The effects of a rugby playing season on cervical range of motion

Abstract

Rugby players have a reduced active cervical range of motion (ACROM) mid-season compared with age-matched controls. This is most evident in rugby forwards, who have ACROM similar to patients with acute whiplash. This study aims to show if the change in ACROM over an entire rugby season (pre-, mid-, and end of season) shows a pattern of decline. A cross-sectional study of 22 rugby players (11 backs aged 24.9 ± 1.3 years; 11 forwards aged 24.5 ± 1.1 years) from elite English Premiership clubs had their cervical range of motion measured for flexion, extension, left and right side flexion, plus left and right rotation with a cervical range of motion device. The percentage change between start to mid-season, mid- to end of season, and start to end of season were calculated. Group means were compared for absolute ACROM (degrees) and percentage change over the season. The percentage change indicated a decrease in ACROM over the rugby playing season, with most of the decrement occurring in the second half of the season. Most of the relative change was observed in right lateral flexion, while rotation did not change significantly. In conclusion, ACROM declines throughout the playing season, which requires attention in terms of training and rehabilitation.     

A better IDEA: best practice and outcomes‐oriented remedies in public impact litigation for students with disabilities

Class action lawsuits filed in violation of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) raise questions for those concerned with improving the education system for students with disabilities. First, do the lawsuits result in changes that can be directly linked to improved student outcomes? Second, do these lawsuits and the ‘consent decrees’ that settle them refer to best practices in educating children with disabilities? To date, no study has examined the remedies ordered as a result of these lawsuits in the disability education context, or proven how different types of remedies can impede or facilitate progress for students with disabilities. Class action lawsuits under IDEA filed in large, urban school districts between 1990 and 2011 and the remedies ordered under the final agreement were reviewed. This review suggests that the lawsuits against large, urban school districts tend to result in remedial activities that focus more on planning, supporting and monitoring than on outcomes or evidence‐based practice.     

Collaborating across institutional and jurisdictional boundaries: enabling the emergence of a national innovation system through public knowledge management

Public institutions involved in research that aims to strengthen the productivity, profitability and adaptiveness of industries face a multiplicity of challenges when managing for the emergence of cost effective solutions to problems. We reflect upon the learnings of a Government sponsored Visiting Fellow’s programme that we describe as a knowledge management (KM) intervention within Australia’s primary industries Research, Development and Extension (R, D and E) system. Our central concern is to draw upon the learnings of an internet-based initiative in the United States called eXtension to show how ‘traditional’ D and E activities can be transformed. We argue that organisations and networks involved in such D and E activities need to perceive themselves as belonging to systems that are socio-technical in nature. That is, the development and deployment of cross-jurisdictional and cross-institutional innovations are shaped by both the social interactions between people and the systematic use of technology to support distributed learning. We explain how the elements of an integrated model to support public KM can be developed to create the conditions for enhanced innovation. Our findings have relevance to a wide range of other industry sectors considering contemporary service models involving public and private partnerships.     

Electron coincidence spectroscopy: a new way of looking into matter

In electron coincidence spectroscopy, kinematically complete measurements are made of symmetric ionising collisions initiated by an electron beam on a gaseous atomic or molecular target. The reaction measures the shapes of individual orbitals, and provides a sensitive measurement of the charge density far from the atomic nuclei. The technique promises to be of outstanding importance in developing an improved understanding of molecular structures.     

Stress and the Contemporary Student

Is contemporary student life stressful? And if so, what factors are associated with stress among students? This paper attempts to provide answers to these questions in reporting a research project that explored physical and mental health among students studying at Newcastle University in 1995. Forty-nine per cent of a stratified random sample of students (956 students) completed a postal questionnaire which, as well as addressing questions of health, covered numerous aspects of student living conditions and lifestyle. Stress was measured by the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, which was converted into a 36-point scale. The analysis identifies various factors that were associated with stress, and culminates in the construction of a multi-variate model that explains 25 per cent of the variance in student stress. The findings are discussed within the context of the changing nature of higher education in Britain