Physicals

What are physicals?

Physicals are thorough reviews of your health and well-being. Your provider at MPA Direct Primary Care looks for signs of poor health or disease and runs tests to check your body’s internal functions. Doctors usually recommend a comprehensive physical exam at least once a year.

Annual physical exams are an excellent way to ensure you’re healthy and identify any early signs of disease. You might need to undergo a yearly physical for your job or insurance purposes or simply for your own peace of mind.

What other reasons are there for having physical exams?

Common reasons you might need a physical exam include:

• Employer drug testing
• Pre-employment physicals
• Executive physicals
• Camp physicals
• School and sports exams

You must also have a physical exam if you drive for a living. 

What happens at a physical exam?

The specific procedure for your physical exam can vary according to why you’re having a physical and any relevant information in your medical history, for example, a family history of specific diseases.

A physical exam at MPA Direct Primary Care typically starts with vital signs checks, which include:

• Blood pressure
• Heart rate
• Respiration (breathing) rate
• Temperature
• Reflexes

Your provider checks how alert you are, how well you move, and how you react mentally and physically. They’re also looking for any signs of health problems, for example, dry skin, rashes, or trembling.

They listen to your heart and lungs to check for abnormal sounds or rhythms, then go over your body in more detail, looking at individual parts such as your eyes, throat, lymph nodes, teeth and gums, and feet.

Your provider takes blood and urine samples to assess your blood sugar and cholesterol levels and look for signs of infection or nutrient deficiencies. MPA Direct Primary Care offers convenient in-office labs. Your provider might also want to see diagnostic imaging test results such as X-rays or CT/MRI scans.

Screening for conditions such as cervical cancer in women or an enlarged prostate in men can also form a part of a physical exam if you’re due for these tests or haven’t undergone screening yet.

If you need a physical exam, the MPA Direct Primary Care team has extensive experience carrying out a full range of physicals. Call the nearest office to arrange yours, or request an appointment online today.