School physicals are a key time to get health checks and needed vaccines
The end of the summer is fast approaching and that means a return to school can’t be far behind. Get your child ready to start a healthy and successful school year by scheduling their annual school physical.
These annual exams are a good way to track your child’s growth, update immunizations and catch any developing health concerns early.
Routine school physicals may include:
- Height and weight measurement: Helps track changes from the previous year.
- Pulse and blood pressure: Helps diagnose high blood pressure or determine risk of heart disease.
- Eye examination/vision test: Helps diagnose eye infections and test eye reflexes.
- Ear examination/hearing test: Checks for ear infections and hearing sensitivity.
- Neck examination: Checks for abnormal enlargement or bumps in your lymph nodes and thyroid.
- Breathing examination: Checks for infection, wheezing or fluid in the lungs.
- Oral health examination: Checks for strep throat and viral infections in the throat. They also look at the tongue for signs of dehydration.
- Abdomen examination: Checks for gastrointestinal problems.
These simple examinations give your child’s doctor a good understanding of your child’s overall health and can help them intervene in the early stages of common issues.
During a school physical, your doctor can also make sure they are up to date on their immunizations. Vaccinations are a good way to protect children from commonly spread disease.
Overall, school physicals are an important way to get both a well-rounded check-in on your child’s health and to gain certain protections, through vaccines, against common illnesses spread during the school year.