Neck and Head Injuries Part 1: Practice Makes Perfect

Football is one of the most exciting sports today. It has everything a sports fan would want out of competition: excitement, strategy and not to mention bone crushing hits. It is hard not to get excited when you watch a great hit while watching a college or pro football game. The thing that often gets lost while watching these games is the risk these players take when making a tackle.

Neck injuries can occur in any sport, but often occur in football. Young athletes see these hits and want to replicate them during practice or during a game, but many times what happens is that they injure themselves in the process. College and pro football players have practiced and worked on their technique so much that they can land the big hit without causing harm to their spine, but even at times, the best player can still get hurt. This is why it is important for coaches and players to realize that working on the basics of tackling and proper form when tackling can be the difference between standing up after the hit or being the one who is still on the ground.

When tackling another player it is crucial not to keep the head down. When the neck is in a flexed position, the spinal cord is taut. If more pressure occurs, it can lead to injury. Keeping the neck straight - like using the head as a spear - could lead to a compression fracture or spinal cord injury. When the head is up, the spinal cord is slack and the spine can better absorb the hit. Taking the time to practice this over and over can lead to muscle memory where the body instinctively takes over and you maintain the form without even thinking.

Practicing the same thing day in and day out can be boring for any football player, but the one question young players need to ask themselves is, “What’s the point of making a big hit if you cannot even get up to celebrate with your teammates?”

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Exercise of the Month:
Cable Row with Hip External Rotation

Cable exercises can help to bring variety to a work out. The resistance of the cable will help to challenge your muscles and help with balance and stabilization. The twisting motion of this exercise by your upper body will further challenge your lower body.

Starting position
First, make sure that the cable is adjusted so that the cable is located at about your knee level. Stand with legs shoulder length apart and grasp the cable with one hand. Once steady, raise the foot on the same side as the hand with the cable, while the opposite foot stays planted on the ground.

Action
Keeping the opposite foot planted and the same side foot raised, row the cable up toward your opposite hip while rotating your trunk. Hold for a count of 3-5 seconds and slowly lower to the starting position while controlling the cable through the entire movement. The raising of the cable will be just as challenging as controlling the cable on its way down, so remember not to let it snap back down.

Try doing 10 reps of 3 sets with adequate rest breaks in between. For a bigger challenge, increase the weight of resistance on the cable machine. Therabands, free weights and medicine balls can be substitutes for a cable.

Muscles worked

• Deltoids
• Lats
• Glutes
• Obliques.

Additional benefits

• Hip and shoulder stabilization
• Improved balance
• Injury prevention