Certifying Sports Physicals
Are Chiropractic Physicians Allowed To Certify Sports Physicals For Student Athletes?
No. The State of Illinois defers to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), a private entity, to regulate sports physicals for high school student-athletes. The IHSA is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization whose members include public and private high schools.
The IHSA’s Medical Advisory Committee has consistently recommended that athletic pre-participation exams be performed only by physicians licensed to practice medicine in all its branches (medical and osteopathic doctors), advanced practice nurses, or physician assistants. Although these exams are within the scope of chiropractic practice under the language of the Medical Practice Act and established case law, the IHSA does not acknowledge doctors of chiropractic as licensed physicians. The IHSA has adopted this position in its Constitution and By-laws that govern the conditions of sports participation for each school. The ICS consistently has advocated to change this restriction, including direct advocacy with the IHSA, as well as through legislative support.
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The ICS’ most recent efforts included active support of HB 3033. Rep. Janet Yang-Rohr initiated the bill to authorize a chiropractic physician to certify a student athlete’s fitness for sports participation, as well as to evaluate an athlete for concussion and fitness for return to play. The bill’s chief co-sponsor was ICS member and State Representative Kevin Schmidt, D.C. Unfortunately, despite the work of Rep. Yang-Rohr, Rep. Schmidt, and the ICS, the bill was referred to a legislative committee and was not called for a vote before the session adjourned. However, the ICS intends to keep this issue on its legislative agenda and will continue to advocate for chiropractic parity in student athlete physicals and concussion protocols.
On the other hand, the Illinois School Code law prescribes rules for many school-related health examinations, some of which may be performed by chiropractic physicians:
- Student sick leave
- Teacher sick leave
- Modification or excusal from student physical education class
For a full list of school-related examinations that chiropractic physicians are permitted and not permitted to perform, see this article.
