by testing 131 professional rugby players within several club settings (Chapter 6). The results not only affirmed the wider validity of the laboratory findings but also began to establish a rigorous data corpus that accounts for inter-player position variability, adding a further dimension to the thesis’s original contributions to existing knowledge
Date of AwardMay 2024
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • Coventry University
SupervisorSam Oxford (Supervisor), Rob James (Supervisor) & Sian Alsop (Supervisor)

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