ABSTRACT
The preparticipation examination (PPE) is an important aspect of recreational and athletic competition. Its purpose is to identify athletes with medical conditions that limit participation or predispose to injury, to assess physical
maturity and physical tness, to assess general health and identify health-risk behaviors, and to meet legal and insurance requirements.12,25,57,58,65,89,90 It was not designed to prevent participation and rarely does it do so. The largest study documenting the administration of the PPE evaluated 2739 athletes and resulted in disqualication of only 1.9% from participation in sports.91 Another study of 596 athletes resulted in only a 0.2% clearance failure rate (Table 6.1).42
