School and Sports Physicals

When your kids participate in sports, you know how excited they are to get started. To ensure their safety, schools often require a sports physical, also called a pre-participation exam (PPE), before they can play. There are approximately 30 million student-athletes under 18 in the United States each year, and about three million special needs athletes.

A sports physical aims to:

• Identify the general health and fitness levels of your student-athletes.
• Examine existing illnesses and injuries, including those that may be life-threatening.
• Check for conditions or factors that could hurt or aggravate your athlete.
• Manage chronic medical conditions appropriately.
• Promote sports participation while preventing injuries.

Sports organizations are likely to inform you how to go about getting a sports physical. It could be the school district or the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) league. They may have slightly different recommendations as to what age they start requiring a sports physical. However, you should expect your child to need one by the sixth grade. A physical is usually required around that age for participation in most sports.  However, a sports physical can never hurt. It is perfectly acceptable to ask a doctor to perform one even if that is not required by the league your child is in. If you are uncertain, you should ask your child's coach or doctor for advice. Coaches may suggest it rather than requiring it. 

A sports physical schedule is not clear. There is no consensus on when it should be done. Studies suggest that the sports physical should be completed approximately six weeks before the start of each sports season. As a rule of thumb, an athlete should have enough time to deal with any issues that might arise within six weeks. A sports physical performed too close to the game's first day could cause the athlete to miss the season if there is not enough time for them to improve their conditioning or recover from any injuries. 

Your child should schedule their sports physical now if they are planning to play fall sports such as football or volleyball. In addition, if you would like us to provide a more thorough wellness check at the same time as the sports physical, let us know when you call to schedule their appointment. In addition to this being convenient, your kid is much more likely to catch any issues early, and you will have the peace of mind of knowing that a physician has cleared him or her to participate in sports.