How can sports injuries be prevented, assessed and rehabilitated effectively?
The methods of injury prevention through warm-up, cool-down and screening, the types of acute and chronic injuries, and the methods of treating and rehabilitating injuries including the recovery process.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level PE exercise physiology on injury prevention and rehabilitation, covering the warm-up and cool-down, screening, the types of acute and chronic injuries, and methods of treatment and rehabilitation.
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What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to explain how injuries are prevented through warm-up, cool-down and screening, classify acute and chronic injuries, and describe the methods used to treat and rehabilitate injuries, including the recovery process and the return to activity.
Injury prevention
Types of injury
A useful distinction AQA rewards is between intrinsic risk factors (those within the performer, such as poor posture, muscle imbalance, inadequate fitness, age or previous injury) and extrinsic risk factors (those from outside, such as poor coaching, incorrect technique, inappropriate equipment, a hard or slippery surface, or contact from an opponent). A good injury-prevention answer addresses both: screening and conditioning manage intrinsic risk, while correct technique, protective equipment, rule enforcement and a suitable playing surface manage extrinsic risk.
Treatment and rehabilitation
For an acute soft-tissue injury, immediate treatment follows PRICE: Protection, Rest, Ice (to reduce swelling and pain), Compression and Elevation.
Rehabilitation then restores full function through a planned programme:
- Physiotherapy and massage to restore range of movement and reduce scar tissue.
- Strength and conditioning to rebuild the injured area and surrounding muscles.
- Proprioceptive and stretching work to restore balance, control and flexibility.
- Modern methods such as cryotherapy (cold treatment), hyperbaric oxygen chambers (to speed healing) and hydrotherapy.
- A graduated return to training, monitored to avoid re-injury.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20194 marksExplain how an effective warm-up reduces the risk of injury in a games player.Show worked answer →
AO1/AO2, one mark per developed point. A warm-up raises muscle temperature, which makes muscles and connective tissue more elastic and less likely to tear or strain. It increases blood flow and oxygen delivery to the working muscles, improving their readiness to contract. It mobilises the joints and stimulates the release of synovial fluid, reducing friction and improving range of movement so the joint is less likely to be injured at the extremes. It also rehearses skill-specific movements and primes the neuromuscular system, improving coordination and reducing clumsy, injury-prone actions. Reward developed cause-and-effect points (mechanism then injury-reduction outcome), not a bare list of warm-up activities.
AQA 20214 marksDescribe the immediate treatment of an acute ankle sprain and outline how it would be rehabilitated for a return to sport.Show worked answer →
Two parts. Immediate treatment follows PRICE: Protection (stop activity, support the joint), Rest, Ice (reduce swelling and pain through vasoconstriction), Compression (limit swelling) and Elevation (reduce blood flow and swelling to the area). Rehabilitation then progresses through stages: physiotherapy and gentle mobilisation to restore range of movement, proprioceptive and balance work (wobble board) to retrain joint control, progressive strengthening of the muscles around the ankle, and stretching to restore flexibility, before a graduated, monitored return to full training to avoid re-injury. Reward correct expansion of PRICE and a logical, progressive rehabilitation sequence ending in a controlled return.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA A-level Physical Education (7582) specification — AQA (2016)