Sports Physicals: What to Bring and What to Expect

For a sports physical, bring your child's school or league physical form with the parent sections already filled in, a list of any medicines and allergies, and your family's health history. Dress your child in shorts and a T-shirt. At AfterOurs a sports physical is a flat self-pay fee of $40 for kids, and the provider completes and signs the form during the visit. Here is what to have ready so you don't need a second trip.

Sports physical checklist: what to bring

• The form. Bring the exact form your child's school, league or club wants. For Colorado high school sports that is usually the form the school's athletic office hands out; club teams often have their own. Print it, don't just have it on your phone, so the provider can sign it.
• The parent sections, filled in at home. Most forms start with pages of history questions for the parent and athlete to answer and sign. Doing them in advance makes the visit quicker and more accurate.
• A parent or guardian. Many forms need a parent's signature, and a parent usually knows the answers to the history questions better than a teenager does.
• A list of medicines and allergies, including inhalers, ADHD medicines, supplements and any allergy that needs an epinephrine auto-injector.
• Glasses or contact lenses if your child wears them.
• Records of past problems that the form asks about: a concussion, a broken bone, surgery, asthma, a heart murmur. Dates and a note from the treating doctor help if you have them.
• Shot records, if the form asks for immunization dates. AfterOurs does not give routine childhood vaccinations, so get any missing shots from your child's regular doctor or a pharmacy.

Why the family history matters

The history questions on a sports physical form aren't busywork. They are the main way the exam screens for rare heart conditions that can cause problems during hard exercise. Before the visit, find out whether anyone in the family:

• Died suddenly or unexpectedly before age 50, including drowning or an unexplained car crash
• Has a heart condition such as cardiomyopathy, a heart rhythm problem or Marfan syndrome
• Has a pacemaker or implanted defibrillator at a young age

And ask your child honestly whether they have ever fainted, had chest pain, felt their heart racing, or been unusually short of breath during exercise. Kids often don't mention these unless asked directly.

Call 911 or go to the ER if a young athlete collapses or faints during exercise, has chest pain or a racing heartbeat that doesn't settle with rest, has trouble breathing that an inhaler doesn't help, or has a head injury followed by repeated vomiting, confusion, worsening headache, unequal pupils or trouble waking up.

What happens at a sports physical?

The provider reviews the history form with you, checks vital signs such as height, weight and blood pressure, and does a focused exam that typically covers the heart, lungs, joints and posture. If everything checks out, they complete and sign the form at the visit, so you leave with it in hand.

Sometimes the exam turns up something that needs a closer look, such as a heart murmur, high blood pressure or an old injury that hasn't healed. In that case the provider will explain what was found and may recommend follow-up with your child's primary care doctor or a specialist before full clearance. That's the exam doing its job.

Who is a sports physical for?

At AfterOurs, sports physicals are for kids and teens: students and young athletes who need a signed pre-participation form for school sports, club teams, camps or leagues. Adults who need a physical for work or a gym can look at our other physicals.

A sports physical is focused on whether it's safe to play. It doesn't replace a yearly well-child checkup with your child's regular doctor, which covers growth, development, vaccines and much more.

How much is a sports physical?

A sports physical at AfterOurs is a flat fee of $40, self-pay. The price is the same whether you walk in or book online. If the provider also needs to treat an injury or illness at the same visit, that is a separate service. Full prices are on our cost and insurance page.

When to get it done

Late July and August are the busiest weeks, when every fall sport needs forms at once. Getting the physical done a few weeks before tryouts or the first practice leaves time to deal with anything that comes up. Check with your school or league how recent the physical has to be; many require a new one each year. Our clinics are open into the evening, so a visit after work or practice is usually easy to fit in.

Where to find us

Four clinics across metro Denver, all ages welcome, se habla español:

• Hampden (Southeast Denver): 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Littleton: 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Thornton: 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Highlands: Mon–Fri 5–11 PM, Sat–Sun 8 AM–11 PM

Walk in, or book online.