ArticleThe journal of primary prevention2020
Bigger Necks Are Not Enough: An Examination of Neck Circumference in Incoming College Athletes.
Article in The journal of primary prevention, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Prevention strategies and modifiable risk factors for concussion: a systematic review and meta-analysis for the Female, woman and girl/or Athlete Injury pRevention (FAIR) consensus.British journal of sports medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Sex Differences in Concussion Rates among Middle School Sex-comparable Sports.Journal of pediatrics. Clinical practice · 2026Article
- Sternocleidomastoid muscle morphology is independently associated with neck strength and endurance in athletes and para-athletes.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Youth handball concussion prevention strategies: a workshop-based study with experts and end users.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2024Article
- Associations of prior concussion severity with brain microstructure using mean apparent propagator magnetic resonance imaging.Human brain mapping · 2024Article
- Are Sex Differences in Collegiate and High School Sports-Related Concussion Reflected in the Guidelines? A Scoping Review.Brain sciences · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Neck circumference is quick and simple to measure and thus an attractive proxy of neck strength, a putative mechanism underlying risk of sport-related concussion (SRC). Research, however, is limited on the relationship of neck circumference to SRC. Our study examined differences in neck circumference based on sex, concussion history, concussions experienced subsequent to college entry, and participation in sports with high versus low risk for contact. Neck circumference was measured in incoming NCAA Division I athletes (N = 324) from a large northeastern university during athlete pre-participation physicals. Sex, sport team, and self-reported concussion history were obtained from retrospective pre-participation questionnaires and medical chart review. Concussion diagnoses during college were collected subsequent to neck measurements from medical chart review. Proportional neck circumference (normalized by body mass index) was computed. Each sport was categorized as involving high or low risk of contact (as a proxy of risk for injury). Sex differences in neck circumference and proportional neck circumference were assessed. Differences in neck circumference and proportional neck circumference were also characterized by contact risk and SRC history (with biological sex included as a covariate). Differences in neck circumference and proportional neck circumference were explored among those who did versus did not experience subsequent SRC diagnosis. Males had significantly larger neck circumference and proportional neck circumference than females. Neck circumference and proportional neck circumference were not related to SRC history or subsequent SRC. Neck circumference is a quick and simple measure; however, even when considered in proportion to body mass, it was unrelated to SRC. Future studies are needed to assess whether this is due to a lack of relationship between the neck and injury or limitations in circumference as a proxy measure of cervical spine characteristics and biomechanics.
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