School is already in session, which means it's time for school and sports physicals. If your son or daughter is excited to play for their school’s team then it’s important that you schedule your child’s next physical with Carolina Kids Pediatrics, your Raleigh pediatrician.

Some good rules of thumb from the American Academy of Pediatrics as you think about sports this season:

• Get fit and learn a new skill: Encourage your children to participate in activities that promote physical fitness as well as learning sports skills. The activities should be fun and right for their ages.
• Focus on fun: Choose sports programs that focus on personal involvement, variety, success, and fun rather than competition, strict rules, and winning. It may help them stay interested and want to keep playing.
• Check out the rules: Equipment and rules should be right for their ages. If not, they should be modified.
• Make sure safety is a priority: Appropriate setting, equipment, protective gear, program design, and rules of play are important.
• Keep differences in mind: Prior to puberty, there are very few differences between boys and girls in endurance, strength, height, or body mass, and they can compete together on an equal basis. During puberty, to make sure athletes are well matched in contact sports, consideration should be given to body size and physical maturity as well as chronological age.
• Proceed with caution: Early specialization in a single sport, intensive training, and year-round training should be undertaken with caution because of the risk of overuse injury, mental stress, and burnout. Playing only one sport may also prevent a child from developing a variety of motor skills that they would learn from participating in several different sports.
• Wait until your children are ready: Children should not play competitive win/lose sports until they understand that their self-worth is not based on the outcome of the game.
• Find a good sports program: Get feedback from other children and parents who are in the programs. Try to check out programs before you join them. A sign of a good program is children having fun.

What is a sports and school physical?

Carolina Kids Pediatrics, your Raleigh pediatrician, will perform this physical examination to evaluate the health and fitness level of your child or teen. These physicals are designed to determine whether your child is healthy enough and physically ready to take on the challenges of their chosen sport. This includes assessing prior injuries your child may have had to ensure that there isn’t a serious risk of reinjury.

What will we do during your child’s sports and school physical?

During the first part of the physical we will sit down and discuss your child’s medical history, paying particular attention to any medical conditions, medications they are taking, past hospitalizations or injuries. 

After we’ve gone through your child’s medical history we will then conduct a thorough physical exam. 

Who should get a school or sports physical?

Many schools and community leagues require annual physical examinations prior to participation. This means that your child should see a Raleigh pediatrician before the beginning of each school year to make sure they are healthy and medically cleared to participate - completing their exam with their primary care physician means we will make sure to complete other age appropriate preventative health care, including hearing and vision screening, blood pressure screening, laboratory screening, immunizations, and addressing long-term health issues including nutrition, school performance, etc.

Don’t put off your child’s school or sports physical. Call Carolina Kids Pediatrics today to schedule your next appointment. Have them start the school year off healthy!