Sports Physicals for Junior and Senior High School Students
August is almost here, and for many parents, this means a scramble to complete the required sports physical forms before the first practice. I personally believe that I gained more significant and relevant life skills from participating in sports and activities in high school than I did from anything I learned in the classroom. Don’t get me wrong, I realize that classroom learning is also important, but we tend to underestimate the central and grounding role that activities and sports play in a teenager’s life. For children to thrive, they need to be provided with an environment that allows them to develop self-confidence and a sense of personal accomplishment. Sports and activities are where children can grow their self-esteem and identify and work out their personal values and priorities while learning the core essential life skill of getting along with peers in a group setting. Regular, fun exercise helps optimize physical and mental health for all of us but is especially critical during the most challenging years of adolescence.
Most schools in Washington state won’t let kids practice until a medical provider clears them to safely play in their sport. To make it easy to schedule and complete sports physicals at Simplicity, I built a web page specifically designed to have everything you need in one spot to schedule a sports physical and then download the required parent/child forms to be filled out prior to the visit. Here is the direct link to the Simplicity Sports Physical page, but you can also find it at the top of the navigation bar at my practice website, simplicityspokane.com. The fee is $75 per child and is not covered by insurance. (Of course, sports physicals are provided at no extra charge to all Simplicity Direct Care Members. Click here for membership details.)
Below is a table of first practice start dates for local schools this upcoming school year. Ideally, I would see kids 6-12 weeks before their first practice so that any identified risk factors can be investigated and any musculoskeletal weaknesses can be optimized prior to the season. But I understand that is not always possible, and I am happy to see kids when it works for the family schedule.
If you are looking for a sports physical spot and can’t find one that works, feel free to call directly 509-779-8793. If I don’t answer, leave me a message about when your deadline is so that I can find a time that works.