Cerebral palsy: physical activity and sport.

Physical activity and fitness are well recognized as essential to the health of able-bodied people, both young and old. The exact role of athletics and fitness in the lives of people with cerebral palsy is less well defined. In this review we examine the benefits of physical activity and athletics for people of all ages with cerebral palsy. Precautions for safe exercise prescription are discussed. The primary care practitioner will be able to recommend appropriate activities or refer patients to appropriate sources for further evaluation.

Optimizing the collegiate preparticipation physical evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Today's collegiate student athlete is a highly diverse individual and as such is at higher risk for many health problems both on and off the field. OBJECTIVE: To determine if a preparticipation evaluation (PPE) can be optimized to help the collegiate team physician and athletic trainer assess both current and past health issues of student athletes. DATA SOURCES: Utilizing MEDLINE and other medical literature database search engines, the authors conducted detailed literature searches on this subject. Key words used in these searches included preparticipation physical evaluation, collegiate, athlete, cardiovascular, preventive healthcare, high risk, alcohol, tobacco, sexually transmitted disease, motor vehicle accident, adolescent, and female. METHODS: Approximately 35 articles were selected for review for this report. Authors reviewed articles within their particular area of content responsibility. Personal communications with several sports medicine experts were also conducted. RESULTS: Twenty-three articles were selected for inclusion, in addition to information obtained from the American College of Sports Medicine and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Web sites. Utilizing these sources, as well as guidance and suggestions from other sports medicine physicians, the authors determined that the NCAA-mandated PPE should deliver an overview of the athlete's entire health status. CONCLUSIONS: As detailed in this report, it is recommended that the NCAA PPE serve as a tool in tracking and assessing both current and past health issues of student athletes. These health issues would include (1) on-field health concerns such as cardiac and musculoskeletal conditions, (2) off-field health concerns (that may adversely impact on-field performance) such as sexual activity and substance abuse, and (3) health issues unique to the female student athlete, such as eating habits, nutritional record, and menstrual history. Primary care physicians should be involved in all PPEs as they have the necessary expertise to recognize potential problems in these areas.

Exercise during pregnancy: a practical approach.

Attitudes toward exercise during pregnancy have changed dramatically over the past 20 years. Recent studies show that, in most cases, exercise is safe for both the mother and fetus during pregnancy, and support the recommendation to initiate or continue exercise in most pregnancies. This report discusses the rationale behind the changes, and offers educational tools that may be employed to initiate behavioral change. We also propose exercise prescriptions for pregnant women who are sedentary, physically active, and competitive athletes. Armed with this information, the practitioner will be better equipped to counsel patients and incorporate a discussion on physical activity into prenatal visits.