NSCA CSCS Injury Prevention 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which landing mechanics strategy is most effective for reducing ACL injury risk during deceleration tasks?
- Landing with a stiff knee and upright trunk
- Landing with hip and knee flexion greater than 30° and soft knee bend (Correct answer)
- Landing on the heel with locked ankles
- Landing with valgus knee collapse to absorb force
Correct answer: Landing with hip and knee flexion greater than 30° and soft knee bend
Landing with hip and knee flexion >30° and a soft knee reduces peak ground reaction forces and ACL strain.
Question 2: An athlete reports anterior knee pain worsening during downhill running. Which structure is most likely overloaded?
- Medial collateral ligament
- Patellar tendon and patellofemoral joint (Correct answer)
- Lateral ankle ligaments
- Biceps femoris tendon
Correct answer: Patellar tendon and patellofemoral joint
Downhill running increases compressive patellofemoral forces, stressing the patellar tendon and cartilage.
Question 3: What is the PRIMARY role of eccentric hamstring strength in injury prevention?
- Generating hip flexion power during sprinting
- Decelerating knee extension and protecting the ACL (Correct answer)
- Stabilizing the ankle during lateral cuts
- Controlling lumbar lordosis during lifting
Correct answer: Decelerating knee extension and protecting the ACL
Eccentric hamstring strength decelerates rapid knee extension, reducing ACL loading during high-speed movements.
Question 4: Which training modification best reduces overuse injury risk when introducing a new running program?
- Increasing weekly mileage by no more than 10% per week (Correct answer)
- Adding 30% volume every two weeks to accelerate adaptation
- Running on hard surfaces to stimulate bone adaptation
- Eliminating rest days to maintain training stimulus
Correct answer: Increasing weekly mileage by no more than 10% per week
The 10% rule limits cumulative load increases to allow musculoskeletal tissue adaptation and prevent overuse injuries.
Question 5: A basketball player exhibits excessive forward trunk lean and knee valgus during jump landing. Which muscle group weakness is most implicated?
- Gastrocnemius and soleus
- Hip abductors and external rotators (Correct answer)
- Wrist flexors and extensors
- Cervical flexors
Correct answer: Hip abductors and external rotators
Weak hip abductors and external rotators fail to control femoral adduction/internal rotation, causing knee valgus on landing.
Question 6: What is the primary benefit of incorporating plyometric progressions in an injury prevention program?
- Maximizing body fat reduction
- Improving neuromuscular coordination and shock absorption capacity (Correct answer)
- Increasing passive ligament laxity
- Reducing aerobic conditioning requirements
Correct answer: Improving neuromuscular coordination and shock absorption capacity
Progressive plyometrics enhance neuromuscular control and tissue resilience, improving the athlete's ability to safely absorb and redirect forces.
Question 7: Which screening tool is commonly used by strength and conditioning professionals to identify fundamental movement limitations that may predispose athletes to injury?
- Functional Movement Screen (FMS) (Correct answer)
- VO2max treadmill protocol
- Wingate anaerobic test
- YMCA step test
Correct answer: Functional Movement Screen (FMS)
The Functional Movement Screen assesses seven fundamental movement patterns and asymmetries linked to injury risk.
NSCA CSCS Injury Prevention 2
Which landing mechanics strategy is most effective for reducing ACL injury risk during deceleration tasks?