Physicians across the country perform thousands of preparticipation physical exams annually. This article will provide specific recommendations for disqualification from athletic participation. It begins with classification of sports and the cardiovascular, respiratory, and central nervous systems, and addresses reasons for disqualification pertaining to the visual, system, axial skeleton, gastrointestinal system, blood, and skin, and will discuss controversial areas. Specific injuries and recommendations for disqualification pertaining to the appendicular skeleton are beyond the scope of this article. This article is not meant to be all-inclusive, but to cover the most common reasons for disqualification from athletics.
Most people classify sports as either contact or noncontact.
Noncontact strenuous, 4. Noncontact moderately strenuous, 5. Both of these classification systems are referred to through this article. This section will review some of the situations in which disqualification should be considered as outlined by the Bethesda Conference and supported by other sources. A more complete listing of recommendations regarding the cardiovascular system is provided in the Bethesda guidelines.