PrepTest 87, Section 2, Question 19
Trainer: An athlete developed lower back pain after a strenuous athletic competition. For several days, she tried to overcome the pain by daily stretching, but the pain continued. Then, on the advice of a friend, she used a heating pad. Within a few days the pain was gone. This shows that the use of heating pads is generally more effective at relieving lower back pain than stretching is.
Trainer: An athlete developed lower back pain after a strenuous athletic competition. For several days, she tried to overcome the pain by daily stretching, but the pain continued. Then, on the advice of a friend, she used a heating pad. Within a few days the pain was gone. This shows that the use of heating pads is generally more effective at relieving lower back pain than stretching is.
Trainer: An athlete developed lower back pain after a strenuous athletic competition. For several days, she tried to overcome the pain by daily stretching, but the pain continued. Then, on the advice of a friend, she used a heating pad. Within a few days the pain was gone. This shows that the use of heating pads is generally more effective at relieving lower back pain than stretching is.
Trainer: An athlete developed lower back pain after a strenuous athletic competition. For several days, she tried to overcome the pain by daily stretching, but the pain continued. Then, on the advice of a friend, she used a heating pad. Within a few days the pain was gone. This shows that the use of heating pads is generally more effective at relieving lower back pain than stretching is.
The trainer's argument is vulnerable to criticism on each of the following grounds EXCEPT:
It fails to consider that even if the use of heating pads is more effective at relieving lower back pain than stretching is, it may be much less effective at helping to heal the underlying injury responsible for the pain.
It fails to consider the fact that lower back pain resulting from athletic competitions often disappears after several days regardless of any attempts to relieve it.
It fails to consider that the athlete's experience regarding the effectiveness of different methods of relieving lower back pain may not have been representative of that of the general population.
It overlooks the possibility that the effectiveness of different methods of relieving lower back pain may vary substantially depending on the underlying cause of the lower back pain.
It overlooks the possibility that there might be ways of stretching that are much more effective at relieving lower back pain than were the ways the athlete tried.
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