Injury prevention and rehabilitation (Physiology)

Question 1

What is an acute injury and three side effects

Answer 1

• a sudden injury caused by a specific impact or traumatic event where a sharp pain is felt immediately
• restricted movement, protruding bone, swelling, can’t bare weight on the area, extreme leg or arm weakness

Question 2

What is a fracture and the difference between open and closed

Answer 2

• when a bone break or cracks
• closed/simple - clean break that doesn’t penetrate through the skin
• open/compound - soft tissue is damaged by the bone break

Question 3

What is a dislocation

Answer 3

when the end of bones are forced out of their position/joints

Question 4

What is the difference between a strain and a sprain

Answer 4

strain - the overstretching and tear of muscle fibres

sprain - the overstretching and tear of ligaments

Question 5

What are chronic injuries and two key symptoms

Answer 5

• an over-use injury

- swelling, pain when performing

Question 6

Where is the Achilles tendon located and how does Achilles tendonitis occur

Answer 6

• connects the calf muscle to the back of the foot

- over-use injury from running, walking and jumping

Question 7

What is a stress fracture and where does it commonly occur

Answer 7

• when the increase in intensity or amount of activity means the muscles can no longer absorb the added shock of exercise as they are fatigued so the stress is put on the bone
• weight-bearing bones in the legs or foot

Question 8

What is tennis elbow

Answer 8

• repeated stress on the elbow causes this, tiny tears occur on the muscles and tendons on the outside of the elbow and it becomes very sore and tender

Question 9

Injury prevention

• what are three benefits of screening
• three disadvantages of screening

Answer 9

+ identify and past or current injuries and select relevant training
+ identify any muscle imbalances, core strength, mobility, posture etc. which allows a specific training programme to reduce injury and enhance performance
+ identify underlying conditions e.g. ECG assess a performers heart
- false positive = problem that doesn’t exist
- false negative = may miss a problem and cause further injury
- increase anxiety when performing if they know they are at risk of injury

Question 10

Injury prevention

- how does protective equipment reduce the risk of injury and an example from two sports

Answer 10

• stops the direct impact on the body which can cause an acute injury
• shin pads, gum shield, pads, scrum cap, eye guards(squash)

Question 11

Injury prevention

- What are the three stages of a warm-up and what is the aims or each stage

Answer 11

Stage 1 - C.V.E exercise = increases heart and breathing rate which means more oxygen and nutrients delivered to the working muscles - this also increases the body muscle temperature which starts increasing the elasticity of the muscles
Stage 2 - Stretching = particularly the muscles/tendons/ligaments that will be used - this will improve the elasticity of the muscles
- both these stages prepare the muscles, tendons and ligaments for the strenuous activity
Stage 3 - movement patterns that will be made in the game = makes sure the performer is ready for the game and further prepares the muscles that will be active

Question 12

Injury prevention

- how does stretching help prevent injury and what is the difference between active, passive, static and ballistic

Answer 12

• increases the elasticity of the muscles and therefore there is less chance of overstretching during exercise
• active - performer stretches whilst moving to push the joint beyond its point of resistance which lengthens the muscles and connective tissue around it
• passive - stretch occurs with the help of an external force
• static - stretching whilst not moving
• ballistic - performing a stretch with a swing or bounce to push the body part even further ( only done by extremely flexible performers like gymnasts)

Question 13

Injury prevention

- what are two functions of taping and what is the function of bracing

Answer 13

Taping
- tape on the joints helps support and stabilise the joint
- tape on the muscles expands as the muscle contracts and therefore provides a controlled support for muscle movement
Bracing
- gives extra stability to already weak muscles or joints to prevent further injury

Question 14

What are the 5 different injury prevention methods

Answer 14

• screening, protective equipment, flexibility training, warm-ups and taping/bracing

Question 15

Injury rehab methods

• What information to proprioceptors deliver
• how does proprioceptor training help restore the proprioception lost during injury
• an example

Answer 15

• deliver information to the brain about body position e.g. leg position and how quick the body or body part is moving
• uses hopping, jumping, balance movements to restore lost proprioception and teach the body to control an injured joint sub-consciously again
• a wobble/balance board re-educates the the body to react to wobble movements without thinking about it and therefore strengthen the ankle joint

Question 16

Injury rehab methods

• how does strength training help rehabilitate from an injury
• positives and negatives of free weights, machine weights, therabands and body weight

Answer 16

• improves the strength of a joint and therefore the stability of that joint
  Free weights
  + muscles have to stabilise weight and lift - promotes stability
  + can easily target specific muscle groups/muscles
• further injury caused by wrong technique of too heavy
  Machine weights
  +good for early stages as the machines controls the movement, therefore performer can focus on the lift
  + reduce risk of injury as helps technique
• hard to target specific muscles
  Body weights
  + often core exercises which help balance and posture, reducing imbalances that cause injury
  + a light resistance so doesn’t put too much stress on the injured area
• restricted by body weight as might not way enough or way too much
  Therabands
  + different bands varying in resistance which allow athletes to pick the correct resistance for the certain stage of injury
• may snap which cause further injury
• may provide insufficient resistance to build strength

Question 17

Injury rehab methods

- definition of hyperbaric chamber and how it works

Answer 17

• chamber with 100 per cent oxygen
• a lot of oxygen breathed in :
• saturates haemoglobin which means more oxygen diffused to the injured area
• excess oxygen dissolves into the blood plasma which reduces swelling at injured area, stimulates white blood cell activity and increases blood supply to the injury site

Question 18

Injury rehab methods

- what is the science behind cryotherapy

Answer 18

• in the freezing gas blood from the arms and legs flows towards the core to keep the body warm and protect the vital organs
• when leaving the blood flows back to the arms and legs full of oxygen and therefore helping heal injured cells

Question 19

Injury rehab methods

- what is the POLICE theory

Answer 19

• whilst Protecting the injured area progressively Optimally Load the injured area to prevent muscle tightness
• ICE should then be added as it reduces pain and swelling by restricting blood flow to the area

Question 20

Injury rehab methods

• what is hydrotherapy
• three benefits of it

Answer 20

• exercise in water at 35-37 degrees
• the buoyancy of water helps support the body weight reducing the load on the injured area allowing for more exercise - exercising against the resistance of the water helps strengthen the injured area
• the warm water increases blood circulation which increases the volume of blood and therefore oxygen to the injured area