What should I bring to my physical exam?
You can prepare for your physical exam by making a list of the following and bringing it with you to the appointment:
- Any medications or supplements you currently take. Identify any prescriptions that need a refill.
- Allergies.
- Symptoms, including what they are, when they occur, how long they last and what relieves them.
- Results from prior tests and lab work (including films and reports).
- Any measurements your provider asked you to keep track of, such as blood pressure or blood sugar readings.
- Medical and surgical history, which is a record of your past diagnoses, treatments and procedures.
- Questions you’d like answered.
- Names, addresses and phone numbers of any doctors, specialists or care providers you see. Let your physical exam provider know if you want reports sent to those healthcare providers.
If your physical exam is a sports physical or pre-employment exam, bring paperwork from your coach or employer for your healthcare provider to sign at the appointment.
Advertisem*nt
What can I expect during a physical exam?
During your physical exam, your healthcare provider will begin by asking you how you’re feeling and if you have any symptoms, questions or concerns about your health. If the reason for your exam is for a sport or if it’s a pre-employment physical, tell your provider at the start of your exam so they can fill out the required paperwork.
Before you meet with your primary care provider, a member of your care team will:
- Measure your height and weight.
- Check your vital signs.
- Review your medical history and family medical history.
- Identify what medications or supplements you currently take.
- Assess your social environment and how it affects your health (smoking, substance use, etc.).
- Discuss medical care preferences including a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) status or a living will.
- Review any personal health concerns or symptoms.
Your healthcare provider will ask questions to learn more about your symptoms or concerns, if you have any. For example, if you have pain or discomfort, your healthcare provider may ask:
- Do you feel any unusual discomfort?
- Where’s the discomfort/pain located?
- What does the pain feel like? Is it dull, achy, pressured or sharp?
- Can you assign it a number between 1 and 10, with 10 being the most severe?
- How long does the pain last? Does it come and go? Does it stay for a long time?
- Do you notice that anything causes discomfort? For example, do you feel it after eating, after exercise or at night?
- What relieves the discomfort? Rest, medications, position?
Physical exam (medical examination)
When you meet with your doctor or healthcare provider, they’ll perform a physical exam that evaluates each organ system in your body. Techniques that your healthcare provider will use to complete this exam include:
- Auscultation: Listening to your body.
- Inspection: Looking at your body.
- Palpation: Feeling your body with their fingers or hands.
- Percussion: Tapping or producing sounds on specific areas of your body.
During a physical exam, your provider will:
- Use a stethoscope to listen to your heart and lungs. Your provider will give you instructions to breathe normally and/or take deep breaths.
- Look into your ears using an otoscope instrument that helps your provider see into your ear canal.
- Look into your mouth using a tongue depressor and a light. Your provider may ask you to say, “ah,” during this part of the exam.
- Feel the lymph nodes in your neck. Your provider will use their fingers to gently press against your lymph nodes to check for swelling around the side of your neck.
- Feel your abdomen to check the location and size of your organs. Your provider may ask you to lie down during this part of the exam.
- Examine your skin for any unusual moles, rashes, breakouts or concerns you might have. If you notice changes to your skin, tell your healthcare provider about them.
- Perform a breast and pelvic exam or a genital and prostate exam, depending on your age and anatomy.
- Give you any vaccinations or immunizations that you need.
These examination methods can vary based on your age and the reason for your appointment. If you have specific concerns, a healthcare provider may look closely at the affected part of your body.
How long does a physical exam take?
A physical exam takes about 30 minutes to complete.
What can I expect after a physical exam?
After your physical exam, you can go about your day as usual. Your provider will give you the results of your exam and any signed paperwork for your employer or coach if you need it. They’ll also point out any areas of concern. They can give you a referral to see a specialist in certain cases. Your provider might recommend getting additional testing done to help them understand the cause of your symptoms if you have any. Testing could include but isn’t limited to the following:
- An X-ray.
- A complete blood count (CBC).
- An electrocardiogram (EKG).
- A stress test.
- A urinalysis.
- A lipid panel.
If there are concerns after your physical exam, your provider may request an appointment after testing to monitor the results and make sure you’re in good health.
