Does My Child Need a Sports Physical Before Fall Sports? What NJ Parents Need to Know
As hard as it is to think about next school year when this one just ended, it’s important to be proactive to make sure your child is ready to lace up their cleats next fall. In addition to making sure their gear fits (and replacing things when they outgrow everything yet again), scheduling their preparticipation physical exam is an important part of preparing for the fall. But why is a sports physical necessary? Read on for a few of the reasons that sports physicals are necessary.
Medical History
Our providers will review your child’s medical history to see if any prior medical issues might cause problems while playing sports. Children with underlying medical problems may need to take certain precautions while exercising. This includes children with asthma, diabetes, sickle cell trait, certain heart diseases, and others. We can help develop an individualized plan for your child to keep them at their best while playing.
We’ll also want to review if any new issues have developed since our last visit, as well as any changes to your family’s medical history.
Cardiac Health
One of the most important parts of the sports physical is making sure your child’s heart is healthy and ready for exercise. Although very rare, healthy teens can have cardiac issues, such as enlargement of the heart or abnormalities with the electrical rhythm of the heart that can become dangerous during exercise. Sometimes these conditions cause symptoms like dizziness, chest pain, fainting, or a fast heart beat, so our providers will ask questions to try to identify any problems before they occur. As some of these heart problems can run in the family, we’ll also ask about any family members who have had heart problems at a young age. Finally, your doctor will check your child’s blood pressure and listen for heart murmurs or unusual rhythms.
Monitoring Growth
The sports physical is a great opportunity for our doctors to make sure your child is growing and gaining weight normally. If your child is very active, it’s important that they eat enough to give their body the fuel they need to grow as well as to perform at their peak. This can be especially important for sports like wrestling, gymnastics, distance running, and dance that can put pressure on athletes to be a certain size or to look a specific way, which increases their risk for Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (REDs).
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (REDs)
REDs occurs when students exert more calories than they eat. This can lead to weakness, fatigue, decreased immunity, low bone density (which can lead to fractures), as well as mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. Girls with REDs may also have problems with missed periods or an irregular cycle.
The preparticipation examination gives our physicians and nurse practitioners the opportunity to review your child’s eating habits, training regimen, growth, and weight gain, so we can intervene before they show signs of inadequate nutrition.
Injuries
The preparticipation visit is your time to let us know about any muscle or joint pains, as well as any previous injuries to make sure your teen is ready for action this fall. If your child is having persistent pain while playing or had a previous injury that hasn’t fully healed, now is the time to let us know. Managing these symptoms early can help prevent a more serious injury.
School Forms
One of the most basic reasons that teens need their sports physical is that the school won’t let them play without one. Make sure to download the form from your school’s website or have your teen stop at the nurse’s office to get a copy. Before coming to the office, make sure to fill out the first page of your school’s sports physical form, because our pediatricians and pediatric nurse practitioners review your answers to make sure we’re aware of any changes to your child’s medical history or to their family medical history that might have occurred since their last visit and that might predict a health risk for your child.
Our website has information on many pediatric sports health resources. Take a look or give us a call if you have any questions about your child’s health.
Most schools require students to have a physical every year in order to play sports. Our summer schedule can get full quickly, so call our office in Haddon Heights or Mullica Hill or schedule a sports physical online.
Have a great summer!
