Read what to expect at a sports physical exam with your primary care doctor in Los Gatos Doc

Are you into active sports? Or are your kids juggling between summer camp and sports right now?

Ideally, you should get a sports physicals done before you begin any sports activity. A sports physical examination will reveal if it is safe for you to start a particular activity or sports. There’s no such thing as being too cautious when it comes to your health.

The State of California requires a sports physical before your children can enroll for any physical activity.

Sports physicals is not your routine checkups or regular medical care. Here are the reasons why sports physicals are different from routine checkups.

Importance of Sports Physicals

Sports Physicals are required to:

• Know the state of your general health
• Assess your physical stamina
• Measure your fitness levels
• Discover if you have any injuries
• Check the impact of any congenital conditions that you may have which could put you at risk for sports-related injuries.

Depending on the results of your sports physical examination, your primary care physician can advice you on how to prevent and manage any sports-related injury. Your doctor can give you the green signal if you can go ahead and play a particular sport based on your health condition. If you have a medical issue, the doctor can give you suggestions on how to play safely with your condition. If need be, they can prescribe you treatment to manage the condition effectively and play sports. For example, if you have (COPD), you may need an effective treatment to better control it while playing your preferred sport.

What to expect during a Sports Physical?

Your primary care physician in Los Gatos will typically discuss about your medical history before the sports physical exam.

He/she will want to know everything about your health, your medical problems, any medications that you were on in the past as well as in the current, your family’s medical history, and more.

Your sports physical may be similar in some ways to your annual medical check-up but also different as well. It will have many tests which pertain to the sport-related activities. You will most likely be tested to know the health of your heart, lungs, joints and bones.

Other details sought for in your sports physicals could be:

• Your height and weight
• Your pulse and blood pressure
• Your vision
• Condition of your lungs, heart, lungs, stomach, ears, nose, and throat
• Your joints, bone strength, flexibility, and posture

Additionally, your primary care doctor could also ask you about your:

• Diet
• Drug and/or alcohol addiction if any
• Immunization History
• Allergies
• Menstrual health and hygiene if you are female
• Hospitalizations or surgeries if any in the past
• Extreme weight gain or loss if any
• Any sport-related injuries, including death in your or your family’s past if any

Book your appointment for same-day sports physicals at Los Gatos Doc, the best Urgent Care in Los Gatos CA.