Calling All Athletes

/

It’s that time of year again. Time to get your sports physical so your child can participate in school sports. Sports physicals are required even before the first day of practice. They are a screening measure to ensure that your child does not have any medical conditions or problems that would prevent them from safely playing sports. Ruling out any concerns for heart problems or heart conditions is the biggest safety measure for sports physicals. In our office, established patients may schedule appointments to have their sports physical forms signed and completed. We can complete the form without a sports physical appointment if your child has had a well-child visit within the last year. Our office typically gets very busy in August with sports physicals, so it is a good idea to go ahead and get your sports physical scheduled. Waiting until the last minute may cause your child to miss days of schedule practices.


What is the difference between a sports physical and a well-child visit? A sports physical is a brief appointment to do a physical to complete the UIL pre-participation form or other pre-participation forms required by schools, camps or other programs. Please complete page one prior to your child’s visit. The first page covers important information for the provider regarding your child’s health history. We do not address your child’s growth, development, or administer vaccines during a sports physical. However, if you do have any concerns regarding your child’s growth, development, or require vaccines, then a well-child visit would be more appropriate. Remember if your child is going into 7th grade, there are required vaccinations. Well-child visits are more in depth and more comprehensive for your child’s needs. Well-child visits are usually covered by your insurance, while sports physicals are a flat $30 rate. As your child’s healthcare provider, our goal is to ensure the safety of all our patients as they participate in sports during the school year.