Pediatrics in Gaithersburg Explain the Importance of Sports Physicals

Getting involved in sports has many benefits for children. It helps build their stamina and immunity, improves their cognitive skill, teaches them teamwork, boosts their confidence, and keeps them healthy and happy. Sports has a positive impact on a child’s life. However, while getting involved in sports, it is important that your child reduce his/her risk of injury. For this reason, many schools ask children to undergo a sports physical to ensure that the child is fit enough to participate. Getting such an examination done is even more important when your child is involved in sports activities yearlong or needs to participate in a competition of a higher level. Sports physicals can be conducted by your pediatric in Gaithersburg, MD.

A routine sports physical

The basic idea of a sports physical is to determine whether your whether your child is healthy and fit to participate in sports. Typically, the following aspects of your child’s health are monitored during such an examination – height and weight, blood pressure, abdomen, lungs and breathing, heartbeat and pulse, reflex, and the functioning of eyes, ears, nose, and throat. In addition to these, the doctor may also inquire about your child’s dietary habits, daily physical activity, allergies, current medication, past injuries or health concerns, other symptoms like nausea, dizziness, breathing difficulty, and so on.

During a sports physical, the doctor would also advise you on how you can protect your child from sports injuries or minimize their risk.

Why pediatric sports physicals are better

While many sports clinics offer sports physicals, it is a better idea to get the same done by your pediatric in Gaithersburg. Here are some reasons why.

• Some children find physical examinations intimidating, especially shy ones. A pediatric is someone your child knows for a long time and trusts as well. He/she would be more comfortable in asking questions or discussing questions with someone they know versus a new provider at a sports clinic. This is especially important because hiding details about pain or injury can do your child worse.
• A sports clinic and doctor maybe specialized in sports injuries but your pediatric has a better knowledge of your child’s health background, his/her history of sports injuries and other illness, growth and developmental milestones, diet and health patterns, as well as health issues that may pose a problem if your child gets involved in sports.
• Health and safety are the biggest priority when your child participates in sports and your pediatrics is someone who has the same things on mind. By undergoing a sports physical at the pediatrics’ your child can learn to do what they love in a safe and responsible manner.

Getting a sports physical done as part of your child’s annual well care visit to his/her pediatric in Gaithersburg is a good idea as it would be more comprehensive than rushed clinic visits. Also, well-child examinations are covered by insurance and getting a sports physical done simultaneously means you wouldn’t incur additional costs.

White Oak Pediatrics is a pediatric clinic based in Silver Spring and Gaithersburg, MD whose team of board certified pediatricians and nurse practitioners treat infants, toddlers, teens and adolescents. To learn more, visit WhiteOakPediatrics/Meet-Our-Providers.