| Abstract ID |
| 20260079 |
| Category |
| Sports Medicine: Epidemiology and Injury Prevention |
| Preferable Presentation |
| Oral Presentation |
| Title |
| CLINICAL FINDINGS FROM PRE-COMPETITION MEDICAL ASSESSMENT ACROSS FIVE SEASONS OF THE INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE |
| Author |
|
| Presenter |
| Sai aditya raman |
| Abstract |
| Background & Objective The Pre-Competition Medical Assessment (PCMA) is a standardised medical screening protocol developed & recommended by FIFA to screen a footballer’s health before participation in competitive football. The primary objectives of PCMA are: Detection of underlying medical conditions, especially cardiovascular abnormalities that may predispose to sudden cardiac arrest during exertion, evaluation of overall health & fitness including general medical and musculoskeletal assessment. The PCMA provides medical fitness/eligibility to participate in competitive football. Despite the widespread adoption of the FIFA PCMA as a standardised screening tool in elite football, the existing literature is largely derived from European cohorts. In India, although annual PCMA is mandated, there is a lack of literature describing its implementation and key clinical findings despite the popularity of the Indian Super League (ISL). This study examines the findings from a group of PCMA assessments across five ISL seasons. Methods 50 male professional football players who were part of an ISL team, underwent PCMA at a private sports medicine facility across 5 years of the ISL (2018-2023) were recorded. The PCMA battery included medical history/examination, musculoskeletal/orthopaedic examination, and mandated laboratory tests (blood, 12 lead ECG & 2D echocardiography). Descriptive statistical analysis of key findings was done. Results Out of the 50 footballers, 47 players were cleared for participation while 3 were not cleared at the time of assessment. Of the 3 players not cleared for sport participation - 1 player was diagnosed with ectopic atrial rhythm (ECG finding), 1 player was 5 months post ACL reconstruction and 1 player was 4 months post Bankart repair. Of the 47 players cleared for sport participation - 15 players had the following clinical findings/significant past history: ECG variations were recorded in 5 players: one with left-ventricular hypertrophy, two with early repolarisation variants, two with sinus bradycardia features - all players were cleared after 24 hour Holter monitoring and Cardiologist consultation Echocardiography showed structural findings in 2 players: one bicuspid aortic valve with trivial mitral regurgitation and one with increased LV chamber volume - both findings were deemed ‘Athlete’s Heart’ and cleared after Cardiologist consultation Musculoskeletal findings / prior orthopaedic history was recorded in 8 players, including prior ACL reconstruction, meniscectomy, hamstring strain, ankle ATFL strain, nasal bone fracture fixation, right forearm fracture fixation and MCP joint fracture. No abnormality was recorded in blood tests. Conclusions This study highlights the clinical utility of the FIFA Pre-Competition Medical Assessment (PCMA) in elite Indian football, demonstrating a good clearance rate alongside the identification of clinically relevant cardiovascular and musculoskeletal findings requiring further evaluation. The identified ECG and echocardiographic abnormalities were deemed benign athlete-specific adaptations following specialist review, reinforcing the need for expert interpretation within the PCMA framework. It would be beneficial for PCMA to be implemented as a structured tool prior to every major competition rather than a one-time clearance exercise. Future multicentric, longitudinal Indian studies are needed to establish population-specific normative data and to determine the prognostic value of PCMA findings for injury and adverse cardiac events. |