How Physical Examinations Play a Critical Role in Your Health

How Physical Examinations Play a Critical Role in Your Health

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A physical examination, also known as a wellness check, is a routine test performed by a primary care provider to check your overall health. You do not have to be unwell to request a physical examination near you.

The tests performed during this exam depend on the patient’s age, medical history, and family health history, among other individual health concerns. It is performed at least once every year by the primary care physician near you or before surgery or treatment for a medical condition.

After a thorough physical examination, various treatments will be applied to treat the range of conditions you may have.

What Is the Purpose of a Physical Examination?

Apart from having your general wellness checked, you get an opportunity to discuss changes or problems in your health with your doctor. An annual physical examination near you is performed to:

i. Detect diseases in the early stage
ii. Determine the patient’s physical and mental health
iii. Note improvement or regression changes in a disease
iv. Find out the cause and extent of a patient’s disease
v. Determine nature of treatment or care required
vi. Protect the patients and people close to them by noting early signs of a communicable disease
vii. Find out the suitability of a patient for a particular task such as surgery or special medication

Methods of Physical Assessment

There are four basic methods or techniques used during a physical examination. They are:

  • Inspection

This is a visual examination of the patient.

  • Palpation

Palpation is a technique that involves the physician placing their fingers on the patient’s body to determine issues such as masses, swelling, and areas of pain. Deep palpation is carried out cautiously after light palpation, particularly when assessing an area of tenderness or pain.

  • Percussion

The percussion technique involves tapping the patient’s bodily surfaces to hear the resulting sounds. They help determine the presence of things such as air and solid masses that affect the internal organs.

  • Auscultation

This is listening to an area of the body using a stethoscope.

Physical Examination Types

The types of physical examination include:

1. A Complete Physical Examination Test

The four techniques of physical assessment are utilized in this test. Parts of a physical exam considered during a Physical Examination in Germantown include:

  1. The patient’s general appearance. These include distinguishing physical characteristics, behavior, wellness, posture, movement, and whether the patient’s color is flushed, jaundiced, pale, or rosy.
  2. Vital signs such as heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, respiratory rate, possible pain assessment, and oxygen saturation
  3. Body measurements such as weight, height, and BMI
  4. Skin is examined for lesions.
  5. Finger and toenails are inspected for any abnormalities.
  6. A head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat (HEENT) exam is carried out.
  7. An examination of the cervical, axillary, and groin lymph nodes is performed.
  8. The doctor performs a thorough cardiovascular examination of the heart.
  9. A pulmonary examination for the lungs and chest wall is done.
  10. Your abdomen is examined for various signs and costovertebral angle tenderness.
  11. The male and female pelvic regions are examined professionally.
  12. A neurological examination is mandatory.
  13. The musculoskeletal exam tailored to individual concerns is carried out.
  14. Your breasts are examined for benign breast conditions.

2. Laboratory Tests

After gathering information from the patient’s physical assessment test report, several laboratory tests may be done to complete the physical examination. These laboratory tests will help the primary care physician near you diagnose medical conditions, plan or evaluate treatments, and monitor diseases.

Standard laboratory tests carried out during a physical examination in Germantown include:

i. Complete Blood Count
ii. Basic Metabolic Panel
iii. Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
iv. Cholesterol Panel
v. Thyroid Tests
vi. Vitamin B12 Levels Test
vii. Brain Natriuretic Peptide Test
viii. Ferritin Test
ix. Glycated Hemoglobin Test

Welcome to Germantown Primary Healthcare for your physical examination. Apart from physical examinations, our internal medicine specialist Dr. Lakhvinder Wadhwa can also help with different issues. They are hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, dementia, chronic kidney disease, congenital heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, migraines, heartburn, and acid reflux.

Other services provided include preoperative evaluation, pre-employment physicals, respiratory care, and preventive care. In addition, our primary care provider offers Telehealth services, and you can contact them to check for eligibility for all your health needs. Finally, feel free to visit the office as our doctor accepts new patients.

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