Physicals

When you’re sick, you need a physical exam to help with diagnosis. When you’re well, physical exams detect health problems before you realize they’re there. At Revive Family Care & Wellness in Caddo Mills, Texas, Guiselle Berry, NP, performs thorough physical exams for diagnosis, screening, treatment management, and specific purposes such as sports physicals. Call A-Z Primary Care and Wellness today to schedule a physical exam or request an appointment using the online booking form.

What are physical exams?

Physical exams are consultations where your Revive Family Care & Wellness provider assesses your health.

You would need a physical exam to determine the cause of symptoms like abdominal pain, headaches, repeated nausea and vomiting, or unexpected weight loss.

You also need periodic physical exams if you receive ongoing care for a long-term condition. The exam is part of your chronic disease management plan, which checks how well treatments work and identifies new symptoms.

A third use for physicals is the annual wellness exam. This routine procedure checks for early signs of disease so you can receive timely treatment. Having an annual physical each year is a critical aspect of preventative medicine, helping you stay well and avoid ill health.

Variations on the annual physical include sports, school, and work physicals, Department of Transportation (DOT) physicals for people whose job involves driving, and well-man, well-woman, and well-child visits.

What happens at a physical exam?

The basic components of physical exams are similar for all purposes. Your provider reviews your medical and family history and asks about your current health conditions and medications. They discuss your lifestyle, for example, how much you exercise, what you eat and drink, how much stress your life involves, and any bad habits like smoking.

The next stage of your physical exam is checking your vital signs and key health indicators. These include:

• Temperature
• Blood pressure
• Respiration (breathing) rate
• Heart rate
• Blood oxygen levels
• Heart and lung sounds
• Reflexes

When performing a physical exam for diagnostic purposes, your provider examines the areas affected by your symptoms.

For example, if you have a sore throat, your provider will shine a light down it and may use a tongue depressor to get a clear view. If you have back or joint pain, your provider feels the bones and connective tissues to identify abnormalities and asks you to move in specific ways to assess range of motion limitations.

Your provider examines your entire body for a routine checkup or annual physical. They check your eyes, ears, feet, joints, and abdomen, look for signs of mental health, balance, and memory issues, and watch how you move.

Specialized physical exams include specific procedures, for example, a pelvic exam during a women’s health checkup or heart and drug tests for a DOT physical.

Call Revive Family Care & Wellness today to learn more about physical exams or schedule a consultation online.