SPORTS PHYSICALS
What Does Getting A Sports Physical Mean?
Sports physicals differ from standard well-child checkups, as their primary purpose is to ensure your child can safely engage in sports without jeopardizing their health. These examinations:
- Confirm your child's readiness for intense physical activities
- Collect information regarding your child's health and development
- Monitor for potential indicators of serious illnesses
- Fulfill the requirements set by your child's school, camp, or sports team
- Identify possible risk factors associated with specific sports
- Provide guidance on injury prevention.
What is a sports physical?
The primary goal of a sports physical is to ensure safe participation in sports. Jumping into high-intensity workouts and competitive sports without proper preparation can exacerbate existing issues or lead to preventable injuries. These exams help identify potential problems early on.
While a sports physical might occasionally uncover issues that restrict participation, it generally informs decision-making. The exam often identifies treatable problems before your child begins a sport and highlights whether extra training is needed to ensure safe participation.
Why is a child’s medical history important?
Children and parents use a medical history form to provide information about:
- Chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, or epilepsy
- Hospitalizations or surgeries
- Past injuries such as concussions, sprains, or fractures
- Problems with dizziness, chest pain, or breathing during exercise
- Medications and supplements
- Allergies
- Family history of serious illnesses
A complete medical history helps your doctor determine if your child has a condition that sports activities might aggravate.
How is a sports physical exam different from an annual checkup?
A sport physical has a different focus than a wellness exam. During this exam, your pediatrician will evaluate your child’s musculoskeletal health, assessing bones, muscles, and joints for flexibility, strength, and signs of overuse injuries or stress.
The doctor will carefully examine concerns that could be aggravated during sports activities, such as previous fractures, sprains, concussions, skin infections, a past history of pain or dizziness, and chronic health conditions. An existing condition doesn’t always prevent a child from playing sports, but it may mean that they need help to accommodate their activity.
If your child has asthma, for example, they may need a different inhaler or need to learn to use their inhaler shortly before they start their warmups to prevent an exercise-induced asthma attack.