Information about project titled 'Screening of athletes'
Screening of athletes
| Details about the project - category | Details about the project - value |
|---|---|
| Project status: | Published |
| Project manager: | Arnhild Bakken |
| Supervisor(s): | Roald Bahr |
| Coworker(s): | Karim Khan, Johannes Tol, Cristiano Eirale, Stephen Targett, Rodney Whitely |
Description
Injury and illness are common in athletes, particularly in those competing at an elite level. A periodic health evaluation (PHE) or a pre-participation examination (PPE) is a tool that is widely used to detect and manage current health problems which may influence their ability to train or compete, as well as to identify the athlete at risk in order to be able to decrease the risk of future injury and illness.
In a recent position statement on the PHE of elite athletes by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the IOC call for further research into the role of PHE in protecting the health of the athlete.
Research into the effectiveness of PHE in preventing injury and illness is very limited. Furthermore there is little agreement on what should be included in a PHE and at what stage in the competitive season it should be performed. Recently, the efficacy of PHE detecting serious problems in the elite athlete has also been questioned.
The aim of this study is to document the benefits of PHE in athletes with a focus on musculoskeletal screening.
Methods
As part of the Aspetar Sports Injury and Illness Prevention Program (ASPREV) in Doha, Qatar, all athletes will undergo a pre-season PHE to look for any risk factors for injury and illness and to detect current injury and illness.
They will be screened for the following PHE components: a questionnaire regarding patient and family history, cardiac examination, general medical examination, laboratory blood tests, vision, pulmonary function, women health issues and musculoskeletal examination.
In addition, with the ASPREV program, all athletes will be screened for risk factors for injuries including isokinetic muscle strength tests and functional movement test (9+). The athletes will be monitored regularly by National Sports Medicine Program (NSMP) for factors related to health status, performance and injury registration.