A Case Study: Examining Biological Sex Differences in a 14-Week Neck Strength Protocol for Optimal Neuromuscular Indicators to Reduce the Incidence of Traumatic Brain Injury
Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 4: Issue 1, Article 9, 2023. The primary aim of this research was to analyze potential biological sex differences to determine if a variation in dynamic and isometric neck strength existed following a 14-week novel neck strengthening protocol. College-aged healthy participants who did not have a previous history of head or neck trauma were recruited for this study. A pre- and post-assessment was conducted to gather initial isometric and dynamic neck strength values. The neck strengthening intervention utilized a novel dynamic neck strength device for 14-weeks. 14-week neck strength protocol used in this study did increase dynamic and isometric neck strength in participants. After analysis, the authors discovered an increased gain in dynamic neck strength in males over females. According to the pre- and post-assessment data, males gained an extra 8.821 lbs/rev of clockwise strength and 8.135 lbs/rev of counterclockwise strength over females. The change over time (COT) values revealed males gained an extra 3.69 lb./rev of rate of force development (RFD) in the clockwise direction and 3.92 lb./rev of rate of force development in the counterclockwise direction. There was no statistical difference in isometric strength gain in males versus females; however, both groups improved. Dynamic and isometric neck strength increased for all participants after the 14-week neck strength protocol. Males exhibited a greater increase in dynamic neck strength. Extra gain in male dynamic neck strength may be due to differences between male and female dynamic neck musculature size, abundance of type II muscle fiber type, or rate of adaptation
