Athletic preparticipation examinations for adolescents. Report of the Board of Trustees. Group on Science and Technology, American Medical Association
In response to a request from the House of Delegates to study the value of
the preparticipation athletic examination for adolescents, the American
Medical Association Board of Trustees prepared a report reviewing the
current health status of adolescent athletes and the efficacy of trying to
identify which athletes are at risk for injury and sudden death. It found
that between 22% and 39% of athletes sustain an injury that results in
their not completing a practice or game or causes them to miss a subsequent
practice or game. The existing state of information suggests that the
preparticipation athletic examination is helpful in identifying adolescents
at risk for orthopedic injury. The usefulness of the examination to
identify adolescents at risk for sudden cardiac death or who have
previously undiagnosed medical disorders is not substantiated by the
research literature. The identification of orthopedic problems is maximized
by the station approach. The guidelines developed in 1988 by the American
Academy of Pediatrics provide the most current source on which conditions
disqualify athletes from specific sports. Special care must be taken,
however, to ensure that adolescents are not excluded unnecessarily from
participation.
