Physicals

What are physicals?

Physicals are general health exams to monitor the state of your health and wellness. During physicals at Akachi Primary and Urgent Care, the team can meet your current health needs, identify risk factors, monitor your chronic conditions, and verify any and all aspects of your health. 

What happens during physicals?

During a physical at Akachi Primary and Urgent Care, the team checks your height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and other basics like your lung function and heartbeat. They also check your reflexes, eyes, ears, nose, throat, abdomen, skin, and many other aspects of your health, including your mental health. Most physicals for adults include an electrocardiogram (EKG) to check your heart rate and strength. 

The team also uses a state-of-the-art noninvasive tool, MaxPulse. The tiny MaxPulse device clips to your finger and generates an arterial study, peripheral circulation assessment, heart strength analysis, assessment of electro-cardiac stability, and a stress score, all within just a minute. 

You may also need blood tests in the on-site lab to check for high cholesterol, high blood sugar, Type 2 diabetes, and other chronic illnesses. The screening tests you need can vary with your age, genetics, and medical history.

The exact details of your physical will depend on why you're having the exam. For example, if you need a sports physical, the focus is on your physical fitness. If you need an exam for work, the focus is primarily upon your general health and wellness.

Well-woman exams emphasize the needs of women, including pelvic exams and breast exams. If you don't need a specific type of physical, you typically have a basic annual exam, aka a yearly physical. 

Why is it important to have physicals?

Physicals are so important for several reasons, including:

Prevention

Physicals help you to discover and deal with health problems before they become serious — or even life-threatening. Many of the most common chronic illnesses, like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease, don't give you any warning signs until they're in the late stages. 

Annual physicals can identify health trends that could lead to disease, allowing you to treat them early when they’re more easily resolved.

Disease management

Physicals are also vitally important for anyone who already has one or more chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. They’re also extremely helpful to anyone dealing with mental illnesses like depression and anxiety.

Your yearly physical keeps track of changes and updates your medical records while also monitoring the effectiveness of your current treatments. 

Developmental tracking

Physical exams are just as important for kids as they are for adults. During physicals, the team can keep track of your child's rapidly changing needs and monitor their growth.

This helps the team to find any developmental issues early while keeping your child on track for good health as they grow up. The team welcomes children age 7 and up for physical exams.

To book sports physicals, well-woman exams, yearly physicals, or any other specific physical, call Akachi Primary and Urgent Care or book an appointment through online scheduling now.