Affiliations: [a] Department of Human Movement Science and Sports
Management, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South
Africa | [b] Department of Statistics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan
University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Pierre Olivier, Department of Human
Movement Science and Sport Management, PO Box 77000, Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth 6031, South Africa. Tel.: +27
415042518; Fax: +27 415042770; E-mail: Pierre.Olivier@nmmu.ac.za
Abstract: The variety of measurement devices and protocols being used to
assess neck muscle strength hampers the comparison of data and the generation
of reference data. Little is known about dynamic neck muscle strength because a
limited amount of research using isokinetic dynamometry as assessment method
has been published. The purpose of the research on which this article is based
was therefore to delineate and generate reference data for the dynamic
isokinetic neck muscle strength of adults aged 19 to 69 years old, based on a
purpose-built isokinetic measurement device. Measurements were made through the
frontal and sagittal planes of movement. Furthermore, the data, categorised
into ten gender discriminate age categories of ten years each, were
statistically analysed to detect significant differences between the
categories. Four hundred and fifty-two volunteers, consisting of 221 males and
231 females, were assessed. Reference data stratified according to the gender
discriminate age categories and based on 95% confidence intervals were generated. Statistical
analyses however indicated that significant differences were predominantly
between males and females, irrespective of age. This justifies the use of
reference data grouped according to gender and questions whether age should be
considered as a stratification factor when generating neck muscle strength
reference data.
Keywords: Isokinetics, neck muscle strength, reference data
