Getting your children ready to play school and league sports goes beyond buying the right shoes and equipment. They also need a sports physical.
Sometimes called pre-participation physical examinations (PPEs), sports physicals are like annual checkups but with some added questions and assessments related to playing sports. Required by schools as well as most camps and organizations, they are meant to ensure student-athletes are healthy and can compete safely.
“They go above an evaluation for health and are a way to determine if there are any issues that could impact physical activity,” says Laura Cook, MD, a primary care sports medicine physician with Bon Secours Piedmont Orthopaedics.
In South Carolina, sports physicals are valid from April 1 to June 30 of the following year. Even though the current school year is ending, May is a great month to schedule these exams. This will allow plenty of time ahead of summer practices and camps and the next school year, particularly if there’s a need for further tests or specialist visits.
Ahead of the exam, parents must complete a pre-participation history form, accessible online via the South Carolina High School League or the South Carolina Independent School Association.
It asks about any allergies and surgeries, current medicines and supplements, and family history. There also are questions for female student-athletes focused on menstrual cycles and specific questions about heart conditions, seizures, asthma, vision, heat-related illness, and past concussions or orthopedic injuries.
While not meant to exclude kids from competing, the questions are a way to gauge the potential for experiencing illnesses and injuries and whether a chosen sport, such as swimming for those with a seizure history, is best the fit.
The form’s section about weight and eating can help facilitate discussions during the physical exam about “good nutrition,” says Cook, adding that she is seeing a higher rate of student-athletes with dietary disorders.
The second physical form the doctor completes and signs will either give the all-clear for participation, declare a student-athlete medically eligible to play pending specific treatments or restrictions, or limit them to certain sports. The time you and your child spend in the exam “depends on the complexity of any injuries or conditions the doctor discovers,” Cook says.
Cook suggests seeing your child’s pediatrician or family physician for a sports physical. “They know your child’s health history best and can easily follow up on any issues that come up,” she says. Families looking for a pediatrician or primary care provider can visit Bon Secours’ Find a Doctor website at bonsecours.com/find-a-doctor.
Providers at urgent care clinics also can complete sports physicals if needed, Cook says. There are AFC Urgent Care – Bon Secours clinics across the Upstate that offer convenient access and care. To find one near you, visit bonsecours.com/locations/walk-in-urgent-care/greenville.
