What to expect from a sports physical

Why do you need a sports physical?

Sports physicals are required by most school sports teams to ensure the safety of all players. Also called the pre-participation physical examination, or PPE, it is required before every year or season. Your local primary care clinic offers sports and many other kinds of physicals to residents in Germantown, MD, Montgomery County, and beyond.

Health history

The first step of the sports physical is to review your health history. This includes serious illnesses that run in your family, as they could be genetic, such as asthma, diabetes, or epilepsy. It also includes any prior serious ailments, injuries, or hospitalizations, especially breaks, fractures, sprains, concussions, surgeries, or times you have felt excessively dizzy, hard of breathing, fainted, or had chest pain. You will also be asked about your nutrition, sleep habits, sexual activities, any history of violence or abuse, and use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.

Physical exam

The next part of the sports physicals are the bodily exam. During this section, your doctor will measure your height, weight, and blood pressure, and examine your eyes, ears, throat, mouth, joints, reflexes, lungs, abdomen, thyroid glands, skin, strength, and posture. Females who have begun menstruation may be asked about it.

Germantown Primary Care

Germantown Primary Care has seen thousands of people over the past 20 years from Hyattstown, Germantown, Gaithersburg, and Montgomery Counties. Dr. Manbir Takhar has served as the clinic’s Chief Medical Officer since 2012. Germantown Primary Care offers an array of physicals beyond the sports physical, including pre-college, immigration, annual, and Departmentof Transportation.