AI Article Synopsis

Article Abstract

Head, neck and face injuries are a concern in contact sports. This exploratory study aimed to establish 1) injury risk factors for head, neck and face injuries and 2) clinical cut-off values related to strength, endurance and proprioception of the cervical spine in a team of professional rugby league players. Pre-season assessments of isometric strength of the flexor, extensor and lateral flexor muscles, endurance of the flexor muscles and joint position error were conducted. Injuries resulting in games missed were recorded. Cross-tabulations were used to determine the unadjusted odds ratios for the measures as risk factors for playing season injuries. The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) values indicated that if a player had weaker extensors of the neck (<36.4 kg,  = 0.014; <3.4N/kg,  = 0.014) or asymmetry of isometric strength of their lateral flexor muscles (left-to-right ratio <0.91,  = 0.005), their odds of games missed due to season head, neck and face injuries was increased (OR extensors = 8; 95% CI = 1.5-42.5 OR asymmetry of lateral flexor muscles OR = 12.6; 95% CI = 2.0-79.4). As muscle strength is modifiable, the clinical application of this study would involve targeting players in the team beneath the clinical cut-off value.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2024.2432793DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

head neck
12
neck face
12
face injuries
12
professional rugby
8
rugby league
8
league players
8
risk factors
8
flexor muscles
8
unadjusted odds
8
neck
5

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!