Winter sports season is arriving. This means plenty for student-athletes participating in the winter sports program. If you are a parent, you should start getting your child ready for the pre-participation exam or sports physical. This sports physical exam is obligatory for all young winter sports athletes, whether in middle school or the grades above.

Benefits

A sports physical ensures that your child is in perfect shape and condition to compete in winter sports. A comprehensive physical checkup involves stretching, x-rays, and even blood work. A sports physical can potentially prevent a student-athlete from career defying injures. 

Furthermore, it can also provide you with crucial insight into your child’s physical limitations. No matter how hardworking a student-athlete is, they should stay within their physical bounds.

Updated Sports Physical

After a gruesome year of competition, your child is likely to undergo new injuries. Hence, you must update your child’s sports physical so that he does not stress his physical limitations. Furthermore, most competitions require sports physical reports annually. This makes updating your child’s sports physical an important measure.

Where do they Take Place?

There are various places where you can get your child’s sports physical exam. Most people opt to take their children to their primary health care provider for the sports physical exam. This is the most advisable option out of the others. The primary health care provider knows the medical history of your child. Thus, they are likely to make a better diagnosis than others.

However, other options present themselves as mass physical exams in the school. Schools hold physical exams for all the children at one time. This method is a bit invasive to the child’s privacy, and the venue is not ideal. However, these exams are much cheaper, and you do not have to pay expensive fees to the medical professional.

Another option for a physical exam is taking your child to the chiropractor. However, experts tend to advise against taking your child to the chiropractor. This is mainly because the qualifications of the chiropractor do not include the schooling of important lung and heart conditions. So, if your child has a unique and distinctive condition, it is best to take them to their primary physician.

Sports physical exams are somewhat a full body analysis that makes sure that your student-athlete is in perfect condition to compete on a high level. Therefore, do not undermine its importance and visit an urgent care center for a fast and convenient winter physical.