When Should You Get a Physical Exam?
The answer to this question is exceptionally short and sweet: everyone should get a physical examination, every year (if possible). If this sounds a little excessive to you, take a closer look. Let’s compare the human body to a machine. When trying to ensure the best maintenance for mechanical items, or if you are consulting the owner’s manual, you often get:
- Your car checked every few months for an oil change and tire rotations
- Your phone replaced every so often to keep up with updates or trends
- Your computer or phone software updated when prompted
- Or something similar with other devices
Now for the real question: are you checking or updating your personal machine? That should hit a little closer to home, especially when home is where the heart is – literally. Replacing parts for the human machine is much more expensive and painful.
Setting up an exam with your direct primary care physician will allow them to catch anything unusual and prevent those issues from getting out of hand. Plus, physical exams help you understand how you are growing, well, physically. We recommend getting a yearly physical exam to ensure you are healthy and have a current record of how you are developing.
What Is a Physical Examination?
A physical exam is an actual record or snapshot of your physical condition that is kept on file for future reference. Depending on the purpose of the examination, it will have varying measurements that indicate your overall health. Apart from the baseline measurements, such as height, weight, temperature, pulse, and blood pressure – commonly referred to as ‘vitals’ or ‘vital signs’ – a more in-depth examination may include:
- Checking reflexes with a rubber hammer
- Blood work to look for infection among other things
- Listening to the patient’s breathing
- Checking for hernias
- Checking for a specific allergy or antigen (if you are traveling to select countries)
Some of these points and other tests require the doctor to palpate, or touch, specific points on the patient to gauge if the muscle, bone, or tissue is functioning correctly. This record can be used by family doctors, direct primary caregivers, and other health specialists as a baseline in case any accident happens. This way, they can monitor your growth, healing, and advise you on living a healthier lifestyle.
Who Gives These Examinations?
All physical examinations should be overseen by a fully qualified and certified individual. Going to your doctor’s office, where your family practice doctor will perform the physical, is common. Other institutions, such as schools or labor-intensive employment companies, will generally have a certified individual, such as an athletic trainer, give the exam to clear individuals for athletic or physically demanding activities or treat them in the event of an accident. All of these records will be kept private and used as a reference if needed.
Importance of Physicals
Ensuring that you do not have any prominent conditions is the most important reason for a physical examination. If there is something, your direct primary care physician can catch any developments early. For youth, middle schools will often work with a nearby hospital to screen students to catch the early stages of scoliosis, a serious condition where the spine is curved and generally easy to correct if caught early.
For school athletics, files on student-athletes allow the school to determine if a student is sufficiently strong enough to compete in sporting activities and, if needed, they will use this exam to accurately assess how severe an injury is.
After schooling, it is best to have a family doctor start or update your profile. Other organizations may require a physical exam before an event, summer camp, a trip, etc. Continuing to set up appointments ensures your doctor will have a much better understanding of how to care for you. Physicals also give doctors information that helps them in advising patients on what steps to take for improved health.
Elevated Health at Your Call
Knowing how important your health is, our team at Elevated Health in Huntington Beach, California offers a free annual exam with a membership. If you are interested, you can find more information about our physical exams, here. After years of giving exceptional direct primary care and serving patients all over the country, we’re dedicated to giving the best help possible.
