Sampson Chiropractic

Chiropractic Sports and School Physicals -

You already know that playing sports helps keep you fit. You also know that sports are a fun way to socialize and meet people. But you might not know why the physical you may have to take at the beginning of your sports season is so important:

Upon entering our office, Trish, our receptionist will greet you and welcome you as a member of our family. We will request you fill our patient forms located in the New Patient Center.

Preparticipation Physical Examination (PPE)

In the sports medicine field, the sports physical exam is an exam that helps determine whether it's safe for you to participate in a particular sport. Most states actually require that kids and teens have a sports physical before they can start a new sport or begin a new competitive season. But even if a PPE isn't required, doctors still highly recommend them.

What Is a Sports Physical?

There are two main parts to a sports physical: the medical history and the physical exam.

This part of the exam includes questions about:

serious illnesses among other family members
illnesses that you had when you were younger or currently, such as asthma, diabetes, or epilepsy
previous hospitalizations or surgeries
allergies (to insect bites, for example)
past injuries (including concussions, sprains, or bone fractures)
whether you've ever passed out, felt dizzy, had chest pain, or had trouble breathing during exercise
any medications that you are on (including over-the-counter medications, herbal supplements, and prescription medications)

The medical history questions are usually on a form that you can bring home, so ask your parents to help you fill in the answers. If possible, ask both parents about family medical history.

Consultation With Doctor Eric Sampson

Looking at patterns of illness in your family is a very good indicator of any potential conditions you may have. Most sports medicine doctors believe the medical history is the most important part of the sports physical exam, so take time to answer the questions carefully. It's unlikely that any health conditions you have will prevent you from playing sports completely.

Answer the questions as well as you can. Try not to guess the answers or give answers you think your doctor wants.

Physical Examination with Doctor Eric Sampson

During the physical part of the exam, the doctor will usually:

record your height and weight
take a blood pressure and pulse (heart rate and rhythm) reading
test your vision
check your heart, lungs, abdomen, ears, nose, and throat
evaluate your posture, joints, strength, and flexibility

Although most aspects of the exam will be the same for males and females, if a person has started or already gone through puberty, the doctor may ask girls and guys different questions. For example, if a girl is heavily involved in a lot of active sports, the doctor may ask her about her period and diet to make sure she doesn't have something like female athlete triad.

A doctor will also ask questions about use of drugs, alcohol, or dietary supplements, including steroids or other "performance enhancers" and weight-loss supplements, because these can affect a person's health.

Some schools may require that a PPE include an electrocardiogram, or EKG, for all athletes. An EKG, which takes about 10 minutes, measures the electrical activity of a person's heart. EKGs don't hurt — electrodes that measure heart rate and rhythm are placed on the chest, arms, and legs, and a specialist reads the results.

At the end of your exam, the doctor will either fill out and sign a form if everything checks out OK or, in some cases, recommend a follow-up exam, additional tests, or specific treatment for medical problems.

Why Is a Sports Physical Important?

A sports physical can help you find out about and deal with health problems that might interfere with your participation in a sport. For example, if you have frequent asthma attacks but are a starting forward in soccer, a doctor might be able to prescribe a different type of inhaler or adjust the dosage so that you can breathe more easily when you run.

Your doctor may even have some good training tips and be able to give you some ideas for avoiding injuries. For example, he or she may recommend specific exercises, like certain stretching or strengthening activities, that help prevent injuries. A doctor can also identify risk factors that are linked to specific sports. Advice like this will make you a better, stronger athlete.

When and Where Should I Go for a Sports Physical?

Some people go to their own doctor for a sports physical; others have one at school. During school physicals, you may go to half a dozen or so "stations" set up in the gym; each one is staffed by a medical professional who gives you a specific part of the physical exam.

If your school offers the exam, it's convenient to get the exam done there. But even if you have a PPE at school, it's a good idea to see your regular doctor for an exam as well. Your doctor knows you — and your health history — better than anyone you talk to briefly in a gym.

If your state requires sports physicals, you'll probably have to start getting them when you're in ninth grade. Even if PPEs aren't required by your school or state, it's still smart to get them if you participate in school sports. And if you compete regularly in a sport before ninth grade, you should begin getting these exams even earlier.

Getting a sports physical once a year is usually adequate. If you're healing from a major injury, like a broken wrist or ankle, however, get checked out after it's healed before you start practicing or playing again.

You should have your physical about 6 weeks before your sports season begins so there's enough time to follow up on something, if necessary. Neither you nor your doctor will be very happy if your PPE is the day before baseball practice starts and it turns out there's something that needs to be taken of care before you can suit up.

What If There's a Problem?

What happens if you don't get the OK from your own doctor and have to see a specialist? Does that mean you won't ever be able to letter in softball or hockey? Don't worry if your doctor asks you to have other tests or go for a follow-up exam — it could be something as simple as rechecking your blood pressure a week or two after the physical.

Your doctor's referral to a specialist may help your athletic performance. For example, if you want to try out for your school's track team but get a slight pain in your knee every time you run, an orthopedist or sports medicine specialist can help you figure out what's going on. Perhaps the pain comes from previous overtraining or poor running technique. Maybe you injured the knee a long time ago and it never totally healed. Or perhaps the problem is as simple as running shoes that don't offer enough support. Chances are, a doctor will be able to help you run without the risk of further injury to the knee by giving you suggestions or treatment before the sports season begins.

It's very unlikely that you'll be disqualified from playing sports. The ultimate goal of the sports physical is to ensure safe participation in sports, not to disqualify the participants. Most of the time, a specialist won't find anything serious enough to prevent you from playing your sport. In fact, fewer than 1% of students have conditions that might limit sports participation, and most of these conditions are known before the PPE takes place.

Do I Still Have to Get a Regular Physical?

In a word, yes. It may seem like overkill, but a sports physical is different from a standard physical.

The sports physical focuses on your well-being as it relates to playing a sport. It's more limited than a regular physical, but it's a lot more specific about athletic issues. During a regular physical, however, your doctor will address your overall well-being, which may include things that are unrelated to sports. You can ask your doctor to give you both types of exams during one visit; just be aware that you'll need to set aside more time.

Even if your sports physical exam doesn't reveal any problems, it's always a good idea to monitor yourself when you play sports. If you notice changes in your physical condition — even if you think they're small, such as muscle pain or shortness of breath — be sure to mention them to a parent or coach. You should also inform your physical education teacher or coach if your health needs have changed in any way or if you're taking a new medication.

Just as professional sports stars need medical care to keep them playing their best, so do teenage athletes. You can give yourself the same edge as the pros by making sure you have your sports physical.

Eric Sampson, D.C.,
B.S. Sampson Chiropractic and Sports Injuries LLC

Some F.A.Q's

High School Sports Chiropractor - Q: Can my child who plays sports in high school benefit from chiropractic care offered by Dr. Sampson, Chiropractor in Crystal River, Florida?

Answer 1: Yes. Teens’ bodies are very vulnerable to the rigorous practices and physical contact from sports such as football, lacrosse, weight-lifting, track & field, running, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, hockey, swimming, gymnastics, fencing, baseball, softball, tennis, golf. Spinal misalignments can occur after these repetitive impacts and motions.

Answer 2: All high school sports involve to varying degrees physical forces of compression & torque that affect joints, cartilage, muscles, tendons, ligaments of the body. The increased the physical forces of the sport the increased the likelihood of injury eventually leading to surgeries. After surgery that body part is never quite the same because it’s been “cut”

Answer 3: Children’s bodies grow most rapidly during their elementary and high school years. With increased physical forces of gravity, compression & torque, forces of weight with shearing lead to increased back, neck and body injuries,. Most adults will experience low back pain, but the problems actually begin in those elementary & high school years. The pain is only felt later in life, because there is only 30% of pain cells in the body, which means that a problem has to develop more in order to be felt. As a result kids, teens, adults don’t get the problem treated soon enough, therefore, it takes longer to reduce the pain and longer to heal, Scoliosis (an irregular curvature of the spine) begins at early ages. A child in elementary school or high school can be sitting and leaning over their desks for months and years! Scoliosis is usually not felt, but can be seen on x-rays. X-rays can give you a picture of your child’s spine. If detected early enough scoliosis won’t have to be a major problem. And if x-rays are taken please have the x-rays taken from a chiropractor who is the only healthcare professional specifically trained for 3-4 years to interpret your child’s x-rays. Medical doctors or physical therapists are not trained to interpret x-rays as chiropractors are.

Q: Why do so many kids, teens, adolescents take over-the –counter (OTC) pills & pain relievers such as Advil, aspirin, ibuprofen, Tylenol or other toxic medications to lessen pain or injury in high school? Can a chiropractor provide more effective relief?

A: Dr. Eric Sampson having attended various high school sports in Crystal River, Florida, sees coaches more interested in developing the skills of athletes in their sport. Most high schools don’t have coaches on the field or teachers in the classroom talking about spinal education, spinal health, natural healthcare or even mention chiropractic. More often the athlete is receiving a pain injection, a shot of cortisone, a pain medication, which can lead to drug dependencies and doesn’t help the cause of the problem; it just attempts to relieve the pain. See sampsonchiropractic.com – Free Health & Wellness Talks at your school.

Q: If coaches and teachers aren’t exemplarily teaching kids how to naturally take care of their bodies, then where and how do kids learn to care for their bodies?

A: “From television”. . Drug and pharmaceutical companies have lots of money to spend on advertising and if kids are watching lots of television that’s what they think is best for them, but it’s not. Take a look at all the television commercials that there are for pain relievers; all the drugs / pills that are advertised for any health problem today. Many people seek remedies from pills and quick-fixes. But it’s through chiropractors that talk about natural healthcare, spinal adjustments, flexibility in our bodies & a healthy lifestyle and the value of a healthy nervous system, which gives life to our years and years to our lives. The chiropractic process is a natural process and, therefore, requires some time,

Chiropractors intensely study the nervous system and the body for four years in a chiropractic college. Chiropractic colleges teach that the nervous system is the most important system of the body, because it affects every function of the body. If the nervous system is functioning optimally so is the quality of life for that kid, teen, adult. That kid, teen, adult will experience less injury, less illness and less disease

Q: As a chiropractor in Crystal River, Florida, what is unique about Dr. Eric Sampson’s chiropractic philosophy?

A: Dr. Eric Sampson, a chiropractor in Crystal River, Florida,

won’t have every patient receive three adjustments per week for years to come, which is common for many chiropractors
won’t sell you or your family excessive amounts of nutritional supplements or herbs
will offer you different holistic options for your chiropractic healthcare depending on the extent, longevity, severity of your health concern(s)
will take into consideration what kind of medical treatments or physical therapy that may not have previously worked for you or your family
provides the highest of personable and quality chiropractic services in Crystal River, Florida.
will offer you and your family three types of chiropractic care: Type 1) to lessen your pain or problem. Type 2) to lessen your pain and correct the problem that caused the health concerns. Type 3) to maintain your wellness so that the health concern that was relieved will continue to be corrected and managed over time.
does not have every patient x-rayed.
sees patients on weekday evenings and weekends; there is no waiting with multiple patients in the reception area. For an appointment you can call our office at (352) 564-0460.
loves helping children, teens, adults in body, mind, spirit to empower themselves and others to naturally improve their quality of living.
will listen to what you have to say.

Q: What is the benefit of pediatric chiropractic care to adult chiropractic care?

A: Accidents and injuries are more easily correctable with children, teens, adolescents, because life patterns are less established. Adult patterns for better or for worse are more engrained, therefore, it takes longer to make the needed changes and improvements. That’s how nature is.

Q: How would you know when it is a good time to schedule a chiropractic exam for your child, teen, adolescent?

A: If you’re not sure that is the time to call for you or your child’s initial chiropractic exam. You don’t have to rely upon someone else’s suggestions or opinion because they may not have had a good first chiropractic experience, they may not believe in chiropractic and they may not have seen the right chiropractor. Every chiropractor works differently. Other people may believe that pills are the answer to health problems.

Please feel free to call Dr. Sampson, a Holistic Chiropractor in Crystal River, Florida, for your or your child’s first chiropractic exam. See what it’s like for yourself. Dr. Eric Sampson guarantees that you’ll have a wonderful experience, be helped or be referred to a healthcare professional who can help you!

This information is solely given for the purpose of general information / education and is not intended to be used for any kind of self-diagnosis or self-treatment. If you have any questions about your health and well-being you can Dr. Eric Sampson, a Crystal River, Florida holistic chiropractor at (352) 564-0460 or your physician.