Hospital for Special Surgery Offering Free Comprehensive Health and Fitness Exam for PSAL Football Players

Staten Island Advance—August 6, 2014

New York City high school football players in the Public Schools Athletic League will be able to take advantage of a free comprehensive pre-season health and fitness screening Saturday, starting at 8:30 a.m. at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the official hospital for the NY Football Giants and other pro teams.

Medical clearance to play high school football, or any sport for that matter, is critical to avoid what could be a parent's worst nightmare. While injuries are part of the risk of playing a sport, but too often, a teen athlete collapses on the field and in many cases around the country, doesn't survive. Sometimes, the tragedy is the result of an injury. But it can also be due to an underlying health problem that went undetected before the game or a previous injury that did not completely heal, according to sports medicine specialists at HSS.

The comprehensive physical exam and fitness tests will be offered at the HSS Sports Rehabilitation & Performance Center, 525 East 71st Street in Manhattan. The hospital teamed up with PSAL several years ago to offer the health screening, and last year students from 22 NYC schools, including several from Staten Island, took advantage of it to ensure that they were fit to play.

Read the full story at Staten Island Advance.