With sports seasons kicking off throughout the year, many parents find themselves scrambling for one important piece of paperwork: the sports physical form. But what exactly is a sports physical, and how does it work at Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority (CIHA)?
North Carolina requires that all public school athletes must complete a pre-participation physical at least every 395 days and submit the NCHSAA medical eligibility form before participating. Children may also need to receive sports clearance for some recreation league sports. Typically, a sports physical should be performed at least four to six weeks before the sports camp, training or season begins. This gives parents and student athletes time to address any medical issues that may be identified during the physical. A sports physical is an exam by a health care professional to ensure a student athlete is healthy enough to participate in sports. The exam gauges their ability to compete without compromising their well-being.
Understanding the Sports Physical
A pre-participation physical evaluation, commonly referred to as a Sports Physical, is designed to make sure a student is healthy enough to safely participate in their chosen sport or activity. At its core, the goal of a sports physical is to keep athletes safe on the field, court, or track. Before being old enough to play sports, your child would visit their Primary Care Doctor each year, typically around their birthday, for their annual check up, also known as a well-child visit. During these visits you were asked the same questions and your Primary Care Team would do the same health evaluation of your child then as they will do now that your child is old enough to play sports. The biggest difference is that now, instead of just putting that information into your medical chart, they will sign off on the form North Carolina requires student athletes to have to be able to play sports.
The appointment has two main parts: a medical history review and a physical exam. During the medical history review, your provider will ask about things like family health conditions, any past hospital stays or surgeries, review previous injuries if you have any, allergies, and current medications. The physical exam covers basics like height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, and vision, as well as a check of your heart, lungs, abdomen, ears, nose, and throat. Your provider will also look at strength, flexibility, joints, and posture. It’s also a chance to talk about topics such as body changes, nutrition, sports supplements, alcohol or drug use, and any other questions or concerns you might have.
It typically includes:
- Checking height, weight, and vital signs
- Listening to the heart and lungs
- Assessing vision
- Reviewing past injuries, surgeries, or health concerns
- Looking for any conditions that might make certain sports unsafe
- Full body examination
The CIHA Difference
At CIHA, we’ve made the process simple for families. If you are up-to-date on your annual well-child visit and your primary care provider has no health concerns, you don’t need another appointment. You can simply call us, and we’ll complete the needed sports clearance paperwork for you.
- If you are not up-to-date on your well-child visits, our team will work diligently to get you scheduled—often within a week of your call—so your child can get their annual check-up and the sports form at the same time.
A sports physical focuses on readiness for athletic participation, but an annual well-child visit covers much more such as growth and development milestones, mental health screening, immunizations, and preventive care. By staying current on your well-child visits, you’re making sure your child is healthy year-round and avoiding last-minute rushes before sports season. The beauty of CIHA’s approach is that a well-child visit can also serve as your sports physical. It’s a single appointment that takes care of both your child’s overall health and their sports participation requirements—saving you time and keeping your child in the game.
Aligning with CIHA’s Guiding Principle, ᏗᏆᏤᎵᎢᏳᏍᏗ (Di qwa tse li i yu sdi) “Like family to me,” we want to care for each patient as if they are our own family. Annual well-child visits are vital to ensure that nothing gets missed or is undiagnosed, which is why it is CIHA’s practice to require patients to be current on these visits before a provider can complete any sports clearance paperwork.
Why Annual Well Child Checks Matter
Annual well child checks aren’t just “routine visits.” They’re your child’s yearly opportunity to get a complete health tune-up, make sure their growth and development are on track, and identify any health concerns early—before they become bigger problems. At CIHA, these visits are also a time to build a trusted relationship between your child, your family, and their healthcare team.
Key benefits of an annual check:
- Growth & Development Tracking: Measuring height, weight, and BMI to monitor healthy growth patterns.
- Developmental Milestones: Checking speech, motor skills, social/emotional growth, and learning progress.
- Preventive Care: Staying up-to-date on vaccines and screenings.
- Behavior & Mental Health: Talking about emotional well-being, social challenges, and school experiences.
- Healthy Habits Coaching: Guidance on nutrition, physical activity, screen time, and sleep.
- Chronic Condition Monitoring: Ensuring asthma, allergies, diabetes, or other conditions are well-managed.
Call your Primary Care Team today to confirm if you’re up-to-date on your annual visit.
Dr. Pinkley: 828.497.3553
Dr. Givens: 828.497.3552
Lynn Scarbrough: 828.497.3711
Kristina Teglassy: 828.497.3553