Sports physicals open door for education

Area providers are working to turn a participation requirement into an opportunity for education and engagement with student athletes and their parents and sports medicine providers.

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and that idea is behind the sports physical requirements of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA). The WIAA requires students athletes to have sports physicals done every other year to maintain eligibility.

Physical Therapist Kayla Degner, who is director of therapy at Bone and Joint, said that this year their providers are putting heavy emphasis on education in addition to the routine screenings.

She explained that the exams start with a check-in and screening for blood pressure and pulse rate and then a musculoskeletal exam is done.

“We evaluate how they move, making sure they are strong and have no obvious injuries and nothing that would impact their ability to play in sports,” she said. In addition, they do screening for scoliosis and offer the opportunity to talk with a sports medicine provider.

The providers share information on common injuries experienced by student athletes, such as concussions, sprains, strains and steps they can take to prevent injuries. Proper training and nutrition can not only prevent injuries but also enhance performance.

She explained that in talking to sport medicine providers and trainers, the student athletes and their parents can get a better understanding of the things that can lead to injuries and what they can do to prevent them from occurring.

As a physical therapist she explained that she typically finds people with weak hips. She explained that this can put athletes at an increased risk for knee injuries. She can then use the opportunity to share exercises and information about how to strengthen their hips and avoid those injuries.

She said that they want to avoid student athletes from having to come in during the season with preventable injuries.

Some of the big red flags the screenings catch are blood pressure issues, vision issues and dealing with nagging injuries that could put them at risk for more severe future injuries. “Most are very healthy,” she said, noting they don’t see a lot of athletes who fail their exams.

Nationally approximately 5.5% of adolescents are deemed ineligible for sports participation during pre-participation physical evaluations (PPEs) due to identified health concerns.

The American Heart Association estimates that 1 in 300 student-athletes may have an undetected heart condition that could lead to serious complications or sudden cardiac arrest during physical activity.

The WIAA requires these evaluations every other school year for athletic eligibility, and they are critical for uncovering conditions that could predispose athletes to injury or illness, thereby ensuring their safety in sports.