When a child shows an interest in school sports, it is a wise parent who thinks about all the benefits and possible drawbacks that may result from an activity being added to the schedule. For the most part, parents think of time commitments, whether or not their child will see the season through, and in some cases, any risks that may be associated with the sport. What is often overlooked is whether or not your child is fit to play the sport.

Each year millions of students gear up to play any number of school sports. Out of those millions, a handful may become ill or even die as a result of playing their favorite sport. It is almost unthinkable that a child or even a college-age student could be cut down in the prime of his or her life; however, it is a reality and one which should not be ignored. With this possibility in mind, how can a parent know if their child is healthy enough to participate in school sports?

Pre-Season Medical Evaluation

There is some dispute as to how much pre-season screening is actually required, but all parties involved agree that some form of medical evaluation is necessary. Most of the young athletes that succumb to an illness (or even death) while playing a sport do so as a result of an undiagnosed heart condition. But how far should medical testing go to determine if every potential player is able to compete?

Dr. Paul Thompson, the director of preventive cardiology at Hartford Hospital located in Connecticut, contributed to a joint position statement issued by the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine. This statement released in 2007 recommends all high school and college players undergo cardiovascular screening prior to playing school sports and each two to four years thereafter. The group recommends screening to include family history, personal history and a physical exam that is geared toward finding conditions that are may be aggravated by "exercise-related events".

Others believe that additional screening beyond the physical exam should be mandatory. This would include an EKG and echocardiogram which may spot heart conditions that could potentially sideline a player. Right now, such extensive screening is not required and may not even solve the problem in that some conditions may still go undetected.

Whether or not additional screening will become standard operating procedure remains to be seen. However, many parents of young athletes who have suffered a heart attack or other health issue on the field feel additional testing should be mandatory. This important decision regarding your child's health is one that must be carefully considered by all parents. Individual families can decide if they want to pursue additional screening, beyond what is required by the school system.

If you are worried about conditions that may go undetected during routine physical exams, you may want to consider having additional testing performed on your child before they engage in school sports. These conditions include but are not limited to a history of cardiac disease in the family or health issues in the individual child's history.

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