Preparticipation Physical Evaluation: Musculoskeletal
Presented by Phil Plisky
Nonfinancial: Phil Plisky has no competing nonfinancial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
Physical therapists and certified athletic trainers are frequently involved in preparticipation physical examinations for sports, for tactical athletes (military, police, and firefighters), and in the workplace. Yet it is difficult for practitioners to market and implement a high-quality preparticipation physical examination. This course will assist the learner in conducting an evidence-based musculoskeletal preparticipation examination that will help reduce the injury risk of the athletes in their care. Specific strategies to conduct individual, team, and large group preparticipation physical examinations will be discussed. This course engages the participant through demonstrations, case studies, and a question-and-answer session with Dr. Arnold and Dr. Plisky. This course is for physical therapists, athletic trainers, and occupational therapists.
Meet your instructor
Phil Plisky
Dr. Phil Plisky is a professor in the University of Evansville’s Doctor of Physical Therapy and PhD in Health Professions Education programs. He is the host of the Medbridge Rehab and Performance Lab podcast and founder of the Coaches Club at
Chapters & learning objectives
1. The Musculoskeletal Preparticipation Physical Evaluation
How can you identify the players that will fail to adapt to their environment, through lack of performance improvement, skill metric improvement, or time loss, before they fail? This chapter examines the purpose of the musculoskeletal preparticipation examination, the research regarding functional movement screening, and how functional movement screening can provide critical information for preparing and protecting your athletes.
2. Additional Risk Factors
This chapter provides context and detailed research into motor control screening tests. Learn how to determine the athlete’s readiness for sport and how to identify risk factors that place the athlete at greater risk of injury. The research regarding dynamic balance screening through the Star Excursion and Y-Balance tests, as well as jumping skill, power, and agility injury risk factors, will be discussed.
3. Using Multiple Risk Factors
While it is commonly understood that a single risk factor alone cannot adequately identify injury risk, what does the research say regarding the use of multiple risk factors in the preparticipation setting? You will learn how to apply multiple risk factors using large cohort injury prediction trials in the military and sport. You will also learn how to test both individuals and large groups in the preparticipation setting.
4. Testing Individuals and Teams
Now that you have decided which screens and tests need to be completed, how do you accomplish them, and what do you do with the results? In this section, Dr. Plisky discusses how to test an individual, as well as the more complex task of testing an entire team, university, or military division.
5. Q&A and Course Summary
This chapter engages Dr. Todd Arnold and Dr. Phil Plisky in a discussion on some of the most common musculoskeletal questions and concerns surrounding the preparticipation evaluation.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Medbridge courses.
Who creates Medbridge courses?
We work with industry-leaders, top researchers, and consultants to build content roadmaps that are then structured into courses, filmed, and edited by our production team before being launched to our site.
How often does Medbridge release new courses?
New courses are added monthly and are automatically included in your subscription as they launch.
How often does Medbridge update courses?
Medbridge reviews its courses annually for relevance and to assess if content is up to date. Based on these reviews it may be determined that a course is out of date resulting in the course being re-filmed or retired, if the content is no longer needed (e.g. a replacement course already exists, the concepts are no longer best practice, etc.).
How many courses does Medbridge offer?
We have over 3,000 accredited courses and we are continually updating our library with new courses. Check our course library for the most up-to-date count for your discipline.
Are there any additional fees for taking a Medbridge course?
There are no additional fees for taking a Medbridge course, obtaining a course certificate of completion, earning CEUs as a subscriber, or accessing any of the additional tools your subscription may include.
Is there a limit to the number of courses I can take?
There is no limit to the number of courses you can take as a subscriber! As a subscriber to Medbridge, you have unlimited access to over 3,000+ accredited CE courses.
If you are a Premium subscriber, you also have unlimited access to our Patient Engagement Tools such as the Home Exercise Program, Patient Education Library, Orthopedic Exam Tests, and Manual Therapy Techniques. We have over 7,000 exercises and over 650+ videos and handouts of patient education resources with more exercises and patient education added to the library based on subscriber feedback, volume of request and specialities.
What is your refund policy?
You are eligible for a refund provided your request is received within 30 days of your subscription purchase and your account has no activity.