The nurse recognizes that the most likely reason a runner who has inju

The nurse recognizes that the most likely reason a runner who has injured his ankle during a race is not aware of it until after he crosses the finish line is that:

1. The emotional exhilaration of running the race masked the pain of the injury
2. His endorphin levels were high as a result of the physical stressors of the race
3. He was mentally distracted by the need to concentrate on the ever-changing na-ture of the race
4. The physical effects of the injury slowly increased during the race and reached pain-producing capacity only after the race

ANSWER

ANS: 2
Stress, exercise, and other factors increase the release of endorphins, raising an individual’s pain threshold (the point at which a person feels pain). Because the amount of circulating substances varies with each individual, the response to pain will be different. Although the other options may have affected his pain perception, they did not exert as much influence as the answer.