What to Expect at Your Yearly Physical

What to Expect at Your Yearly PhysicalGetting sick is never fun, and sometimes there’s not much you can do about it. However, preventative medicine can certainly help you avoid certain illnesses and ailments. Getting a yearly physical is an important step in preventative medicine. In fact, many insurance plans offer a yearly physical at no cost. That right there should be an incentive to schedule an appointment!

Physical examinations don’t typically take a lot of time, either. Because appointments can whiz by, it’s important to go into your exam with questions already in your mind. Otherwise, you may not think about them until you’re gone. In order to think of questions beforehand, you’ll also need to know what takes place during a yearly physical exam.

The Interview

Your doctor can’t get inside your head, so you will need to tell them what you’re feeling. This interview may seem like friendly banter at first (and it is), but it’s more than that. You will be asked about your overall health, if you’ve started a new job recently, and the like. These questions will help your doctor understand if there are reasons for increased stress, injury, or other health concerns. While the questions may seem generic, they are important to your overall results, so do take them seriously.

When thinking of questions to ask your doctor, consider some basic questions to get you started. The following are jumping-off points, so feel free to tailor them to your personal needs and dive in further where necessary.

  • Are my medications still effective?
  • Am I caught up on my vaccines? Which ones do I still need?
  • Am I at a healthy weight?
  • What can I do to lose a healthy amount of weight?
  • Is there an online medical resource you’d recommend using for reference?

Again, those are some questions to get you thinking. Write down the questions you’d like to ask, because even if you have thought of some ahead of time, it can be easy to forget in the moment.

The Physical

After the questions comes the physical examination. This will include checking vital signs (i.e. body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, etc.), a general visual exam (i.e. to see if anything about you looks abnormal), and the actual physical check. 

The physical part of the check will look for abnormal heartbeats, wheezings and/or crackles from your lungs while you breathe, your circulation (by checking your pulse), and more. There may also be a need for a prostate exam for men and women a pelvic exam for women.

The Lab

Depending on your health, you may need to go to the lab for some blood work. In the lab, various tests may be performed, such as urinalysis and different types of blood tests. With blood tests, a small amount of your blood is withdrawn and then checked for various indicators, such as:

  • Complete blood count
  • Blood glucose
  • Lipids
  • And more

The Wrap-up

As your physical exam wraps up, now is the time to ask any other questions that may have come up. Ask about appropriate goals you could set, or what are some things you could work on between now and your next physical.

The End…?

Physical examinations aren’t meant to be scary; rather, they are an essential aspect of preventative medicine and health. Knowing what to look out for–and learning what you can do better–will increase your chances for a healthy life. In the end, the journey to good health is a constant, and your vigilance will pay off.

Have you had your annual physical? Request an appointment with Hampton Family Practice today so you can stay on top of your health! We can’t wait to see you!

2022-07-19T16:43:51-04:00March 1st, 2020|Categories: Blog, Prevention & Wellness|Tags: , |

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