What to Expect from Your Schools Physicals?

A school physical is about making sure that your child is healthy and ready to be in an environment with many other people. The primary care doctor will want to know about your child’s medical history, so they will have many questions. Knowing the medical history allows the doctor to see if your child is progressing normally. Knowing the medical history can also show if any patterns in the family history would indicate the possibility of chronic illness. Knowing the medical history also allows for more accurate and quicker diagnoses in times of emergencies.

Your child’s physicals may include lab tests. These aren’t always required but some schools want these done. Your doctor can also recommend lab tests if there are signs of unusual symptoms or preexisting conditions. The tests are done to diagnose chronic diseases and illnesses so that they can be more easily managed. Lab tests may include:

• Comprehensive metabolic or chemistry screening (these can indicate if there are problems with the immune system, kidneys, liver, blood plasma, and blood chemistry)
• Complete blood count
• Diabetes screening
• Thyroid screening

The physical examination of your child will be a comprehensive check. This will include the basics, like height and weight, pulse, and blood pressure. There will be a check of the lungs, abdomen, and heart. The function of the eyes, ears, nose, throat, mouth, teeth, and skin will be checked. In all, a pretty thorough check to see that your child is healthy.

You should be aware the immunizations will be checked and if some are needed, they will be recommended. Some diseases can be quite deadly and are now preventable through immunization. Your child can receive any necessary vaccinations that are required by the school. There are diseases that have been eradicated with vaccines, other vaccines have the ability to reduce the severity of diseases. Research shows that children who aren’t vaccinated are at greater risk of becoming sick.

The benefit of a school physical is that it can be a time to check and see how your child is progressing. It gives you that opportunity to make sure that they are healthy. It can also be a time to identify problems at an early stage. Health issues that are identified early are more easily treated and sometimes even prevented.

This is also a time when you can seek advice or guidance on your medical questions. The doctor can talk with you about nutrition, physical fitness, safety issues, and disease prevention. You can also talk with your doctor about other issues that your child may be having at school and get advice or a referral that can help you address those.

Internal Medicine and Family Practice in Joliet, IL offers school and sports physical examinations. If you want to book an appointment, you can use our online request system or give us a call. For more information, book an appointment online or call us. We are located at 1719 Glenwood Ave Joliet, IL 60435. We serve patients from Joliet IL, Manhattan IL, Channahon IL, Bolingbrook IL, Naperville IL, Lockport IL, Romeoville IL and Plainfield IL.