Sports can be an important part of your child’s development. Some of the benefits cited by the American Academy of Pediatrics include fitness, which can make your child look and feel better, which can lead to a healthier life and a sense of personal satisfaction, which can lead to increased social acceptance.
Before your child gets involved in sports, whether in school or out of school, it is important that he or she have a complete medical examination. This exam can evaluate your child’s strengths and weaknesses and help the young athlete choose the sport that will be most rewarding. The Medical Society of the State of New York joins the Academy of Pediatrics in cautioning that a child should not be pushed into a sport that he or she is not ready to handle.
Good for girls
The AAP and MSSNY welcome the trend in recent years to encourage sports participation for girls as strongly as for boys. This trend has helped girls gain self-confidence and a healthy respect for physical fitness.
Until puberty, boys and girls are almost the same size and weight, and can, therefore, safely compete together, according to AAP. After puberty, however, boys gain an advantage in size and strength, so “safety and fairness dictate that boys and girls should no longer compete against each other in most sports,” the AAP advises. Girls usually begin puberty between ages 10 and 12, and boys begin about two years later.
In instances when a particular activity is not available for both genders, it is reasonable that an athlete be permitted to try out in a mixed-gender interscholastic setting, provided the following conditions are met. (1) The parents and student provide consent for participation and acknowledge understanding of the inherent risks of interscholastic, particularly contact/collision, mixed-gender competition. (2) The student has passed the basic routine pre-participation medical examination, which includes health history. (3) The school district enforces a strict disciplinary policy for sexual harassment or misconduct. (4) The coach uses the same criteria for both sexes in selecting and eliminating athletes as final team members, based on athletic performance and capability alone. MSSNY believes no special privileges or exemptions should be granted based solely on sex, with the exception of appropriate separation of athletes in separate locker rooms.
Pre-participation physical exams
Pre-participation physical examinations are generally required for junior high, high school and college sports. The purpose of these exams, explains the American College of Sports Medicine, is not to disqualify or exclude an athlete from competition, but to keep the athlete safe and healthy. The exams identify problems that could place the athlete at risk for injury or illness, assess fitness levels for specific sports, and can serve to educate athletes and parents about sports, exercise, injuries and related issues.
The athlete’s medical history should include any former injuries, chest pain with exercise, feeling faint or having passed out with exercise, excessive shortness of breath or fatigue, and previously being restricted from participating in a sport for medical reasons. Important family history considerations to take into account include heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, or a family member who unexpectedly died before the age of 50. Pulse and blood pressure rates, height and weight are measured, and vision and hearing screenings are performed. A thorough medical examination should include the head, chest region, abdomen and genitals. Reflexes, strength, coordination, joints, spine, ligaments, tendons and bones should be assessed. Other exams may include x-rays and electrocardiograms.
For those with special medical conditions
For children and adolescents with medical conditions such as bleeding disorders, congenital heart disease and diabetes, additional issues must be considered before participating in sports. A statement by the AAP notes that for most chronic health conditions, “current evidence supports the participation of children and athletes in most athletic activities.” When applying these recommendations to a specific patient, however “a physician’s clinical judgment is essential” and must take into consideration many factors, including the current health status of the athlete, the level of competition, the availability of effective protective equipment, and the ability of the athlete and the parents to understand and accept the risks of participation.
“Unfortunately, adequate data on the risks of a particular sport for an athlete with a medical condition often are limited or lacking,” the statement notes, “and an estimate of risk becomes a necessary part of decision making. If restriction from a sport is believed necessary, the physician should counsel the athlete and family about safe alternative practices.”