Active Lifestyle: Why Is Health Screening Important in Sport?
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There are many reasons why regular health screening is beneficial, and our post-pandemic world serves as a fresh reminder of how careful we should be when it comes to physical well-being.
When an athlete avoids a health test, they aren’t just putting themselves at risk. They’re also putting their teammates and colleagues in danger, and Covid-19 isn’t the only hazard that a screening test will detect. Here are nine reasons why health checks are critical for sports players
1. Establishing a baseline
Confirming your health baseline is the first step toward the detection of health irregularities. Multiple tests are used to form an accurate analysis, so the more extensive the process is, the more effective the end result will be.
Blood, saliva, and urine tests are the easiest to perform. There are also situation-specific tests that you should be aware of, such as psychological tests for athletes who play contact sports, for example.
2. Ensuring optimal medical health
Attaining peak performance takes an incredible amount of effort, but consistent maintenance of such a high fitness level is the true challenge.
All sorts of issues can affect your progress as an athlete, from asthma and depression to menstrual cycles and diabetes. Regular health checks ensure you can stay on top of these common ailments and continue to perform at your very best.
3. Improved Performance
Pushing your body to the limit can lead to injury if you aren’t careful. But health screenings give you all the information you need to keep improving without pushing your body too far and inviting unnecessary risk.
Screenings can help with nutrition, psychology, biomechanics, and several other key areas of fitness, telling you exactly where you need to focus in order to reach new heights of performance.
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4. Injury prevention
Another benefit of regular testing is that it can reduce the risk of a medical event or accident. Common injuries can happen at a moment’s notice, and screenings can detect all the warning signs that lead to torn muscles, minor fractures, and even major injuries.
If you want to avoid preventable injuries, including the ones that can end sports careers, then attend physical evaluations regularly. Discuss any issues openly with the attending physician, and give your mind and body a break when needed.
5. Review of medications
Any medicine you have to take, whether it’s immune boosters or anti-depressants, can have a dramatic impact on your ability to play sports.
As a basic example, many OTC (over-the-counter) drugs have debilitating side effects, such as drowsiness and reduced motor skills. These medications can go as far as affecting your baseline health data by altering your pulse, heartbeat, and breathing.
6. Education
Staying informed regarding your health should be a foremost priority. Screenings provide invaluable aid and insight, helping you to learn about all the complexities of the human body.
When you get your heart checked, you learn what a healthy BPM should be. When you test your running fitness, you learn about the biomechanics of movement. Every test is the key to more knowledge, allowing you to make informed decisions regarding your health.
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7. Identification of appropriate exercises
How effective is your fitness regimen? Is it the best combination of exercises that you can possibly have? The only way to know for sure is to test its efficiency, and you can only do that with a health check.
Any adjustments you need to make will be picked up as early as possible. If you don’t go for testing, you lose out on the opportunity to perfect your routine, which brings us right back to the increased risk of injury and sub-optimal performance as an end result.
8. Early detection of serious conditions.
Many severe medical conditions don’t show significant symptoms until it’s too late. Assessments can aid in the detection of these conditions, picking up minor signs that would go unnoticed otherwise.
Additionally, regular testing can also inform you when there’s an increased risk of disease, providing you with the opportunity to take preventative measures. The quicker you learn about impending hazards, the fewer headaches you’ll have in the future.
9. Reduced likelihood of legal issues
As we mentioned in the beginning, health screenings aren’t only for your benefit. Aside from the advantages for you and those around you, it also gives the health instructor a vital form of legal protection.
On the off chance that the law gets involved in your health outcomes, regular screenings give doctors and other medical staff a point of reference that stands as common ground between you, them, and the relevant legal authorities. Of course, this works both ways, providing vital information about your health before your training begins in the case of any injury you may receive.
