Preparticipation Examination of the Adolescent Athlete: Part 2

2. Explain why it is important to define pre-existing injury patterns. 3. Characterize preventive conditioning and rehabilitation programs for young athletes. This is the second of two articles dedicated to the preparticipation examination of the ado-lescent athlete. The first article addressed the medical and family history, and this article discusses the medical and orthopedic portions of the examination. Medical Examination The medical examination portion of the preparticipation examination (PPE) should serve both as a follow-up for concerns raised in the medical and family history portion of the examination and as a screening for any medical conditions that might limit safe sports participation. The medical examination begins with measurement of the vital signs, height, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, pulse, and respiratory rate. Blood pressure in the adolescent patient is an important marker for the presence of underlying, silent pathology, including primary hypertension or hypertension due to renal, endocrinologic, cardiac, or central nervous system causes. Secondary hypertension also can result from anabolic steroid use