Interventions related to injury practice questions.

In the first hours after a footballer sustains a lateral ankle sprain, compression and elevation are applied to the joint. What is the physiological aim of these two measures?

• To limit the accumulation of fluid in the injured tissue
• To raise blood flow through the torn ligament so that repair begins sooner
• To restore the joint position sense that is lost when ligaments are damaged
• To stretch the healing ligament so that scar tissue is laid down along its line

Answer: To limit the accumulation of fluid in the injured tissue

External pressure and raising the limb above the level of the heart both oppose the movement of fluid into the damaged tissue, so the aim is to limit swelling and the secondary tissue damage it causes. Restoring joint position sense belongs to a later rehabilitation stage rather than to immediate management.

Which effect of an active warm-up most directly lowers a sprinter's risk of a muscle strain?

• A fall in muscle temperature that stiffens the muscle-tendon unit
• A rise in muscle temperature, which makes the muscle-tendon unit more extensible
• A rise in blood lactate concentration that fuels the first sprint effort
• A fall in resting heart rate that lowers the load on the circulation

Answer: A rise in muscle temperature, which makes the muscle-tendon unit more extensible

A higher muscle temperature lowers the viscous resistance within the muscle-tendon unit and increases its extensibility, so a given stretch produces less tension in the fibres. Nerve conduction and enzyme activity also rise, but it is the change in tissue properties that bears on strain risk.

A hurdler returning from an ankle sprain spends part of every session standing on one leg on a wobble board. Which adaptation is this drill intended to produce?

• A larger cross-sectional area of the calf muscles
• A permanent shortening of the injured lateral ligaments
• Improved detection of joint position by mechanoreceptors
• An increase in the range of inversion available at the ankle

Answer: Improved detection of joint position by mechanoreceptors

Ligament damage destroys mechanoreceptors, so joint position sense is impaired and the ankle is slower to respond to an unexpected inversion. Balance work retrains that detection and the reflex muscle response, which is why it lowers the rate of repeat sprains.

In a graduated return-to-play protocol after concussion, which condition governs progression from one stage to the next?

• The athlete advances one stage every hour until full training is completed
• The athlete advances straight to full-contact training once the headache has gone
• The athlete may miss out stages when an important fixture is approaching
• The athlete advances one stage at a time while remaining free of symptoms

Answer: The athlete advances one stage at a time while remaining free of symptoms

Each stage adds a controlled increase in load and is completed only while the athlete stays free of symptoms; a return of symptoms sends the athlete back to the previous stage. Final clearance for full contact is given by a medically qualified person, not by the coach or the athlete.

Which claim about external ankle support worn by basketball players who have previously sprained an ankle is supported by the research evidence?

• It restores the ligament to its original tensile strength
• It lowers the rate at which a further sprain occurs
• It removes the need for any rehabilitation of the joint
• It increases the range of movement available at the joint

Answer: It lowers the rate at which a further sprain occurs

Taping and bracing reduce recurrence rates, largely by limiting extreme inversion and by improving the athlete's awareness of joint position, and the effect is clearest in those with a previous sprain. No external support changes the tissue itself, which is why it is used alongside rehabilitation rather than instead of it.

A youth football club replaces its usual warm-up with a structured programme combining running, strength, plyometric and balance exercises. Which outcome has been reported for programmes of this kind?

• A measurable fall in the rate of lower limb injury
• A complete elimination of non-contact knee injury
• A rise in injury rate caused by the additional load
• An effect on contact injuries but not on non-contact ones

Answer: A measurable fall in the rate of lower limb injury

Structured neuromuscular warm-up programmes lower injury rates in squads that complete them regularly, and the effect is strongest for non-contact injuries of the knee and ankle because those are the mechanisms the exercises target. The reduction is substantial but partial, so claims of elimination overstate the evidence.