Physicals

With no appointment needed, sports physicals at Hope Health & Wellness couldn’t be easier. Whether your child is getting ready for sports, school, or camp, a physical is the first step in making sure they’re healthy and ready for any activity

What a Sports Physical Includes

Physicians will check your athlete’s vital signs, Musculoskeletal joints, and flexibility. They’ll also check your athlete’s vision and do a short fitness assessment to diagnose and recommend any possible limitations on physical activity.

It’s not necessary for you to bring a vaccination record with you to receive a physical at Hope Health and Wellness.

• Vitals check: We’ll check your child’s pulse and blood pressure to ensure proper vitals. We’ll also document his or her weight and height, since growth spurts and weight changes can place added stress on joints, muscles, and bones.

• Eye exam: An eye exam checks for proper vision and evaluates whether your child needs prescription lenses or if his or her current prescription needs to be adjusted.

• Fitness assessment: Next we’ll examine your child’s heart, lungs, abdomen, ears, nose, and throat. We’ll check his or her cardiovascular system and recommending any limitations on physical activity.

• Joints and flexibility check: By testing your child’s strength, flexibility, posture, and joints, we can identify any areas that may be prone to injury as well as suggest potential exercises and tips to help build a healthier body.

• Medical history review: A medical history is just as important as a medical examination. Knowing about any past illnesses, surgeries, or conditions, such as asthma or chest pains, will help diagnose problems and prevent complications in the future.

Hope Health and Wellness can handle your school physical needs. We accept walk-in physicals. Our highly trained staff can complete your child’s exam and any forms you need for the coming school year. We can also administer many of the vaccines and required immunizations.

For children heading back to school, a proper check up is important to evaluate any issues your growing child may be dealing with. For example, a back to school physical can touch on whether a child’s vision is developing properly and address any other physical development issues that are important to a growing child.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Back to school physical exams will vary based on the child’s age, but typically the provider will:

• Record your child’s height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, and BMI
• Check your child’s heart, lungs, lymph nodes, abdomen, skin, eyes, ears, nose, and throat
• Evaluate your child’s vision, joints, muscles, and spine
• Discuss the medical history of your child and your family

WHAT TO BRING

You should bring your child’s immunization records and a list of any medications your child takes, including prescription medications and over-the-counter medicines.

More and more companies are now requiring pre-employment exams from potential employees. Some of these exams have to do with the nature of the job. For example, workers might be examined to confirm they are physically fit and can perform jobs that are physically demanding.

These exams not only protect the employee from work injuries, but also protect the company against work-related lawsuits for injuries that could have been prevented had the employee been in good physical condition in the first place.

Pre-employment physical exams can only be legally requested after a job has been offered. This ensures that no discrimination issues will arise.

Basic Checkup

Pre-employment physical exams at our office starts with a measurement of your vital signs.

To start, a nurse will record your weight, blood pressure, pulse and temperature.

You will then answer a number of questions regarding any medications or supplements you might be taking. Some drugs and nutritional supplements can cause drowsiness, nausea and other potentially dangerous side effects. If you’re going to be operating machinery or performing a dangerous job, not being completely awake and aware can be a job hazard.

If you are hired for a high-stress job, the company might also want to know how you handle pressure. For this, your provider might ask questions regarding depression symptoms, changes in mood and behavior, and how you deal with stress. People who turn to smoking or other habits to mitigate stress might not be a good fit for certain jobs, so your provider will look into this as well.

Alcohol and Drug Tests

Alcohol and drug tests have become standard in many companies, and you might be asked to undergo one in order to get a job. Drug/alcohol tests are especially important in high-risk jobs, where employees are handling dangerous or heavy equipment and being intoxicated can result not only in personal harm but also in harm to others and to property.

Alcohol and drug tests can be performed in a number of ways. Breathalyzers, blood tests, urine tests, hair testing and even mouth swaps are all options. The chosen method depends on what the employer is looking for and how fast the results are needed.

Physical Examination

The doctor will check your reflexes, range of motion (and joint health), heart health and respiratory function, hearing issues and pupil dilation. All of these basic checks can help give your provider a more accurate picture of your health status.

The provider will also note any discomfort, pain or swelling you might be experiencing and ask you questions to see if you know what caused it and when it started.

When submitting to a pre-employment exam, keep in mind that the tests performed might change based on:

• Your sex
• Your age
• Any previous conditions or accidents/injuries you report during the interview
• Current health conditions or illnesses you’re dealing with

The Results

Once the examination has been completed, the provider will issue a report showing your current health status. He might add recommendations for vaccinations, further blood tests or prescriptions, although this is not always required.

Our primary goal is to comply with your employer’s request so you can start your job as soon as possible. However, we also want to make sure you are aware of any medical conditions or issues you might be dealing with, so you stay safe and work on getting back to optimal health.