Specialists from UI Family Care in North Liberty and UI Sports Medicine will again this year be offering sports physicals for $25 in July and August. Britt Marcussen, MD, a sports medicine physician at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, talks about the importance of a sports physical.
Every parent with a child involved in any sport knows a sports physical is required before participating on the team. Why are sports physicals so important in this young population of athletes?
These young folks are generally very healthy. We do the sports physicals in order to screen athletes to make sure they're ready for competition for the next year. We don't see adolescents in the clinic very often; they're generally healthy. But they may have injuries or issues that come up during the year they may not see us for. It's a good opportunity for us to do a head-to-toe exam, screen them, ask them questions about any injuries they've had to make sure that they're ready for competition during the year.
What are the ages of students you are recommending have a sports physical?
We generally start doing these at age 12 when kids enter junior high and continue through the high school years.
In general, what do sports physicals consist of for boys and girls?
They're basically the same. We start them off by checking routine things like their blood pressure and pulse, height and weight, and then we do a head-to-toe exam with particular attention to the musculoskeletal system, bones, joints, ligaments -- those sorts of things.
What dates will the sports physicals be offered?
July 18 and August 31 in the evenings from 6 to 8 p.m.
Place?
We're located in North Liberty on Highway 965 just on the south end of town at the North Liberty Family Care Center across from the Quail Creek Golf Course.
While you want to see as many as you can, it's probably best to make an appointment. Is that a safe assumption?
That's a safe assumption. We have probably enough capacity to see almost anyone who would show up but an appointment is good, that way you can get in and out efficiently. The phone number is 319-626-5680.
Talking about a limited number of times available each evening, parents should probably schedule as soon as possible, is that the best way to go?
Yep, they can call any time.
The charge for each physical is $25. How is that money used?
We all donate our time for this, so the money is donated back to the school athletic departments from which the athletes came.
If there is something unusual or abnormal found in a child's sports physical, will these children be referred on for further care to UI Sports Medicine Clinic?
It really depends on what we find. If it's a sports-related injury, a referral either back to their family doctor or one of the sports medicine specialists would take place. If it's something else is identified, for instance a heart murmur or something like that which is not an uncommon thing to find, we may have them see a cardiologist in the area to make sure that is not going to get in the way of their performance or their safety on or off the field.
What's the old phrase, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?" That's pretty much what this is for, is that correct?
That's exactly right. Even the things that we find are generally benign in nature and don't take the athletes out of competition. It's just something that we want to make sure that everything is 100 percent go for them at the start of the year.
Is the UI Sports Medicine Clinic the same clinic that treats the University of Iowa college athletics?
Yep, same clinic, same doctors would be seeing our high school athletes.
So basically you know if you're going to get a sports physical here, you know you're getting the best, is that right?
Well, we like to think so. |
