With spring and summer sports blooming, it may be time for your child's pre-participation physical exam. If your doctor says, "Just give me the form, I'll sign it," you may be overlooking a life-saving opportunity to keep your child safe on the playing field, according to David Janda, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon and author of The Awakening of a Surgeon: A Family Guide to Preventing Sports Injuries and Death. Dr. Janda also directs the Institute for Preventative Sports Medicine.
Specifically, you're trying to detect conditions that may lead to sudden cardiac death. According to Dr. Janda, as unbelievable as it sounds, among young athletes, 1 in 500 has the potential to die on the playing field from heart irregularities.
It Should Include …
In a pre-participation physical, it's standard for a doctor to take the child's pulse, blood pressure, and listen to the heart and lungs with a stethoscope. Your child's doctor should particularly ask your child if he or she ever feels chest pain or palpitations (feeling his or her heart beating) or passes out with exertion or lightheadedness. Make sure your child's family history is up to date - you may be asked to fill it out yourself.
Schedule the pre-participation physical at least six weeks ahead of the athletic season. Why? Because if the doctor detects something abnormal, you have time to get tests done and ready your child to play. Up to 20 percent of kids need further evaluation with such testing procedures as an electrocardiogram to check heart function. Of this group, about two percent are going to be told they cannot participate.
If you're going to be an activist on the playing field, get involved in critical issues before the whistle blows. Your active involvement in the pre-participation physical can be life saving. |
