If it is your first time partaking in a sports activity, you may wonder why your coach has requested you to do a sports physical. Sports physicals are essential for any sportsmen or pro athletes to ensure that their fitness is not questionable during the activity. Moreover, the exams foster healthy competition. If sports physicals are getting in your way, physical exams Greensboro specialists will offer on-time reports about your health to ensure your participation. Below are some of the things to expect during a sports physical exam.
- Medical History Evaluation
Also known as pre-participation physical exams, sports physicals are an important part of registration to warrant your sports participation. Whether it is baseball, soccer, or tennis, you will often be required to commit to preparticipation examinations. For starters, you are presented with forms, which you must complete. This enables your physician to review your overall medical history. The form may contain questions about medical conditions that run in the family, records of previous injuries, medications you might be on, past surgeries, and hospitalization details.
- Physical Examination
Your current weight, height, and blood pressure are recorded during the examination. Your vision is also tested, ears, throat, lungs, heart, and abdomen. Your posture and your degree of flexibility are also taken into account. For male athletes, intimate checks on their genitals may be done to look for signs of tumors or hernia. If your doctor notices something that is off during the checks, he might order more checks, such as blood work and X-rays.
- EKG Exams
EKG is an abbreviation for electrocardiogram. It includes simple, noninvasive tests of your heart to measure its electrical activity. Your physician will be able to diagnose heart issues like heart failure, arrhythmia, blocked arteries, and cardiomyopathies.
- Injury Prevention and Information Gathering
Sports physicals are beneficial and provide avenues for athletes to better understand their bodies. This information helps to know how far you can push your body. Moreover, you can know the risks of partaking in a particular exercise depending on your body’s capabilities. Through the physicals, your physician will recommend exercise and tips to ensure that you indulge in an injury-free competition.
- Neurological and Muscular Functions
Finally, to determine if your body is up for a sporty activity, your doctor performs some neurological and muscular function tests. The tests involve basic reflexes and strength checks. You must showcase good flexibility, spinal alignment, and mobility during the test. How fast you respond to stimuli will determine if you are fit for the sport.
If all the above tests check out okay, your doctor will fill out the paperwork to clear you and deem you fit for the sport. If anything is amiss, additional evaluations may be conducted. You might fuss it up if you realize that you have not been cleared. However, it’s your physician’s job to ensure that you only participate when it is safe for you. Moreover, it is unethical to foul the system since playing when you are not cleared might complicate your health issues.
