Annual Physical Specialist

What is an annual physical?

An annual physical is a useful tool for protecting your health and spotting the signs of disease at their earliest stages before they've done irreversible damage. It involves having a physical exam, undergoing routine tests, and discussing your current health with your primary care provider.

Texas Primary & Pediatric Care also offers Medicare Wellness Visits for eligible patients. This is a free service that helps reduce the risk of health problems in later life. Both annual physicals and wellness visits are important in preventive care.

Why do I need an annual physical?

You might assume because you don't have any symptoms of ill health that you're fit and well. Unfortunately, that's not always the case.

Some of the most common causes of serious health problems, like high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, and Type 2 diabetes, cause few or often no symptoms until they reach an advanced stage. However, if spotted early on, they're frequently reversible.

Screening for conditions like these identifies health problems before they reach this stage. You can also take measures to prevent diseases through immunization and by making healthy lifestyle changes.

In addition, annual physicals are an essential way of detecting abnormalities in your child's growth and development.

What happens during an annual physical?

After reviewing your medical history, your provider at Texas Primary & Pediatric Care conducts a physical exam, checking your:

• Blood pressure
• Temperature
• Heart rate
• Respiration rate
• Reflexes
• Reactions
• Heart and lung sounds

They then examine all the exterior parts of your body for signs of health problems, checking your skin and hair, joints, eyes, mouth, and throat, and feeling certain internal organs like your liver for abnormalities.

Screening tests form a vital part of the annual physical. Some, like hypertension (high blood pressure) screening, vision and hearing tests, and screening for mental health problems like depression, are a routine part of every annual physical. Others, like some forms of cancer screening, might not need to be carried out every year.

In addition to your physical exam and health screening, you might need to provide blood and urine samples for lab testing. These samples can detect infections, measure your blood sugar, cholesterol, and hormone levels, and see whether you're suffering from any dietary deficiencies such as a shortage of iron, which can cause anemia.

If they have any concerns about the findings of your physical exam or tests, your provider at Texas Primary & Pediatric Care might refer you for diagnostic procedures like X-rays, ultrasound, or other types of scan, or an EEG (electroencephalogram) or ECG (electrocardiogram).

To schedule your annual physical or wellness visit, call Texas Primary & Pediatric Care today, or book an appointment online.