How is the active range of movement in the cervical spine affected by playing rugby in females? An observational study of female rugby players versus non-rugby playing females.

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Title: How is the active range of movement in the cervical spine affected by playing rugby in females? An observational study of female rugby players versus non-rugby playing females.
Author(s): Storrar, I
Abstract: Background: Female participation in the game of rugby has been rapidly increasing in recent years, however research in to the female area of the game has not been as prevalent as it has been in the male game. The high number of physical collisions in rugby exposes the cervical spine to potential injuries and the accumulative effects of continuous impact can possibly change the range of motion of the cervical spine. Objective: The objective of this observational study was to determine whether playing rugby, and playing position in rugby, has an effect on the active cervical spine ROM in female rugby players. Design: Observational study. Methods: Thirty participants were used for this study, one group of 15 female rugby players and one group of 15 non-rugby playing females. Exclusion criteria included male participants, being under 18 years of age, previous history of neck injury, and for the rugby group, having less than one year’s experience of playing rugby. The active cervical spine ROM for each participant was captured using a CROM Goniometer. The data captured was recorded on Microsoft excel and analysed by using Analyse-It where Shapiro-wilks test, Levene’s test, Student T-test and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests were carried out where appropriate. Results: Results showed that there was no difference in the active cervical spine range of motion between female rugby players and non-rugby playing females as well as between forwards and backs positions of female rugby players. Discussion: The results from this study do not reflect that of previous studies investigating the effects that playing rugby has on the active cervical spine ROM of Male players. However, both samples of female rugby players and non-rugby playing females were very small and therefore may not be an accurate representation of the wider population. Conclusion: This study suggests that playing rugby does not have an effect on the cervical spine ROM in female players, however further research into this subject needs to be carried out with larger sample sizes and across a range of competition levels.
presented at: European School of Osteopathy
Date Accepted: 2019
Date Submitted: 19.11.2019 18:31:10
Type: osteo_thesis
Language: English
Submitted by:: 62
Pub-Identifier: 16514
Inst-Identifier: 1229
Keywords: Cervical Spine, Active Range of Motion, Rugby Injuries, Cervical Spine Injuries
Recommended: 0

Item sets: Thesis

Storrar, I, “How is the active range of movement in the cervical spine affected by playing rugby in females? An observational study of female rugby players versus non-rugby playing females.”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 2, 2025, https://www.osteopathic-research.com/s/orw/item/315