Ask a Lakes Urgent Care Doctor

Regardless of whether he plays sports or not, your son should have a complete physical exam once a year with his pediatrician or primary care physician. The sport or camp physical should never be used as a substitute for this more thorough annual evaluation. The focus of each of these types of physicals is very different.

The sports physical is really an adjunct to the annual complete physical, with more specific questions about your son’s physical ability to play sports safely. Most health insurance plans to don’t cover services for this type of evaluation, but you can get this completed at a certified urgent care at a very reasonable cost. Simply download and bring your school’s athletic exam form to either your primary care physician or a certified urgent care facility. Lakes Urgent Care takes care of sports physicals easily and quickly if you need us after hours to accommodate your family’s busy schedule.

The pre-participation physical (often referred to as the sports physical or camp physical) is meant to identify a number of potential early warning signs that an athlete may have a more significant underlying health concern. We screen for visual problems, kidney function and diabetes in addition to cardiovascular and pulmonary symptoms. The key components to this process are providing the physician with honest responses to a series of questions meant to screen for potential heart ailments, including chest pain or discomfort with exertion, fainting spells, excessive fatigue or shortness of breath with activity. The second component is the physical exam, which specifically looks at blood pressure, heart rate and assessment for heart murmurs or abnormal breath sounds. If the history or physical exam reveals any potential heart or lung issues, then additional testing is recommended. Additional testing may be required If there are other signs and symptoms suggesting a possible problezm such as diabetes or kidney disease.

If additional testing is indicated, the clearance for participation may be delayed. Typically, additional tests for heart and lung symptoms may include a chest x-ray, EKG and possibly an echocardiogram (ultrasound exam of the heart), which is an excellent way to screen the heart for structural problems, without using any radiation. Starting September 24th, Lakes Urgent Care will offer echocardiograms for any patient where it may be indicated or in the event a parent wants their athlete screened because of a family history of heart problems such as cardiomyopathy (abnormal enlargement of the heart chambers). The echocardiogram may also be recommended if your student has abnormal blood pressure, any warning signs or symptoms or an abnormal EKG.

Under most circumstances, if your son or daughter just recently had a complete annual physical, your primary care physician will be happy to complete the required sports physical paperwork for you. However, if it’s after hours or you haven’t had that annual physical yet (which we always strongly recommend be done with your primary care physician or pediatrician), but need to turn in the paperwork, you can feel confident that Lakes Urgent Care will give your son or daughter a complete sports physical including additional testing if indicated. We always offer to share any evaluation or testing recommended or completed at Lakes Urgent Care with your primary care physician.

The pre-participation physical is NOT a substitute for your child’s annual complete physical with his or her pediatrician or primary care physician. The focus of this annual visit is much different and should never be ignored or avoided in your child’s best interest. Vaccination status, psychosocial history exploration, in addition to a much deeper history and physical exam are critical in maintaining excellent health in our children and keeping them safe.

A sports, camp, or pre-participation physical is an abbreviated physical exam which essentially looks for any health issues that may preclude a young athlete from safely participating in the sport or activity of interest. When done properly, the history portion is completed by the parent and then reviewed with the health care provider to determine potential risks.

Family history is an important component to a sports physical.

The physical portion of the exam focuses on the patient’s vision, heart, lung and musculoskeletal system. If the doctor finds any sign of a potential problem, he or she should require a more in depth evaluation or testing with the patient’s regular pediatrician or primary care physician. At Lakes Urgent Care we also routinely complete vision testing along with urine testing as a part of the pre-participation physical.  If there appears to be no reasons for exclusion, the appropriate forms are completed for submission.

Regardless of whether he plays sports or not, your son should have a complete physical exam once a year with his pediatrician or primary care physician. The sport or camp physical should never be used as a substitute for this more thorough annual evaluation. The focus of each of these types of physicals is very different.

The sports physical is really an adjunct to the annual complete physical, with more specific questions about your son’s physical ability to play sports safely. Most health insurance plans to don’t cover services for this type of evaluation, but you can get this completed at a certified urgent care at a very reasonable cost. Simply download and bring your school’s athletic exam form to either your primary care physician or a certified urgent care facility. Lakes Urgent Care takes care of sports physicals easily and quickly if you need us after hours to accommodate your family’s busy schedule.