Healthwatch: preparing your child for school sports

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Every week we visit with a local medical professional to learn better ways to stay healthy. We are joined by doctor Cara Hamilton from Black Hills Pediatrics. She tells us the best ways to get your kids ready for the upcoming sports season..

“Well we’re entering the season that my primary care colleagues and I like to call sports physical season,” said Dr. Hamilton. “If you have a child who’s interested in playing sports in their coming year of middle or high school, they’ll often need medical clearance for this.”

Dr. Hamilton says the best place to get your kid a sports physical, is to make an appointment with the childs primary care provider.

“Now this medical clearance can be done at a regular annual visit where your doctors checking heart and lungs, monitoring growth, checking their bones and their muscles and addressing any chronic health problems, and can also do the sports physical at the same time. It’s of course pretty important that you’re seeing your primary doctor for this because your medical home is the place where they know you best. They know your child’s medical problems at baseline, they’re best set to follow up on any problems that are found at the sports physical time. So trying to get back there is going to be really important,” explained Hamilton.

Figuring out the best time to get your child a sports physical, often times depends on the school.

“The timing of sports physicals is going to be very dependent on your school, but generally in this kind of spring and early summer season is when most of your schools are going to need the sports physicals for the following year,” said Hamilton.

If you have questions about this or anything else, make sure you’re talking to your pediatrician.

This has been your Healthwatch, be sure to check in next week for more tips.

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