The Importance of Back-to-School Physicals

The start of a new school year comes with a lot of to-dos for your family. You need to fill their backpacks with all of the school supplies they’ll need for the year. You might help them pick out their first-day-of-school outfit. You could also be working on getting them into extracurricular activities like sports or after-school programs. 

With everything going on, the back-to-school physical might seem like a low priority. But you shouldn’t let it fall off your list. For growing kids and teens, this yearly check-in provides a valuable health touchpoint. 

Plus, we make it as convenient as possible at StrongURcare. Our providers offer physicals for the whole family right here at our Selinsgrove clinic. And if your back-to-school schedule gets too chaotic to make an appointment, you can simply walk in. 

Why back-to-school physicals matter

Getting a physical before the school year starts connects your child or teen with a medical expert. That gives us the opportunity to evaluate their health and check their progress against developmental milestones. We can assess their hearing, vision, growth, and reflexes, for example. 

This helps us catch problems before they become burdensome for your child. For instance, addressing eyesight issues now means they go into the school year seeing clearly. That helps them avoid falling behind because of something simple like not being able to see the board. 

The physical is also an important time to check in on your child or teen’s health defenses. We can see if they need any new immunizations, which prevent millions of hospitalizations and deaths across the country every year. 

What to expect during your child or teen’s physical

We start their back-to-school physical by checking their vital signs, like their:

• Temperature
• Heart rate
• Blood pressure
• Respiratory rate

We also physically check their eyes, ears, and throat and listen to their “breath sounds” to help evaluate lung health. 

The physical isn’t just an exam, though. It’s an opportunity for us to sync with you and your child/teen about their overall health. 

Use this time to ask any questions you have or to raise concerns. We can talk about healthy eating, good sleep hygiene, mental health, or any other topics you want to discuss. A lot of kids and teens adhere better to health guidance when it comes from a medical professional, so we’re happy to help here. 

We also personalize the physical to your child or teen. If they play a sport, for example, we might offer tips to help them avoid an injury. Because we regularly treat sports injuries, we have expertise to share. 

Or maybe your child seems worried about going back to school. We can help your family figure out what’s behind that, whether it’s a physical issue, anxiety, or something else. 

Ready for another school year?

A back-to-school physical provides your family with a valuable opportunity to check in on your child or teen’s health. It also helps you set them up for success in the coming school year. You can schedule their visit online, call 570-743-9112 to book it, or simply walk into our office.