- posted: Jun. 19, 2024
If you have a little athlete on your hands, you'd probably do anything to support their efforts, such as attending every game. One key component of cheering them on, though, is getting them sports physicals at Southwest Children's Clinic, serving West Jordan, UT, and the nearby region. Let's discuss what these consist of and why they're necessary.
Why Get Sports Physicals
Unfortunately, not every child is healthy enough to play the sports they desire. If they were to play them, they could experience a number of unpleasant problems and even some more extreme ones.
By evaluating your child at our West Jordan, UT, practice, we can detect problems that you might not have been aware of that could interfere with them playing sports, such as a heart defect.
How Often Are They Necessary?
You'll need to have your child undergo a sports physical for school every year they're playing a sport. You can find the necessary paperwork through the school, or we have physical forms we can fill out. You'll then need to return them to the school, so they can keep evidence of the physical on record.
Keep in mind that if your child plays for sports leagues outside of school, there may be different requirements.
What Sports Physicals Consist Of
Sports physicals vary somewhat from a standard school physical. They will include both a physical examination for the purpose of evaluating a child’s readiness for a particular activity and a questionnaire about personal and family medical history.
During a sports physical, a doctor will listen to your child's heart and lungs. We'll also take your child's vital signs to assess their heart rate and blood pressure.
We'll also want to take your child's weight and height and test their vision and hearing.
Giving Advice or Treatment
Some kids can play a sport safely by understanding the proper precautions to take. In some cases, the child will need to get a condition under control before they can play sports. For instance, let's say your kid has asthma. We can prescribe a rescue inhaler for them to use when they have breathing difficulties induced by exercise. However, since working out accommodations may take time, it’s a good idea to get a sports physical done several weeks before the season starts.
The pediatricians at Southwest Children's Clinic, serving West Jordan, UT, and the general vicinity, are available to provide sports physicals to ensure your child is healthy enough to play a sport. You'll also have the necessary documentation for the school or organization, so your kid is able to play.
