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Catch Rays, Not Cancers: Your Ultimate Guide to Winning at Sun Safety May is officially Skin Cancer Awareness Month, which
On the surface, it’s easy to assume sports physicals and annual physicals are the same thing. They both assess your physicality and health, but these are two very different appointments that serve different purposes and are not interchangeable.
A sports physical is an evaluation that is usually mandated by schools, sports leagues or other athletic groups. The intention behind these physicals is to clear you for athletic participation.
During a sports physical, a provider will focus on a few key areas.
Sports physicals are generally limited in scope, focused on a structured evaluation of health status and clearance for sports participation. These physicals are NOT replacements for your annual physical because they likely won’t address long-term health history, preventive screenings and broader health concerns. Sports physicals are narrow in their focus with the sole purpose of clearing you for sports-related activities.
To prepare for a sports physical, be sure to bring any relevant paperwork from your sports team or school, have a list of any previous sports-related injuries and have your medications list updated and ready to discuss with your provider.
An annual physical, on the other hand, is a yearly evaluation of your overall health and wellness. It’s considered a preventive visit, and it’s one with a broader scope of evaluations and assessments. Your provider may order labs before or during your appointment to further evaluate and measure your health over time. Additionally, they’ll gather your vital signs and discuss any chronic conditions, concerns and preventive care recommendations (e.g. vaccines, lifestyle counseling).
These regular visits are typically covered by insurance providers because they help establish long-term health and wellness baselines. As you continue to be seen each year, these visits build upon each other to paint a clearer picture of your health history. Trends and changes become more apparent as you continue to have annual conversations with your provider.
or some patient populations, there is a chance you’ll need both types of physicals in a given year – this will be especially common for student-athletes and adults who play in official recreational leagues. But the key takeaway is that while both physicals review your health, the sports physical is narrower in scope and is more intended for athletes that need to be officially cleared to play, and the annual physical helps keep you healthy long-term.
As you prepare to make any upcoming physical appointments, we encourage you to double check your goals so you make the correct physical appointment with our team of providers.
This post was written by Town Center Family Medicine physician Trent Hope, MD.
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