What to Expect During Your Sports Physical

Kids and adults alike should undergo a sports physical to make sure they’re ready for the season. In fact, in some schools and organizations, a sports physical is required for participation, including public and private schools in Texas.

That’s why Calvary Urgent Care in Humble, Texas, offers convenient, complete sports physicals. Dr. Joseph Goin and our team strive to help athletes compete at peak performance, and that starts with a preparticipation physical exam (PPE) or sports physical. Here’s what you can expect during your visit.

WHY SPORTS PHYSICALS ARE NECESSARY

Any sport you play poses the risk of injury. Not only football players and wrestlers, but dancers, cheerleaders, and badminton players can all suffer for their sport under the right (or wrong) conditions.

When you come in for a sports physical, we make sure you’re up to the physical activity required to participate. Even if you look and feel healthy, there may be underlying health concerns that can hinder your safety, so we check:

Overall health status
Lung capacity
General physical fitness
Joint health
Posture
Muscle tone and flexibility

We also evaluate any past injuries to make sure they’ve healed properly and completely and whether they’re still at risk for further injury. If so, we can advise you about how to protect it and strengthen it while playing.

Sports physicals are also the best way for your school or organization to protect you from harm and themselves from liability.

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING YOUR SPORTS PHYSICAL

Sports physicals aren’t painful, so there’s no need to be nervous. We start with a friendly conversation about your sport, your level of play, and your goals. We also talk about your medical history, any medications or supplements you’re taking, and any past injuries you’ve had.

During this time, it’s important to tell Dr. Goin if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use recreational drugs, as these things can significantly affect your health and ability to perform athletically.

Our conversation also includes questions about your typical diet, your stress levels, and (if you’re a girl) the regularity of your menstrual cycles.

The physical examination part of your visit includes:

Measuring your height and weight
Checking your blood pressure
Checking your heart rate
Testing your vision
Checking your muscle reflexes

These tests give us a good overall picture of your physical health so we can determine if there are any concerns or if you’re free to participate. They also establish a good baseline we can use to compare future test results if necessary.

During your sports physical, we also make sure your vaccinations are up-to-date, so be sure to bring your immunization records with you.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO TELL YOUR DOCTOR

Even if you get a clean bill of health and the green light to go play, there may be some underlying conditions that put you at risk, even if they seem inconsequential to you now. It won’t necessarily prevent you from playing your sport, but it gives us valuable information to keep on file that may be important later. Tell us about any of the following:

Allergies
Piercings, contacts, dental appliances
Hospitalizations
Chest pain or shortness of breath
Family history of illness or death related to sports activity
Past concussions

Of course, our goal is to prepare you for a safe season, but accidents sometimes happen, and this information enables us to better assess any future injury or illness should it occur.

If you still have questions about what a sports physical entails, call us at 823-680-2273 or schedule an appointment online. If you have no more questions and are ready for your physical, bring in your school’s PPE form and your immunization records anytime you want — no appointment necessary. We’ll have you in and out in no time.