Sports Physicals: Everything You Should Know About Them
Your child may need sports physicals near me before competing in sports. Pre-participation exams are the acronym for sports physicals to prepare your child before beginning the sports season. You must schedule an appointment at least six weeks before the start of the sports season to have your child undergo sports physicals, treat any issues detected, rehabilitate an existing injury, and return for additional exams to provide a healthy start for your child’s sports season.
Are Sports Physicals Essential?
If you have children participating in sports, you will understand how anxious they are to begin getting involved in the game. However, many schools require children to undergo a sports physical before they are allowed to participate. Thirty million student-athletes and three million special-needs athletes receive medical clearance for participation in sports every year in the United States after undergoing a sports physical.
Sports physicals intend to evaluate your child’s general health and present fitness level and screen them for living illnesses and injuries, including life-threatening conditions. When your child undergoes sports physicals, the preparticipation exam helps detect conditions and factors that can increase your child’s risks of illnesses or injury. The exams are essential because they ensure chronic medical conditions are managed appropriately. Best of all, the exams provide strategies to prevent injuries to ensure you don’t need to search for a walk-in clinic if your child suffers an injury when playing sports.
Who Performs Sports Physicals?
Your child’s sports physical, in most cases, is performed by a healthcare professional on-site on most occasions. In such instances, an athletic trainer may assist with the exams. You can also have your child’s pediatrician or healthcare professional conduct a comprehensive exam because they access your child’s medical and laboratory records and are familiar with your medical history.
Sports physicals in Richmond, TX, is another facility where you can get your child’s sports physical performed. It helps if you remember sports physicals offered by schools are limited and are not a substitute for your child’s annual exam with their doctor. If your child is receiving attention from another professional than their personal physician, you must ensure you get a copy to share with your child’s doctor.
When to Schedule Sports Physicals for Your Child?
There are no hard and fast rules on when your child must undergo a preparticipation physical. However, the best time to begin is at least six to eight weeks before the start of the sports season. The earlier you start, the better because it allows your child the time if required to treat any issues identified, recover from the problem, return for re-evaluation and improve condition before starting their annual sports season. You don’t have to wait until the last minute rush seeking urgent care for sports physical because you didn’t find time earlier or thought it wasn’t too late. Getting sports physicals at the right time helps prevent future injuries because it allows your child to remain in prime condition.
Furthermore, if you schedule the sports physical too late and the urgent care near me detects a problem, your child may not be cleared to participate and may have to sit out for part of the season.
What happens during sports physicals?
Sports physicals consist of two elements — medical chronology and bodily exam. Your child’s medical history helps identify 90 percent of your child’s medical issues and 70 percent musculoskeletal problems. As a parent or guardian, you must be present to provide your child’s details if they are younger than 18 years.
The healthcare provider evaluates your child’s medical history considering all factors including immunization, nutrition, history of fractures, heart health, medication, and supplement history and inquiring into the use of drugs, alcohol, Tobacco, performance-enhancing drugs, and mental health.
During the physical exam, the healthcare provider evaluates your child’s lungs, blood pressure, height and weight, bones and muscles, abdomen, et cetera.
Approximately 10 percent of children need further investigation after sports physicals before they are cleared to play. However, one or two percent of children are disqualified from participation because they do not clear the sports physicals.
If problems are discovered in your child, additional tests and exams are recommended. Your healthcare provider will work with your child to develop a treatment plan to get your child ready to participate at the beginning of the sports season.
If you are concerned about your child’s physical health, schedule an appointment with Sunrise Urgent Care Center to get a sports physical completed right away without waiting for too long.