The answer to this question is “Yes” and “No”. 

Concussion is caused by an acceleration and deceleration of the brain inside the skull. Due to this, the nerve cells in the brain to become stretched and stimulated, resulting in a surge of electrical activity. This causes the initial symptoms of a person falling to the ground, finding it difficult to stand up and generally being disorientated. This may only last a minute or two but the surge utilises a huge amount of energy which the brain finds difficult to restore to normal levels; hence, the ongoing symptoms of concussion.  

What if you could limit the effect of the acceleration/deceleration injury to the brain. Neck strength has been suggested as one way of limiting the effect of the concussion on the brain, however it’s not really as simple as that. 

Research has shown that decreasing the forces applied to the head can possibly reduce the likelihood of suffering a concussion. Reducing these forces to the head is more related to neck stiffness, not necessarily neck strength. Increasing neck stiffness could reduce the forces applied to the head therefore reducing the chance of suffering a concussion.  

There is a big difference when an athlete is prepared for impact and when they are not.  

When an athlete knows an impact is coming, they are more likely to tense up and contract their neck muscles and therefore increase their neck stiffness. When an athlete is unaware of a potential impact, they are more likely to be relaxed and therefore reduce their neck stiffness.  

It is important to note that an athlete with a stronger neck will have greater neck stiffness and therefore a decreased chance of sustaining a concussion.  Generally, it comes down to whether the athlete is ready for impact or not. The athlete who is unaware of potential impact will be more likely to suffer a concussion injury.  

Ultimately improving your neck strength will reduce the likelihood of concussion as long as the athlete is prepared for the impact. Improving an athlete’s ‘game awareness’ could lead to a decreased chance of concussion because they will be more likely to know when a potential ‘concussion hit’ may be about to happen, hence they will be prepared for the hit. This comes with experience but can also be accomplished with coaching proper technique and game preparation. 

 

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