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REVIEW article

Front. Sports Act. Living

Sec. Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation

Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1650463

The Preparticipation Evaluation of the Young Athlete – An Update to What the Orthopedic Surgeon Needs to Know

Provisionally accepted
Grace  C PlasscheGrace C Plassche1*Daniel  James MillerDaniel James Miller2,3Robert  A ChristianRobert A Christian1David  P TrofaDavid P Trofa1Lauren  H RedlerLauren H Redler1William  N LevineWilliam N Levine1Christopher  S AhmadChristopher S Ahmad1Charles  PopkinCharles Popkin1*
  • 1New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States
  • 2University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, United States
  • 3Gillette Children's, Saint Paul, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

The preparticipation evaluation (PPE) continues to be a recommended and widely used tool in identifying athletes with health conditions or injury risks that may impact their athletic participation. In the last 10 years, updates to the PPE mirror the increasing impacts of sport specialization, level of competition, importance of mental health in injury risk and recovery, research on cardiovascular and concussive health in youth athletes, and increased awareness of metabolic demands placed on both male and female athletes. The PPE at this snapshot in time exists within an evolving landscape of recommendations. However, it continues to present a vital opportunity for health care providers, preferably within the athlete's "medical home", to discuss anticipatory guidance, intervene on injury risk, and establish a baseline for future monitoring as the athlete enters competition. As mentioned, there continues to be a need for further research and development, but the orthopedic surgeon should be aware of the purpose the PPE currently serves given the intersectionality of their field with young athletes at the brink or in the midst of injury.

Keywords: Preparticipation evaluation, RED-S, Preparticipation athlete screening, Orthopedic surgeon, Athlete safety

Received: 19 Jun 2025; Accepted: 30 Sep 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Plassche, Miller, Christian, Trofa, Redler, Levine, Ahmad and Popkin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Grace C Plassche, gcp2123@cumc.columbia.edu
Charles Popkin, cp2654@cumc.columbia.edu

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.