The objective of sports medical check-ups is to prevent health problems in sportsmen and women who do not show any symptoms of any pathology. It is a method used to evaluate the patient’s condition, based on age, sex and medical history, with the aim of preventing diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, which are the most difficult to detect if the person does not undergo the relevant tests.
Exhaustive tests
The check-ups require a fairly exhaustive procedure and the use of good and innovative technology, especially in the High Performance Centers, where the athletes who push their bodies to the limit are located. We never know if the sports-medical check-ups that are carried out today in elite sport are sufficient, because when the news of a new case of sudden death comes out, we ask ourselves again this question that is so difficult to answer.
Nevertheless, in elite sport, together with our colleagues, we do everything that today’s technology allows us to do; everything possible to avoid new cases of such tragedies. However, sports-medical check-ups in leisure and amateur sports can undoubtedly be improved, and by investing more time and funds, we could avoid many misfortunes.
What causes sudden death
We are often accustomed to think that a new case of sudden death in the world of sport is always due to an incomplete or non-existent check-up. Unfortunately this is not the case. There are many known cases in which, despite performing all kinds of tests, there were undetectable cardiovascular pathologies with the technology we have today. That is why effort and funds must be invested to improve this issue.