Objectives. To evaluate the neck strength of school-aged rugby players, and to define the relationship with proxy physical measures with a view to predicting neck strength. Methods. Cross-sectional cohort study involving 382 rugby playing schoolchildren at three Scottish schools (all male, aged between 12 and 18 years). Outcome measures included maximal isometric neck extension, weight, height, grip strength, cervical range of movement and neck circumference. Results. Mean neck extension strength increased with age (p = 0.001), although a wide inter-age range variation was evident, with the result that some of the oldest children presented with the same neck strength as the mean of the youngest group. Grip strength explained the most variation in neck strength (R. 2. = 0.53), while cervical range of movement and neck girth demonstrated no relationship. Multivariable analysis demonstrated the independent effects of age, weight and grip strength, and the resultant model explained 62.1% of the variance in neck strength. This model predicted actual neck strength well for the majority of players, although there was a tendency towards overestimation at the lowest range and underestimation at the highest. Conclusion. A wide variation was evident in neck strength across the range of the schoolchild-playing population, with a surprisingly large number of senior players demonstrating the same mean strength as the 12-year-old mean value. This may suggest that current training regimes address limb strength but not neck strength, which may be significant for future neck injury prevention strategies. Age, weight and grip strength can predict around two thirds of the variation in neck strength, however specific assessment is required if precise data is sought

Aims

Degenerative cervical spondylosis (DCS) is a common musculoskeletal disease that encompasses a wide range of progressive degenerative changes and affects all components of the cervical spine. DCS imposes very large social and economic burdens. However, its genetic basis remains elusive.

Aims

CRP is an acute-phase protein that is used as a biomarker to follow severity and progression in infectious and inflammatory diseases. Its pathophysiological mechanisms of action are still poorly defined. CRP in its pentameric form exhibits weak anti-inflammatory activity. The monomeric isoform (mCRP) exerts potent proinflammatory properties in chondrocytes, endothelial cells, and leucocytes. No data exist regarding mCRP effects in human intervertebral disc (IVD) cells. This work aimed to verify the pathophysiological relevance of mCRP in the aetiology and/or progression of IVD degeneration.

Objectives

Loss of motion following spine segment fusion results in increased strain in the adjacent motion segments. However, to date, studies on the biomechanics of the cervical spine have not assessed the role of coupled motions in the lumbar spine. Accordingly, we investigated the biomechanics of the cervical spine following cervical fusion and lumbar fusion during simulated whiplash using a whole-human finite element (FE) model to simulate coupled motions of the spine.

Objectives

Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) stimulation was evaluated after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedures in a randomized, controlled clinical study performed for United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. PEMF significantly increased fusion rates at six months, but 12-month fusion outcomes for subjects at elevated risk for pseudoarthrosis were not thoroughly reported. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effect of PEMF treatment on subjects at increased risk for pseudoarthrosis after ACDF procedures.