title: Comparative cervical profiles of adult and under-18 front-row rugby players: implications for playing policy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the cervical isometric strength, fatigue endurance and range of motion of adult and under-18 age-grade front-row rugby players to inform the development of a safe age group policy with particular reference to scrummaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  'Field testing' at Murrayfield stadium.
  
  
  METHODS
  30 high-performance under-18 players and 22 adult front-row rugby players.
  
  
  METHODS
  Isometric neck strength, height, weight and grip strength.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Youth players demonstrated the same height and grip strength as the adult players; however, the adults were significantly heavier and demonstrated substantially greater isometric strength (p<0.001). Only two of the 'elite' younger players could match the adult mean cervical isometric strength value. In contrast to school age players in general, grip strength was poorly associated with neck strength (r=0.2) in front-row players; instead, player weight (r=0.4) and the number of years' experience of playing in the front row (r=0.5) were the only relevant factors in multivariate modelling of cervical strength (R(2)=0.3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Extreme forces are generated between opposing front rows in the scrum and avoidance of mismatch is important if the risk of injury is to be minimised. Although elite youth front-row rugby players demonstrate the same peripheral strength as their adult counterparts on grip testing, the adults demonstrate significantly greater cervical strength. If older youths and adults are to play together, such findings have to be noted in the development of age group policies with particular reference to the scrum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gatherer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robson
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rennie
authors.forename: J G B
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Maclean
authors.forename: A H R W
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Simpson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005538:Football / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Neck; Rugby; Sports Medicine