ATC Injury Prevention & Wellness Promotion 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When screening for sickle cell trait in collegiate athletes, which activity scenario poses the GREATEST risk for sudden death?
- Swimming 1500 meters continuously
- Sustained high-intensity sprinting drills in heat and altitude (Correct answer)
- Low-intensity yoga or flexibility training
- Moderate-intensity weight training indoors
Correct answer: Sustained high-intensity sprinting drills in heat and altitude
Maximal exertion, particularly in heat and altitude, triggers sickling of red blood cells in sickle cell trait carriers, causing vascular occlusion and collapse.
Question 2: A swimmer complains of shoulder pain that increases with overhead lifting. Postural assessment reveals a forward head and rounded shoulders. Which corrective focus is MOST appropriate?
- Strengthening anterior deltoid and pectoralis major
- Stretching the posterior capsule and strengthening scapular retractors (Correct answer)
- Taping the glenohumeral joint for superior stability
- Prescribing absolute rest until symptoms resolve
Correct answer: Stretching the posterior capsule and strengthening scapular retractors
Forward head and rounded shoulder posture create scapular dyskinesis; stretching the posterior capsule and activating scapular retractors restores proper glenohumeral mechanics.
Question 3: Which principle of wellness promotion does the PRECEDE-PROCEED model BEST represent?
- Medical screening is more important than behavioral change
- Health behavior is influenced by predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors (Correct answer)
- Athletic performance should be the primary focus of wellness programs
- Individual genetics determine all health outcomes
Correct answer: Health behavior is influenced by predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors
The PRECEDE-PROCEED model recognizes that predisposing (knowledge/attitudes), enabling (skills/resources), and reinforcing (feedback/social support) factors all shape health behavior.
Question 4: A basketball team's injury log shows that 70% of lower-extremity injuries occur in the last 10 minutes of each half. Which prevention strategy MOST directly targets this pattern?
- Improving pre-game static stretching duration
- Addressing fatigue-related neuromuscular deficits through conditioning and substitution protocols (Correct answer)
- Increasing post-game ice bath duration
- Requiring athletes to wear compression sleeves
Correct answer: Addressing fatigue-related neuromuscular deficits through conditioning and substitution protocols
Fatigue degrades neuromuscular control and landing mechanics; improving late-game conditioning capacity and adjusting substitution timing directly targets this injury cluster.
Question 5: Which environmental condition requires the MOST conservative modification to outdoor practice schedules according to NATA heat index guidelines?
- Temperature 85°F, relative humidity 40%
- Temperature 90°F, relative humidity 50%
- Temperature 80°F, relative humidity 90% (Correct answer)
- Temperature 95°F, relative humidity 20%
Correct answer: Temperature 80°F, relative humidity 90%
High humidity severely impairs evaporative cooling; 80°F with 90% humidity can produce a heat index exceeding danger thresholds more than 95°F with low humidity.
Question 6: During a wellness presentation on tobacco use, an athletic trainer learns that 15% of the baseball team uses smokeless tobacco. Which health risk is MOST important to communicate?
- Reduced sprint speed
- Oral cancer, gum disease, and nicotine addiction (Correct answer)
- Decreased throwing velocity
- Increased susceptibility to concussion
Correct answer: Oral cancer, gum disease, and nicotine addiction
Smokeless tobacco directly contacts oral mucosa and significantly increases the risk of oral and pharyngeal cancers, periodontal disease, and nicotine dependence.
Question 7: Which screening tool is MOST appropriate for identifying athletes at risk for sudden cardiac death due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy during pre-participation exams?
- VO2 max stress test
- History and physical examination using AHA 14-element screening (Correct answer)
- Urinalysis and complete blood count
- Isokinetic strength testing
Correct answer: History and physical examination using AHA 14-element screening
The AHA recommends a 14-element personal and family history plus physical examination as the standard pre-participation cardiovascular screening tool to identify HCM risk factors.
ATC Injury Prevention & Wellness Promotion 4
When screening for sickle cell trait in collegiate athletes, which activity scenario poses the GREATEST risk for sudden death?