ATHLETIC PREPARTICIPATION EXAMINATIONS FOR ADOLESCENTS

In response to a request from the House of Delegates to study the valu e of the preparticipation athletic examination for adolescents, the Am erican Medical Association Board of Trustees prepared a report reviewi ng the current health status of adolescent athletes and the efficacy o f 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 the m to miss a subsequent practice or game. The existing state of informa tion suggests that the preparticipation athletic examination is helpfu l in identifying adolescents at risk for orthopedic injury. The useful ness of the examination to identify adolescents at risk for sudden car diac death or who have previously undiagnosed medical disorders is not substantiated by the research literature. The identification of ortho pedic problems is maximized by the station approach. The guidelines de veloped 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 adolescent s are not excluded unnecessarily from participation.