Acceptability and Practicality of a Quick Musculoskeletal Examination into Sports Medicine Pre-Participation Evaluation

• Main Authors: Stefano Palermi (Author), Giada Annarumma (Author), Alessandro Spinelli (Author), Bruno Massa (Author), Alessandro Serio (Author), Marco Vecchiato (Author), Andrea Demeco (Author), Erica Brugin (Author), Felice Sirico (Author), Franco Giada (Author), Alessandro Biffi (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2022-05-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Background: Child musculoskeletal (MSK) diseases are common and, even if often benign, sometimes can lead to significant impairment in the future health of children. Italian pre-participation evaluation (PPE), performed by a sports medicine physician, allows for the screening of a wide range of children every year. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the feasibility and the acceptability of pGALS (pediatric Gait, Arms, Legs and Spine) screening, a simple pediatric MSK screening examination, when performed as part of a routine PPE. Methods: Consecutive school-aged children attending a sports medicine screening program were assessed with the addition of pGALS to the routine clinical examination. Practicability (time taken) and patient acceptability (discomfort caused) were recorded. Results: 654 children (326 male, mean age 8.9 years) were evaluated through pGALS. The average time taken was 4.26 min (range 1.9-7.3 min). Acceptability of pGALS was deemed high: time taken was "adequate" (97% of parents) and caused little or no discomfort (94% of children). Abnormal MSK findings were common. Conclusions: pGALS is a practical and acceptable tool to perform in sports medicine PPE, even if performed by a non-expert in MSK medicine. Although common, abnormal MSK findings need to be interpreted in the global clinical context and assessment.

Item Description

10.3390/pediatric14020028
2036-7503