Exercise physiology

Question 1

What is an acute injury?

Answer 1

Sudden injury associated with a traumatic event.

Sprain, Break, Cut.

Question 2

What is a chronic injury?

Answer 2

Slowly developed injury associated with overuse.

Tennis Elbow, Arthiritis, Osteoparosis.

Question 3

What are:

• –> Hard tissues
• –> Soft tissues

Answer 3

Hard tissues: bone, joints, cartilage

Soft tissues: skin, muscle, tendons, ligaments

Question 4

Give 2 examples of acute hard tissue injuries

Answer 4

---> Fractures (break)
Compound (bones break through the skin)
Single (skin remains unbroken)
Incomplete (partial crack in the bone)
Complete (total break in the bone)
---> Dislocation
Displacement of one bone from another out of their original position.

Question 5

Give 2 examples of chronic hard tissue injuries.

Answer 5

—> Stress Fracture
Tiny crack in the surface of a bone caused by overuse.
—> Osteoarthritis
Degeneration of articular cartilage from the bone surfaces within a joint, causing pain and restricted movement.

Question 6

Give 7 examples of acute soft tissue injuries.

Answer 6

—> Sprain
Overstretch or a tear in a ligament.
—> Strain
Overstretch or tear in the muscle or tendon.
—> Contusion
Bruising in an area
—> Haematoma
Bruising in an area with swelling
—> Abrasion
Superficial damage to the skin (graze)
—> Blister
separation of layers of skin where a pocket of fluid forms due to friction
—> Concussion
Traumatic brain injury resulting in a disturbance of brain functions.
Brain hits the skull. Symptoms: Headache, dizziness and short-term memory loss.

Question 7

Give 2 examples of chronic soft tissue injuries.

Answer 7

—> Shin splints.
Chronic shin pain due to the inflammation of muscles and stress on the tendon attachments to the surface of the tibia.
—> Tendinosis
The deterioration of a tendon in response to chronic overuse and repetitive strain.

Question 8

Define:
Intrinsic injury risk factor
Extrinsic injury risk factor

Answer 8

Intrinsic: an injury or risk or force from inside the body.
Extrinsic: an injury or risk or force from outside the body.

Question 9

Give 7 examples of intrinsic rick factors.

Answer 9

• –> Previous injury: cause a loss in connective tissue strength.
• –> Posture issues: Kyphosis (hunchback) or scoliosis (lateral curvature of the spine) cause biomechanical changes.
• –> Age: connective tissues suffer wear and tear and become more prone to injury.
• –>Nutrition: important for injury prevention. Protein for growth and repair, carbs for energy, so reduces the onset of fatigue.
• –> Poor preparation: increases risk of injury
• –> Low fitness levels: can result in over exertion and early fatigue, result in poor technique.
• –> Low flexibility levels: poor joint stability, limit range of motion and lead to acute sprain and strain injuries.

Question 10

Give and explain 3 extrinsic risk factors.

Answer 10

• –> Poor coaching: teach and reinforce the incorrect technique can cause injury.
• –> Environmental factors: Surroundings can pose a risk to participants, E.G frozen pitch, equipment lying around.
• –> Clothing & footwear: Appropriate clothing & footwear must be used for all aspects of training & sport. Needs to be reinforced by officials and the coach.

Question 11

What must a Warm-Up involve?
How long should it last?
What is its purpose?

Answer 11

1. Pulse raiser
2. Dynamic stretches to lubricate and mobilise joints and increase elasticity in connective tissues.
3. Sport specific drill to rehearse movement patterns.

Last 20-45 minutes.
Performed to raise body temp and prepare athlete physiologically and psychologically for an activity to minimise rick of injury and maximise performance.

Question 12

What must a Cool-Down involve?
How long should it last?
What is its purpose?

Answer 12

1. Pulse lowering activity around 45-55% of VO2 max to maintain blood flow to remove waste products from muscle tissues.
2. Static stretches to reduce muscle tension and gradually lower the muscle temperature.

Lasts 20-30 minutes.
Removes toxins and lactic acid and reduces blood pooling.

Question 13

SALTAPS is a protocol for assessing a sports injury. What does it stand for?

Answer 13

Stop. Stop the game immediately.
Ask. Ask questions about the injury.
Look. Search for specific areas, (bruising, bleeding).
Touch. Gently touch to identify painful regions.
Active Movement. Ask if they can move without your help.
Passive Movement. Gently move the injured area through its full range of motion.
Strength training. Ask the player to put pressure on the injured area if they can.

Question 14

PRICE is a protocol for the treatment of acute injuries. What does it stand for?

Answer 14

Protection. Protect the injury and player from any further damage.
Rest. Allow the injury time to heal.
Ice. Apply ice indirectly to reduce inflammation and pain.
Compression. Compressing the injury will help reduce swelling (tear tape, bandage.
Elevation. Raise the injury to reduce blood flow to the area, thus decreasing swelling.

Question 15

What is the protocol for recognising concussion?

Answer 15

THE SIX R’s:
Recognise. Players, coach, officials etc must be aware of the signs of concussion
Remove. Remove person from play immediately
Refer. Refer immediately to a qualified healthcare professional.
Rest. Must rest until symptom free.
Recover. Players must recover and be symptom free before considering a return to play.
Return. To complete a safe return, they must be symptom free and have written authorisation to play.

Question 16

Define rehabilitation.

Answer 16

The process of restoring full physical function after an injury has occurred.

Question 17

What are the 3 stages of rehabilitation?

Answer 17

1. Early stage:
   gentle exercise encouraging damaged tissue to heal.
2. Mid stage:
   progressive loading of connective tissues and bones to develop strength.
3. Late stage:
   functional exercises and drills to ensure the body is ready to return to training.

Question 18

What form of stretching should be use in the acute phase of rehabilitation?

Answer 18

Within the first 3 days no stretching should occur.
PRICE and complete rest should be the focus.
Stretching will cause more damage to the injured tissue.

Question 19

What form of stretching should be use in the mid phase of rehabilitation?

Answer 19

After 3 days, inflammation, bleeding and swelling should have subsided.
For up to 2 weeks, gentle static and passive stretching exercises have been proven to speed up recovery.

Question 20

What form of stretching should be use in the later phase of rehabilitation?

Answer 20

For a further 2 weeks, PNF stretches are added to the continued passive and active stretching techniques.

• –> increases range of motion
• –> decreases pain levels
• –> strengthen connective tissues

Question 21

What form of stretching should be use in the long term of rehabilitation?

Answer 21

Active and dynamic stretching should be used in a developmental stretching programme.
Aims to increase strength of connective tissues to a greater degree than when the injury occurred.

Question 22

Give 4 benefits of using massage therapy.

Answer 22

• –> Move fluid and nutrients through damaged tissue to encourage healing and accelerate removal of waste products.
• –> Stretch tissues, improving elasticity.
• –> Break down scar tissue from previous injury.
• –> Reduce pain and generate heat.

Question 23

For heat therapy, give the benefits, risks and uses.

Answer 23

Benefits.
Vasodilation of blood vessels increasing blood flow and the healing response to a damaged area.

Risks.
Increased swelling and pain after acute injury.

Uses.
Chronic injuries and late-stage acute injuries before exercise.

Question 24

For cold therapy, give the benefits, risks and uses.

Answer 24

Benefits.
Vasoconstriction of blood vessels decreasing blood flow, swelling and pain.

Risks.
Tissue and nerve damage if in contact for too long. Skin abrasions if direct contact.

Uses.
Acute injuries and after exercise to relieve symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage.

Question 25

For contrast therapy, give the benefits, risks and uses.

Answer 25

Benefits.
Large increase in blood flow, as the vasodilation and vasoconstriction act as a pump, and nutrient delivery to damaged tissue.
Decreased swelling and pain.

Risks.
Limited benefit over and above cold therapy.

Uses.
Acute injuries after bleeding and inflammation have stopped and to relieve symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage.

Question 26

What are anti-inflammatory drugs used for and give the benefits and risks.

Answer 26

Medication used after acute soft tissue injuries to reduce inflammation by inhibiting the chemical release that leads to inflammation, interfering with pain signals and reducing temperature.

Benefits.
Reduces inflammation, swelling and pain
Speed up the healing response and recovery time.

Risks.
May experience side effects
Can become dependent

Question 27

What may physiotherapy treatment consist of?

What stage of recovery is it used in?

Answer 27

Mobilisation and manipulation of joints and tissues.
Exercise therapy to strengthen muscles.
Massage to stretch and relax tissues, relieve pain and increase circulation.
Sport-specific rehabilitation.

Used in all stages.
First phase: Pain relief, reduce swelling.
Second phase: Maintain rotator cuff muscle strength.
Third phase: Restore muscle strength, motion and length.

Question 28

How can surgery be used to treat injuries.

What are the risks and benefits.

Answer 28

There are 2 main categories of surgical procedure:

Arthroscopy.
Small incision is made and a tiny camera is used to examine and repair damage within a joint.
+ve:
Damage to surrounding tissue is minimised, so will suffer less pain and risk of infection.
Faster initial recovery time.

Open surgery.
Incision is made to open a joint to repair or reconstruct damaged structures.
\+ve:
Creates a stronger repair.
-ve:
Risk of infection is high.
Scarring is significant.