By Adam Reid

In an early 2009 newsletter, we discussed strengthening the muscles of the neck as a way to prevent concussion in athletes.  Following are some excerpts from that article.  

Athletes can suffer concussion from either a direct blow to the head, or a blow to the body that forces the head to move violently side to side or front to back (i.e., whiplash).  Since an injury is the result of soft tissues being unable to withstand the forces imposed upon it, it is reasonable to state that a strong neck will lessen the risk of concussion if such an impact occurs.  

According to Dr. Mickey Collins, assistant director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Sports Medicine Concussion Program:

One of the best ways to prevent concussions is through neck strength. Having a strong neck actually allows the forces of the blow to be taken from the head down through the neck and into the torso. We really find that athletes with strong necks [can help prevent concussions].

According to the Journal of Athletic Training, female soccer players are 68% more likely than males to suffer a concussion - while in basketball the risk is almost three times higher.  Most researchers think this is a result of females having weaker necks than males.  

Since that article was written, 'concussion' has become a buzzword in all levels of athletics. Almost all Massachusetts school systems utilize ImPACT testing to ensure a safe return to play following head injury, and a big budget motion picture entitled 'Concussion' was released in 2015 focusing on the NFL.

With all the publicity concussions receive in general, the prevention aspect is usually lacking a neck strengthening angle.  Instead, certain headgear is proposed or rule changes in a sport are recommended.  Those may be all well and good, but this author agrees with Dr. Collins quote above:  'One of the best ways to prevent concussions is through neck strength.'

But how does one know that a concussion is being prevented versus simply being avoided due to good luck and other factors? Ideally, one would need to find an athlete prone to concussions - to the point that almost entire seasons were interrupted -  who undergoes a neck strengthening/concussion prevention program for an extended period of time, who then manages to complete an entire season of his/her sport WITHOUT SUFFERING A CONCUSSION.

Where does one find this person? Enter Victoria Fuda.       

Victoria is currently a junior at Hull High School and an all-league caliber soccer player.  Slight of frame, she suffered her first concussion in 2012.  According to her mother Kim:

Victoria was plagued with post concussion syndrome for the next 8 months, forfeiting participation in winter basketball, spring soccer, and summer hoops.  At school, she did not attend gym, band, tech, or lunch in the cafeteria, spending much of her school day in the nurse's office and wearing sunglasses to decrease her headaches. She struggled with math, (previously an A student in the highest level math class), and required a 504 accommodation plan and transfer to a lower level math class. For the remainder of the school year, Victoria took all her exams in the nurse's office, with extra time needed. She did not participate in 7th grade MCAS testing. She slept very poorly for those 8 months, having dizziness and nausea when she lowered her head to the pillow.

At this point, and having read about the Concussion Prevention program at Back2Health, Kim took a proactive route and contacted me.  Victoria started a once per week strength training program in 2013 with emphasis on her neck.  At first she had a sporadic training schedule, with several stops and starts of a few weeks at a time, but it did help upon her return to the playing field.  According to her mother again:

...it is evident to her and to me that she is stronger and more stable. She can still be dropped by a larger player, but when she went down, she held her body in a very different way: her trunk was stable and her neck did not give way, her head never touched the ground. It was clear then, that the strengthening she was doing at Back2Health was making a difference.

Unfortunately at this point, her frame was simply too slight to withstand all the impacts found in her sport.  There's a reason female soccer players are 68% more likely than males to suffer a concussion as noted earlier.  A few more injuries were encountered - including a concussion during her sophomore year - and Victoria again missed parts of her freshman and sophomore seasons.

But a funny thing happened. Victoria managed a much more consistent workout schedule from halfway through sophomore year right up through the first few weeks of her junior year soccer campaign.  Additionally, her frame morphed from a gangly kid to an athletic teenager.  With this came much more strength, as demonstrated both on the field and in our facility.  While she showed improvement on all exercises, her increased neck strength was most obvious: where she once could lift 90 lbs. on the MedX Neck Extension, she was soon pushing 140 lbs. for the same number of reps.  

And then another funny thing happened:  Victoria managed a full season of soccer for Hull High, being one of the main catalysts for the Lady Pirates first ever league title, and a South Shore League All-Star.

A controlled study this certainly is not, as there are too many variables to consider - including general strength training and the natural growth of her frame.  However, it is safe to say that stronger neck musculature via exercise on our MedX machines played a large role, reinforcing that which we already knew to be true.

Parents and relatives of adolescent athletes should take notice.  At Back2Health, we recommend ALL athletes include direct neck exercise in their strength training regimen.  The risk of injury is great enough in sports, why would one not try to minimize said risk?  Especially for the more delicate head and neck region??

Our concussion prevention program takes 15 minutes to complete once per week, and costs $30 per visit.  It can also be combined with any 1-2-1 training session as a $10 upgrade.

Please help us spread the word.  EVERY student athlete should be strengthening his or her neck as a deterrent to concussion!