How a school or sports physical from your pediatrician in Baltimore, MD, can protect your child’s health
You want to protect your child from injury or illness. When your child attends school or plays a sport, your child is at increased risk of illness and injury. An important way to protect your child’s health is with a school or sports physical, provided by your pediatrician. Dr. Stacey Eadie at Peds In A Pod Pediatrics in Baltimore, MD, provides comprehensive medical services for children, including school and sports physicals.
When your child has a school physical, you and your child can expect that your pediatrician will:
- Record general information including your child’s height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, and temperature
- Record current medical issues, recent illnesses or injuries, medications, allergies, and any hospitalizations
- Perform a comprehensive physical examination including extremities, eyes, ears, nose, throat and ears
- Perform a vision and hearing screening
- Your pediatrician may also order laboratory testing and/or imaging studies if necessary
When your child has a sports physical, you and your child can expect that your pediatrician will perform all the steps listed above, and check your child’s:
- Muscle strength
- Breathing
- Flexibility
- Balance
- Reflexes
Another important part of a school or sports physical is to make sure your child is current on immunizations, which are required for your child to attend daycare or school. These are the current required immunizations from birth to age 18, according to the Centers for Disease Control or CDC:
- Hepatitis B
- Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis
- Haemophilus influenza type B
- Polio
- Pneumococcal conjugate
- Rotavirus
- Measles, mumps, rubella
- Chickenpox
- Hepatitis A
- Human papillomavirus
- Meningococcal conjugate
- Flu
- COVID
A school or sports physical provides the perfect opportunity for you to ask questions or voice concerns about the health of your child. To learn more about the importance of school and sports physicals and what to expect, call Dr. Stacey Eadie at Peds In A Pod Pediatrics in Baltimore, MD. You can reach her in the office by calling (410) 285-KIDS 5437, so call now.