Congratulations to Mohammad Homayounpour, PhD Graduate of Dr. Andrew Merryweather’s Ergonomics and Safety group on his publication Cervical muscle activation characteristic and head kinematics in males and females following acoustic warnings and impulsive head forces published in Annals of Biomedical Engineering. Sex, head and neck posture, and cervical muscle preparation are contributing factors in the severity of head and neck injuries. However, it is unknown how these factors modulate the head kinematics. In this study, twenty-four (16 male and 8 female) participants experienced 50 impulsive forces to their heads with and without an acoustic warning. Both sex and warning type were significant factors in head kinematics. These data provide insight into the complex relationship of muscle activation and sex, and may help identify innovative strategies to reduce head and neck injury risk in sports.
