SCS Prevention & Wellness 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which overuse injury prevention model emphasizes the ratio of acute to chronic workload as a key metric for injury risk management?
- The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center model
- The Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR) model (Correct answer)
- The Tissue Stress model
- The Dynamic Systems Theory model
Correct answer: The Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR) model
The ACWR compares the current week's training load to the rolling 4-week average, with a ratio above 1.5 associated with elevated injury risk.
Question 2: A basketball player reports feeling 'burned out' and shows declining performance despite consistent training. Which wellness screening tool is most appropriate to quantify psychological recovery status?
- The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
- The Profile of Mood States (POMS) (Correct answer)
- The Visual Analog Scale for fatigue
- The GH5 questionnaire
Correct answer: The Profile of Mood States (POMS)
The POMS is a validated instrument widely used in sports medicine to monitor mood disturbance and psychological recovery in athletes experiencing overtraining.
Question 3: Iron deficiency without anemia in a female distance runner primarily impairs athletic performance by:
- Reducing oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells
- Decreasing mitochondrial oxidative enzyme activity (Correct answer)
- Impairing glycogen synthesis
- Increasing blood viscosity
Correct answer: Decreasing mitochondrial oxidative enzyme activity
Iron-depleted non-anemic athletes have reduced muscle iron stores, which impairs mitochondrial cytochrome enzyme function and aerobic capacity before hemoglobin is affected.
Question 4: Which scenario most accurately represents the concept of relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) compared to the Female Athlete Triad?
- RED-S applies only to endurance athletes; the Triad applies to team sport athletes
- RED-S includes male athletes and recognizes broader systemic effects beyond the three Triad components (Correct answer)
- The Triad includes more organ systems than RED-S
- RED-S requires all three Triad components to be present for diagnosis
Correct answer: RED-S includes male athletes and recognizes broader systemic effects beyond the three Triad components
RED-S is an expanded concept that applies to all athlete sexes and includes impairments in immunological, metabolic, cardiovascular, and psychological health beyond the original Triad.
Question 5: During a pre-participation screening, an athlete reports a first-degree relative who died suddenly before age 50. The SCS should prioritize referral for:
- Stress echocardiography
- Exercise stress testing
- Cardiology evaluation including ECG and possibly echocardiography (Correct answer)
- Holter monitor for 24 hours only
Correct answer: Cardiology evaluation including ECG and possibly echocardiography
A family history of premature sudden death is a red flag that warrants full cardiological evaluation, including ECG and echocardiography, to rule out inherited cardiomyopathies.
Question 6: The primary mechanism by which exertional heat stroke differs from heat exhaustion is:
- Core temperature exceeding 38°C
- Presence of central nervous system dysfunction (Correct answer)
- Heart rate above 180 bpm
- Sweat cessation in all cases
Correct answer: Presence of central nervous system dysfunction
Exertional heat stroke is defined by CNS dysfunction (confusion, ataxia, loss of consciousness) in addition to hyperthermia, which distinguishes it from heat exhaustion.
Question 7: Which intervention has the strongest evidence for preventing concussion sequelae and facilitating safe return to sport after sport-related concussion?
- Strict complete physical and cognitive rest until symptom resolution
- Subsymptom threshold aerobic exercise initiated early (within days) (Correct answer)
- Cervical spine manipulation
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Correct answer: Subsymptom threshold aerobic exercise initiated early (within days)
Current evidence supports early, controlled subsymptom threshold aerobic exercise as safe and beneficial for concussion recovery, replacing the outdated strict rest paradigm.
SCS Prevention & Wellness 3
Which overuse injury prevention model emphasizes the ratio of acute to chronic workload as a key metric for injury risk management?