The Preparticipation Examination: Evaluation of the Pediatric and Andolescent Athlete

Health care of healthy pediatric–adolescent population is an item of great concern, due to social, economic, and emotional burden of adverse, sometime dramatic events in young subjects. The only systematic medical screening of apparently healthy young population appears to be, nowadays, the pre-participation physical examination. A fundamental part of this examination is to take an accurate medical history, not rarely able to suspect several diseases, sometimes at risk of sudden death. History taking should start from the family history, going on investigating all the organs and systems. This chapter, moreover, deals with the medical examination of the main apparatuses with particular emphasis to the heart (the leading cause of sports related sudden death), chest and lungs, musculoskeletal, and neurological systems. Special care, finally, has been paid to concussion, especially when examining athletes involved in contact/collision sports. Concussion, actually, is a clinical entity often underestimated by athletes, coaches and doctors, which can lead to impairing physical/psychological symptoms and, although rarely, may predispose to lifethreatening conditions.