Summary: A PPE (pre-participation physical exam) can catch an abnormal health condition that could potentially increase your child's risk of injury.If your child has sparked an interest in playing sports and plans to play for a school team or a league, you may want to consider getting a pre-participation physical exam (PPE). Typically, a PPE is a requirement before your child is able to play in junior high, high school, college, or professional sports. This helps ensure safety in your athlete's training and competition activities. What does a PPE cover? During the PPE, your physician may examine your child's past medical history (allergies, birth defects, chicken pox, diabetes, etc.), a sports-specific history (any injuries), family history, and an exam of your child's head, thorax, abdomen and genitalia. Neurological, orthopedic, and additional exams may be performed as well (lab work, x-rays, etc.). Why are PPEs so important? Joel Brenner, MD, joins Melanie Cole, MS, to discuss pre-participation physical exams and why they're so important for your child's overall health.
