Implementation of New Diagnostic Methods in the doctor’s office without the use of radiation

Physical screening of athletes is used to identify the current musculoskeletal condition of the athlete. Screening should best be performed early in the pre-season phase of training. Screening can also involve the use of sport specific fitness testing to ascertain the athletes’ preparation for sport.
A physical assessment of the athlete allows the sport physicians and physiotherapist to obtain base data which can:

1. identify past and current injury, which can lead to specific exercise prescription aimed at managing the condition and preventing further injury
2. highlight inter-player differences – direct conditioning training programs to be set for various levels of fitness, indicate parameters required for the sport and encourage the lower level athlete to strive to higher levels of participation
3. determine physical changes over time, which is particularly important in the growing athlete and athlete participating in long hours of training/competition for one or more sports
4. assist exercise prescription for musculoskeletal conditioning – effective physical conditioning involves measurement, review and modifications to exercise training programs involving sport science and sport physiotherapy

A typical physical screening of athletes includes measurement of:

• Posture (eg scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis etc)
• gait assessment (pedobarograph analysis)
• muscle length and joint flexibility
• neuromuscular assessment
• functional-specific testing.