NC athletes face a riskier season – and not just from COVID-19
When our student athletes return to school sports this fall, parents and coaches will make sure they have all the right protective gear: helmets, pads, mouthguards – and that they receive the training they need to play their sport safely.
Yet this year, many children may be missing the most important protection of all: an annual sports physical.
North Carolina has made a decision to waive the physicals normally required for school sports. I fear both this waiver - and the message it sends - endangers our children at a time when their safety and well-being are more important than ever.
And North Carolina’s children aren’t alone. Similar decisions have been made across the country, including in California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Officials in these states say student athletes with a valid pre-participation examination (PPE) form from last year are not required to get one for the 2020-2021 school year. In North Carolina, the change was made “due to the extraordinary circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says a memo from the N.C. Board of Education.
I’m not sure how a global health crisis makes it safer to go without medical care. We should assume the best of their decision, and perhaps they thought pediatricians won’t be available to conduct sports physicals. But the fact is, pediatric clinics are open – and they are the safest possible place to get sports physicals, annual wellness exams, and vital vaccinations.
At Novant Health, we’ve put in place sweeping new protocols to deliver safe care in a pandemic. Here’s the scene: A nurse meets the patient in the parking lot, takes the temperatures of the parent and patient, ensures both patient and parent are masked, and escorts the patient — with one guardian only — directly to the clean exam room.
Back in March, our clinics instituted practices to manage sick visits by video appointments or parking lot exams, keeping our clinics clean for well care. All team members complete a pre-work screening, which includes a temperature check. Everyone is required to wear a mask.
The fact is, if it’s safe enough for kids to play school sports, it’s safe enough for them to get a physical.
Children and teens who miss a sports physical risk real injury – or worse. During exams, we talk with student athletes and parents about injury prevention and concussion risks and management. We screen for development and growth. We monitor chronic conditions, such as asthma and diabetes.
Our pediatricians have caught undiagnosed illnesses and conditions, ranging from eating disorders and anemia to heart conditions requiring emergent surgery.
One of our pediatricians was able to identify neuroblastoma on an asymptomatic child. The tumor was resected, and this child did not require chemotherapy, thanks largely to the early diagnosis. Sports physicals can also spot silent killers, like cardiomyopathy – a hidden condition that can cause sudden cardiac death on a sports field or court.
These aren’t conditions that can wait a year.
These states are sending parents a misleading message. If a sports physical can be skipped, how about an annual checkup, or necessary vaccinations, including annual flu shots, which make our schools safer?
My colleagues and I are pediatricians – and we’re also parents. In both roles, we want nothing more than the health, safety and well-being of all our children. That’s why we make sure they stretch before they exercise, put on protective gear and learn the safest ways to excel on a playing field. We want them to play their games safely. So let’s not play games with their health.