Physicals required for school, sports

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman David Dobrydney
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  Even though the new school year is still weeks away, parents need to ensure their children are healthy and ready for both school and sports.

The Department of Defense requires children ages three and up residing overseas to have annual physicals to control disease before they attend school and prevent injuries should they play a sport.

Since the 2009-2010 school year ended in May, the Pediatrics clinic has only seen 400 of the approximately 3,500 children enrolled in schools on RAF Lakenheath.

Maj. George Onyenyeonwu, Group Practice manager, said parents shouldn't wait until the last minute to bring their children in.

"If parents wait, we'll have one day with hundreds of patients," said Major Onyenyeonwu. "Then we won't be able to provide the most thorough evaluations and may miss key factors."

However, Major Onyenyeonwu added, if parents come in now, their children's physicals will be valid until next summer and also allow time to correct any potential problems the physical may uncover.

Besides the mandatory school physical, children must also have a physical before playing any sports. In addition to disease prevention and eye, ear, nose and throat checks, the sports physical includes an orthopedic exam to make sure children won't hurt themselves on the field.

"We do a full range-of-motion test and an in-depth cardiac exam to check for any arrhythmias," said Maj. Gerald Hall, Pediatrics Flight commander.

Major Hall said physicals, whether for school or sports, can be even more important for older children than younger ones.

"This is usually the one chance in a year when we see these kids, because their parents don't bring them in for colds or other things like when they were younger," he said.

Major Hall recounted a story that underscored the importance of having physicals performed. A youth football player came in for a physical, only to have a large hernia be discovered that prevented him from playing until it could be treated. Had he continued to play, he might have seriously injured himself.

"If he hadn't come in, we wouldn't have found it," said Major Hall.