SCS Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A baseball pitcher develops elbow pain on the medial side that worsens during the late cocking and acceleration phases. The most likely diagnosis is:
- Lateral epicondylitis
- Ulnar collateral ligament stress injury (Correct answer)
- Radial tunnel syndrome
- Olecranon stress fracture
Correct answer: Ulnar collateral ligament stress injury
The UCL experiences peak valgus stress during late cocking and acceleration in overhead throwing, making medial elbow pain in pitchers highly suspicious for UCL injury.
Question 2: Which measurement tool best quantifies an athlete's hip abductor strength in a clinical or field setting?
- Goniometer
- Handheld dynamometer (Correct answer)
- Isokinetic dynamometer at 300°/s
- Sphygmomanometer
Correct answer: Handheld dynamometer
A handheld dynamometer provides a reliable, portable, and quantifiable measure of hip abductor force output suitable for field-based testing.
Question 3: What does a positive drop-jump test with excessive knee valgus indicate in female soccer players?
- Adequate neuromuscular control of the lower limb
- Increased risk of ACL injury due to faulty landing mechanics (Correct answer)
- Normal quadriceps-to-hamstring strength ratio
- Sufficient ankle dorsiflexion range of motion
Correct answer: Increased risk of ACL injury due to faulty landing mechanics
Excessive knee valgus on drop-jump landing reflects neuromuscular deficits that significantly increase ACL injury risk and warrant corrective training.
Question 4: Which phase of a plyometric program is most appropriate for an athlete six weeks into return-to-sport training after a Grade I ankle sprain?
- Shock/depth jump phase with maximum intensity
- Bilateral low-intensity stabilization jumps progressing to unilateral hops (Correct answer)
- Maximal sprint-bound series on varied terrain
- No plyometrics until 12 months post-injury
Correct answer: Bilateral low-intensity stabilization jumps progressing to unilateral hops
Six weeks post Grade I sprain, bilateral low-intensity jumps progressing to controlled unilateral hops is appropriate before advancing to higher-intensity reactive drills.
Question 5: An athlete's acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) reaches 1.6 during pre-season camp. What is the recommended response?
- Continue the current program; the ratio is within safe limits
- Eliminate all training for one week
- Reduce training load to bring the ratio below 1.3 (Correct answer)
- Double training volume to build chronic load faster
Correct answer: Reduce training load to bring the ratio below 1.3
An ACWR above 1.5 represents a 'danger zone' associated with sharply elevated injury risk; load should be modulated to bring the ratio into the 0.8–1.3 'sweet spot'.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of a secondary injury prevention strategy?
- Teaching proper cutting mechanics before the season begins
- Screening athletes for previous injury history to identify high-risk individuals
- Early rehabilitation and modified return-to-play after a mild hamstring strain (Correct answer)
- Implementing mandatory warm-up protocols for all team practices
Correct answer: Early rehabilitation and modified return-to-play after a mild hamstring strain
Secondary prevention involves early intervention after an injury has occurred to minimize severity and prevent recurrence, such as prompt rehab after a strain.
Question 7: What is the most important determinant of safe progression in a return-to-sport rehabilitation program?
- Time elapsed since injury
- Athlete's subjective pain rating alone
- Criterion-based milestones including strength, function, and psychological readiness (Correct answer)
- Physician's calendar recommendation regardless of functional status
Correct answer: Criterion-based milestones including strength, function, and psychological readiness
Criterion-based progression using objective measures of strength, movement quality, and psychological readiness is safer and more effective than time-based progression alone.
SCS Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation 5
A baseball pitcher develops elbow pain on the medial side that worsens during the late cocking and acceleration phases.
The most likely diagnosis is: