Prehabilitation: preparing young athletes for sports.

Great athletes may be born and not made, but I believe that there are many with great potential who succumb to noncontact injury through poor training habits, or as a result of correctable biomechanical imbalances. Preparing an athlete for sports requires medical and orthopedic evaluation, assessment of fitness for competition, and education in the principles of proper training. Because few individuals have access to a comprehensive sports medicine center, primary care physicians should familiarize themselves with the principles of prehabilitation to help young athletes prevent injury and realize their full potential.