A Physician on Sports Physicals, Beating Heat-Related Illness
A Physician’s Take on Sports Physicals, Beating Heat-Related Illness
CARMEL, Ind. — School is right around the corner which means it’s not a bad time to get a sports physical if you haven’t already.
As school sports teams are beginning to hold summer practices and tryouts, local health experts are reminding folks about the importance of their child getting a sports physical and of ways to combat the higher temperature days. Sports physicals can help identify health conditions that could impact a child’s participation in a sport.
“Heading into a sport, you want to get baseline routine examinations with your doctor,” said Megan Kaser, a physician assistant with Optum Primary Care in Carmel.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a child sees their pediatrician six to eight weeks prior to the start of the sports season.
“It’s recommended for kids to see their pediatrician for a routine visit to check for any signs of an underlying heart condition, mental health concerns or respiratory conditions,” she said. “Pre-screening for a concussion or head injury is good too.”
The summer months sometime bring extreme heat. Kaser said the most vulnerable of groups to experience heat-related illness are infants and young children.
“Some of those symptoms that we want to watch out for are unusual and heavy sweating, muscle cramping, shortness of breath, dizziness, weakness and headaches,” said Kaser.
Parents and coaches should be aware of the dangers of extreme heat, especially for exercise or activity on hot days that are more likely to cause dehydration and heat-related illness. Kaser does have a few recommendations for anyone who wants to be active and outside over the next few months.
“Scheduling outdoor activities early in the morning or late in the evening when temperatures might be a bit lower can be good, pacing activities, so starting slow and gradually picking up speed, and drinking an adequate amount of fluid all the time, not just on days when it’s hot,” Kaser said.
Thankfully, Kaser said most of the examinations she goes through with people on a weekly basis return good results with normal heart, lunch, musculoskeletal and respiratory conditions, but sometimes there is that one-off situation.
