Dean Osborne

The Exam

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to learn and demonstrate first hand how to take an athlete
through the process of a pre-participation exam. This is so we can see how it is done in person and
try it out on our own to be sure that we know what we are doing. This adds another layer to our
knowledge of the exam.

Background Information: For the height and weight you can use various ways of measurement. To
find the pulse of an athlete you must place the stethoscope on the front of the elbow. Then count to
thirty and multiply the amount of heart beats you hear in that time period by two. In order to
discover the blood pressure of an athlete, pump the machine to 200mg and then when you hear the
first heart beat put the amount of mg into the numerator and the amount of the last heart beat into
the denominator. In the end, the blood pressure should come out as a fraction. Use the Patella
Tendon to test the reflexes of the athlete. Gently hit the patella tendon and check to see if the leg
moves forward. If so then you can be sure their reflexes are there. Also, to test shoulder flexibility,
have the athlete raise one arm over and behind their head and bring the other arm behind their back
and up so the hands can meet at their back. To see how flexible the hamstrings of the athlete are
have the subject lay down and then raise one leg and be sure to keep the other one on the ground
flat. If the legs can form a ninety degree angle then they are flexible enough. For the eye chart, have
the athlete stand twenty feet away from the chart that should be posted on a wall. Then have them
read the letters one by one in order and as soon as they get a letter wrong they are done and check
to see on the chart what they got.

Hypothesis: My hypothesis was that athletes currently in season would have a lower blood pressure
than the people who weren't participating in a sport. As for pulse I believe everyone will have a
normal pulse rate. Flexibility will be dicult for some people and I think it will cause at least three
people to fail that section. I saw people with glasses so I would estimate around half the class will
get 20/20 and the rest will be lower. Everyone's reflexes should be intact as well so I think everyone
will pass that portion.

PROCEDURES FOR PRE PARTICIPATION EXAMINATION LAB

FOR EACH MEMBER OF YOUR GROUP, COMPLETE EACH OF THE FOLLOWING TASKS.
RECORD YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND MEASUREMENTS IN YOUR DATA CHART.

STATION 1: HEIGHT AND WEIGHT

HEIGHT: HAVE ATHLETE STAND WITH BACK AND HEELS AGAINST THE WALL COVERING THE
TAPE MEASURE. RECORD THE MEASUREMENT ON THE TAPE MEASURE THAT
CORRESPONDS TO THE TOP OF THE ATHLETES HEAD.

WEIGHT: HAVE ATHLETE STAND ON THE SCALE. RECORD WEIGHT (LBS.)

STATION 2: HEART RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE

HEART RATE: PLACE YOUR 1ST,2ND AND 3RD FINGERS ON THE ATHLETES RADIAL ARTERY.
FEEL THE PULSE. COUNT THE NUMBER OF BEATS FOR 30 SECONDS. MULTIPLY THAT
NUMBER BY 2 TO COMPUTE BEATS PER MINUTE (bpm).

BLOOD PRESSURE: HAVE THE ATHLETE SIT COMFORTABLY RESTING THE LEFT ARM ON A
DESK. USE THE SPHYGNOMOMETER AND STETHESCOPE. RECORD BLOOD PRESSURE
RESULTS (SYSTOLIC/DIASTOLIC)

STATION 3: PATELLAR TENDON REFLEX

HAVE THE ATHLETE SIT WITH KNEES BENT OVER THE EDGE OF THE TABLE. USING THE
REFLEX HAMMER, TAP THE PATELLAR TENDON. RECORD YOUR OBSERVATIONS (+ IF THE
KNEE EXTENDS, - IF THE KNEE DOES NOT EXTEND)

STATION 4: FLEXIBILITY

HAMSTRINGS: HAVE THE ATHLETE LIE SUPINE. ASK HIM/HER TO PERFORM A STRAIGHT LEG
RAISE WITH THE RIGHT LEG WHILE THE LEFT LEG STAYS ON THE GROUND. RECORD
OBSERVATIONS. REPEAT WITH THE LEFT LEG. (+ IF THE LEG RAISE IS 90 DEGREES ABOVE
THE FLOOR OR MORE, - IF LESS THAN 90 DEGREES

SHOULDERS: To test your left shoulder flexibility, stand and raise your right arm straight up
overhead. Bend your right elbow and let your right palm rest on the back of your neck and slide it
down your back and between your shoulder blades. Reach behind you with your left hand so the
back of your hand rests on the middle of your back. Now slide your right hand down and your left
hand up to try to touch the fingers of both hands. Measure the minimum distance between the
fingertips of the right and left hand. Record any overlap as well. Switch your hands to perform the
test on the opposite shoulder.

Shoulder Flexibility Test Results Excellent = Fingers

overlap

Good = Fingers touch

Average = Fingers are less than two inches apart

Poor = Fingers are more than two inches apart

STATION 5: VISION (SNELLEN CHART)

Stand at the twenty foot line and cover your left eye, so you can only see out of your right eye.
Starting from the top, read each row from left to right for as far down as you can still make out the
letters. Note the last line on which you could correctly identify every letter. Have an assistant verify
that you are reading the letters correctly.

Repeat the test with your left eye, covering your right eye this time. Note the last row you could
read with complete accuracy. The row for each eye will not necessarily be the same.

Take note of the fraction shown to the left of each row: It identifies how your vision rates. For
example, if you could read to the fifth line, you have 20/40 vision; if you could read to the seventh
line, you have 20/25 vision.

Look at your results to determine the quality of your eyesight. For example, someone with 20/60
vision can read at 20 feet away what a person with normal vision could read at 60 feet away. In the
United States, a score of 20/40 or better is required to drive a car without corrective lenses, vision
of 20/200 or worse qualifies an individual as legally blind.

STATION 6: VISION (PEARL)

HAVE THE ATHLETE CLOSE BOTH EYES. HOLD A PENLIGHT 4-6 INCHES FROM THE
ATHLETES RIGHT EYE. ASK THE ATHLETE TO OPEN ONLY THE RIGHT EYE. OBSERVE THE
MOVEMENT OF THE PUPIL. REPEAT THE PROCEDURE WITH THE LEFT EYE. RECORD YOUR
OBESERVATIONS.

ANALYSIS

1) The average pulse rate for athletes was 63 beats per minute which is in a normal and safe range.
The non-athletes had an average of 72 beats per minute which is exactly what is expected. The non
athletes should have had a higher pulse rate and they did.

2) The athletes in the class had a normal average for blood pressure since none of their blood
pressure was too high or too low. Their average blood pressure was 125/68. The non-athletes in the
class had a normal average yet a lower average than the athletes. The non-athlete's average was
122/65. Athletes who are more physical and workout much more than other students should have
had a lower blood pressure so that just shows that the non-athletes in the class are physically in
great condition and exercise often.

3) Everyone who participated the reflex portion of the exam passed and showed that their reflexes
were functional. Only if there was a serious accident involving the nerves would the student not be
able to pass.

4) As a class we didn't do this part of the exam so we have no data on this section.

5) Everyone who was an athlete had either 20/15 or 20/20 vision so no one was under expectations
or the norm. The eyesight for non-athletes were the same and that was expected. Being an athlete
or non athlete didn't change the results too much.

6) The flexibility for the shoulders and hamstrings were exceptional as everyone except for one
athlete was able to pass both tests. The class was very flexible and it didn't matter if they were an
athlete or not.

Conclusion

Some, but not all of my predictions were correct after reviewing the results. I hypothesized that
the athletes would have a lower blood pressure than the non-athletes but the opposite occurred.
The pulse on the other hand was just as I expected and everyone's pulse was normal but the
athletes had a lower pulse than non-athletes. Flexibility was something that I thought would give
people issues but everyone seemed to be capable of completing the exercises. I shockingly got it
right with the visual exam since I said that the eye sight would be 20/20 for half and the rest would
be lower. Lastly, just as I called it, everyone's reflexes were perfect. One major experimental error
that occurred was not every pair of students tested their right and left eye. This means that
someone could be 20/20 in one eye and could have a dierent level of eye sight in another. I think
this exam is very useful when I comes to testing athletes and is necessary to make sure they are
safe. Without this test spew are assuming things that may look one way but be another. The test
ensures that everything is in the proper condition for competition. For example, someone might look
like they can see because they don't where glasses when in reality they can't see very well and
because of that they run into a hit on the field that ends their football career.