Chapter 24: Injury Risk and Load Management - Quiz

Instructions

This quiz contains 25 questions covering the key concepts from Chapter 24. Select the best answer for multiple-choice questions. Short answer questions should be answered in 2-4 sentences.

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1

The Acute-Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR) "sweet spot" for minimizing injury risk is generally considered to be: - A) 0.5 - 0.8 - B) 0.8 - 1.3 - C) 1.3 - 1.5 - D) 1.5 - 2.0

Question 2

Which of the following is considered a key "red flag" metric in load monitoring? - A) Total distance below 2 miles per game - B) ACWR above 1.5 - C) Jump count below 20 per game - D) Sleep duration above 8 hours

Question 3

The primary advantage of EWMA (Exponentially Weighted Moving Average) over simple rolling averages for load calculations is: - A) It's computationally faster - B) It weights recent data more heavily - C) It requires less historical data - D) It's easier to interpret

Question 4

Which injury type typically has the longest recovery timeline? - A) Ankle sprain (Grade 2) - B) Hamstring strain (Grade 2) - C) ACL tear - D) Fractured finger

Question 5

In cost-sensitive injury prediction, the most costly classification error is typically: - A) True positive (correctly predicting injury) - B) False positive (predicting injury when healthy) - C) False negative (missing an actual injury) - D) True negative (correctly predicting no injury)

Question 6

The relationship between age and injury risk in NBA players typically: - A) Decreases linearly after age 25 - B) Increases exponentially after age 30 - C) Remains constant throughout career - D) Peaks at age 25, then decreases

Question 7

Which position has the highest jump load per game on average? - A) Point guard - B) Shooting guard - C) Small forward - D) Center

Question 8

The "U-shaped" relationship between training load and injury risk suggests: - A) Moderate loads are safest - B) Higher loads always increase risk - C) Lower loads always decrease risk - D) Load has no relationship to injury

Question 9

A player's HRV (Heart Rate Variability) reading that is significantly lower than their baseline typically indicates: - A) Excellent recovery - B) Incomplete recovery or fatigue - C) Peak physical fitness - D) No meaningful information

Question 10

Load management decisions should prioritize which games for rest? - A) Home games against weak opponents - B) Away games against weak opponents - C) Back-to-back second games - D) Nationally televised games

Question 11

The typical false positive rate (predicting injury when none occurs) in current injury prediction models is: - A) Less than 5% - B) 10-20% - C) 30-50% - D) Greater than 50%

Question 12

Which data source provides the most direct measurement of biomechanical stress? - A) Official injury reports - B) GPS/accelerometer wearables - C) Sleep tracking apps - D) Practice attendance records

Question 13

The concept of "training age" refers to: - A) How long since last injury - B) Chronological age minus 18 - C) Years of high-level training - D) Age when player started basketball

Question 14

In survival analysis for injury prediction, a "censored" observation means: - A) The player was injured - B) The player retired without injury - C) Data is incomplete or the event hasn't occurred yet - D) The data was removed from analysis

Question 15

Which factor has the STRONGEST correlation with future injury in most studies? - A) Current playing weight - B) Previous injury history - C) Minutes per game - D) Position played

Question 16

A "minutes restriction" protocol is most appropriate for: - A) Healthy players during the regular season - B) Players returning from injury - C) Players in contract years - D) All players over age 30

Question 17

The NBA's "load management" controversy primarily centers on: - A) Player safety concerns - B) Television broadcast considerations - C) Players resting in healthy condition for marquee games - D) Medical staff qualifications

Question 18

When evaluating injury prediction model performance, which metric is most important for load management applications? - A) Accuracy - B) Precision - C) Recall (sensitivity) - D) Specificity

Question 19

The typical cost of a games-lost-to-injury per player in the NBA is approximately: - A) $50,000 per game - B) $200,000 per game - C) $300,000 per game - D) Varies widely based on salary

Question 20

Which approach to handling class imbalance is most appropriate for injury prediction? - A) Ignore it; use standard classification - B) Oversample the minority (injury) class - C) Use cost-sensitive learning - D) Only predict injuries, not healthy periods

Short Answer Questions

Question 21

Explain why the Acute-Chronic Workload Ratio can be misleading when a player returns from extended rest (e.g., after injury). How would you address this limitation?

Your Answer:

Question 22

A team's star player has an elevated injury risk prediction (70% vs. baseline 15%) for an important game. The team is fighting for playoff position. Describe the decision framework you would use to determine whether he should play.

Your Answer:

Question 23

Compare and contrast the injury risk management challenges for a 22-year-old player versus a 34-year-old player on the same team.

Your Answer:

Question 24

Describe three limitations of using historical injury data to train predictive models for individual player injury risk.

Your Answer:

Question 25

A player has missed 20 games over the past two seasons due to recurring hamstring issues. The team is considering offering him a 4-year, $100 million contract. What analytical factors should inform this decision?

Your Answer:

Answer Key

Multiple Choice Answers

  1. B - ACWR between 0.8 and 1.3 is considered the "sweet spot" where injury risk is minimized while maintaining training adaptations.

  2. B - ACWR above 1.5 indicates a training load spike that significantly increases injury risk.

  3. B - EWMA gives more weight to recent observations while still incorporating historical data, better capturing current fitness/fatigue status.

  4. C - ACL tears typically require 9-12 months of recovery, significantly longer than other common basketball injuries.

  5. C - False negatives (missing injuries) can result in serious player harm and significant financial losses from extended absences.

  6. B - Injury risk increases more rapidly after age 30, often described as exponential growth in risk.

  7. D - Centers have the highest jump counts due to rebounding, contesting shots, and rim protection duties.

  8. A - The relationship shows both very low and very high loads increase injury risk, with moderate loads being safest.

  9. B - Low HRV typically indicates the body is still recovering and the autonomic nervous system is stressed.

  10. C - Back-to-back second games have highest injury risk due to fatigue and travel, making them optimal rest candidates.

  11. C - Current models have high false positive rates (30-50%) due to the rarity of injuries in the dataset.

  12. B - Wearable devices directly measure physical loads, accelerations, and movements that contribute to injury.

  13. C - Training age represents accumulated high-level training experience, which affects injury risk independent of chronological age.

  14. C - Censoring occurs when we don't observe the event (injury) because the observation period ended or the player left the study.

  15. B - Previous injury history is consistently the strongest predictor of future injury across studies.

  16. B - Minutes restrictions help manage load during the return-to-play process after injury.

  17. C - The controversy focuses on healthy players sitting out, particularly against teams with high ticket prices or national broadcasts.

  18. C - Recall/sensitivity is crucial because missing actual injuries (false negatives) has the highest cost.

  19. D - Cost varies dramatically based on player salary; star players can cost $500K+ per game missed.

  20. C - Cost-sensitive learning appropriately weights the different costs of prediction errors.

Short Answer Rubric

Question 21 - Strong answers should explain that extended rest produces a low chronic load, so even moderate acute loads create artificially high ACWR values. Solutions include using baseline chronic loads or ramped return protocols.

Question 22 - Should discuss: (1) quantifying the injury cost (expected severity, recovery time, playoff impact), (2) value of the specific game, (3) team's current position and alternatives, (4) player input and consent, (5) potential for modified minutes rather than full rest.

Question 23 - Young player: emphasis on development, can handle higher loads, less injury history, longer recovery runway. Old player: accumulated wear, longer recovery times, need proactive rest, may have chronic conditions, higher stakes (career end risk).

Question 24 - Limitations include: (1) small sample sizes at individual level, (2) injuries are rare events creating class imbalance, (3) context changes (team, role, training) over time, (4) survivorship bias (players with many injuries exit league), (5) data quality/reporting inconsistencies.

Question 25 - Factors include: (1) injury pattern analysis (isolated vs. recurring, same body part), (2) age-adjusted projection of future injury risk, (3) cost of expected missed games vs. contract value, (4) insurance options, (5) contract structure (incentives, guarantees), (6) player's willingness to accept load management.