With the school year fast approaching, it’s time to schedule a sports physical for your student athlete, whether they’re competing at school or in organized activities after hours. Sports participation is a great way for them to stay active and involved with their peers, all while learning valuable life lessons about sportsmanship and teamwork.
The sports physical specialists at Dr 2 Kids, Smita Tandon MD in Fountain Valley, California, are ramping up for the back-to-school season. It’s also prime time for us and an excellent opportunity to combine your young athlete’s sports physical with an annual well visit to monitor their overall health and developmental progress.
Sports physicals may be essential for your child’s participation, depending on school or sports organization requirements, to promote a culture of safety and wellness in their sport. The excitement of the game can sometimes overwhelm the focus on safe play, so sports physicals encourage a “from the ground up” attitude toward athlete wellness.
A sports physical helps to determine your child’s fitness for their chosen sport, identifying potential issues that could interfere with their ability to participate safely, without undue risk of injury. We can spot developing health conditions, including asthma, heart irregularities, or joint issues that might not be discovered in a general routine exam.
Your child’s exam also gives us a chance to answer questions about their body and how it’s affected by activity, along with the need for nutrition, rest, and training. We try to help the student athlete gain a wider perspective on the scope of playing sports, beyond simply the fun.
At the sports physical appointment itself, we’ll review your child’s medical history. If they’re already our patients, we focus on the time since their last visit.
Like other types of physical exams, we’ll record their health statistics, including weight and height as well as things like heart rate and blood pressure. We’ll assess heart and lung function using a stethoscope, and check the overall condition of their musculoskeletal system.
Basic neurological testing assesses coordination and reflexes, and we’ll also perform simple vision and hearing evaluations to rule out major problems. If there are specific requirements for sports physicals given by the school or sports organization, please provide these at your child’s appointment so we can include them in our exam.
Most student athletes have no trouble passing their sports physical. When issues arise, they will typically include further tests to confirm or rule out problems. There are only rare occasions when a medical condition may prevent sports participation, things like a history of concussions that rule out contact sports.
Contact Dr 2 Kids, Smita Tandon MD to schedule your student athlete’s sports physical now. Let us know if you wish to include an annual well visit so we can allot the necessary time to do both. Call or click to book your visit today.
