What to Expect at Your Child's Wellness Visit and Sports Physical

By Michelle Bailey, M.D. 

Getting ready to go back to school?

Don’t forget to schedule your child’s well visit to make sure all concerns are addressed and all vaccines are up to date. Plus, your pediatrician can sign those sports physical forms at the well visit too.

Not only is a yearly sports physical required by the school district to be cleared for sports, going to your pediatrician for a yearly well checkup is vital to the health of your child. At a wellness visit, we review growth and development, catch up on vaccines, address any concerns from the child or parent, as well as perform a complete physical exam. We also assess vision, hearing and order any labs or imaging deemed necessary.

It is far better to obtain your child’s sports physical from board-certified pediatricians, such as a Cook Children’s physician, who perform a complete well-child checklist. Specific to the sports physical component, we take a heart history of the patient and family and check from head to toe for any joint or muscle issues. This is a great way to evaluate the health of your young athlete.

In 2019, more than 495,000 boys and 330,000 girls participated in high school athletics in Texas. Participating in sports is a great way for your child to remain physically active. Healthy bodies fight off infections such as COVID-19 better. We recommend at least one hour of strenuous physical activity daily (this means the heart is pumping hard, and you’re breaking a sweat!).

Please call your pediatrician today and schedule your child’s well visit. School starts back in less than three weeks!