The Importance of School Physicals

How a school physical from your pediatrician in Maricopa, AZ, can protect your child’s health

Before your child attends school, it’s a great time to schedule a school physical. Your child will need one every year before school begins. Your pediatrician can help with a school physical, and a sports physical too, if your child wants to play a sport.

Dr. Anthony DiGeorge at Southwestern Pediatrics & Family Care in Maricopa, AZ, provides a wide range of pediatric and family medicine services, including providing school and sports physicals.

A yearly school physical before your child attends school is a great way to identify and treat health issues like illnesses, infections, and other conditions. By treating them early, your child has time to heal and feel better before school begins.

During your child’s school physical, your pediatrician will:

• Perform a comprehensive physical examination
• Check your child’s respiration, eyes, nose, throat, and ears
• Perform a vision and hearing screening
• Record your child’s height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, and temperature

The school physical is an excellent opportunity to make sure your child has all the required immunizations to attend school.

According to the Centers for Disease Control or CDC, required immunizations from birth to age 18 are:

• Hepatitis B
• Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis
• Haemophilus influenza type B
• Polio
• Pneumococcal conjugate
• Rotavirus
• Measles, mumps, rubella
• Chickenpox
• Hepatitis A
• Human papillomavirus
• Meningococcal conjugate
• Flu

Immunizations are one of the easiest, most effective ways to prevent serious illnesses and diseases and keep your child healthy. Immunizations also protect your child’s friends, other family members, and you.

In addition to yearly school physicals, your child might want to play a sport. If so, a sports physical is required too. This is to protect your child from injury, illness, or serious medical issues.

A sports physical is slightly different from a school physical because a sports physical includes checking your child’s reflexes, strength, and flexibility.

It’s important for you and your child to tell your pediatrician if your child has experienced any harmful symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness, especially during physical activity. These symptoms could indicate the potential for problems when your child plays a sport.

To find out more about the importance of school and sports physicals, talk with an expert. Call Dr. Anthony DiGeorge of Southwestern Pediatrics & Family Care in Maricopa, AZ, at (520) 568-9500. Call today.