The effect of high-intensity physical exertion on measures of cervical spine, vestibular/ocular-motor screening, and vestibulo-ocular reflex function in university level collision and combative sport athletes

To examine how high-intensity physical exertion affects clinical measures of cervical spine (CSp), vestibular/ocular motor screen (VOMS), and vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) function. Case series. Sports Medicine Centre. A total of 37 athletes consented to participate (22 rugby, 15 wrestling; 9 men, 28 women; median age = 19 years [range 17–23 years]). Outcome measures included tests of CSp (cervical flexor endurance, head perturbation test, cervical flexion rotation test and anterolateral strength), VOR (head thrust test and dynamic visual acuity [DVA]), and a quantified version of the VOMS. These metrics were assessed prior to and after completing the 30–15 Intermittent Fitness Test. Bland-Altman plots and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were utilized to analyze the data using an alpha of p