Sports Medicine
BALL
:
Why your child needs
a sports physical
E
ven if your state doesn't require a sports
physical before your child can play a team
or individual sport, doctors recommend
taking a close look at your child's family history
and personal health record to clear him or her
for safe play. Adding the more specific components
of a sports physical—which help determine a
child's tolerance for exercise—to a regular well-
child or annual pediatric visit can give both you
and your child added confidence about preventing
injuries out on the field.
Check it out
If your child is playing sports early, even in
elementary school, it's important to know about
any family history of cardiac, pulmonary or
lung problems, and to make sure vitals such as
heart rate and blood pressure are normal, says
Dr. Kathryn Chmura, a pediatrician with North
Colorado Medical Center, Greeley, Colo.
Cardiac issues in particular should be under
scrutiny when your doctor is conducting a physical
with sports play in mind.
"We want to make sure that a child is not
hypertensive and that there are no underlying
murmurs," says Dr. Chmura.
Your physician should also ask if your child
experiences major fatigue while playing—which
could be caused by cardiac or respiratory issues—
and determine whether he or she has difficulty
with breathing, wheezing or tightening of the
chest, what Dr. Chmura refers to as "exercise-
induced bronchospasm."
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By Stephanie Thompson
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