What is an annual physical exam, and why is it important?

Even if you’re feeling fine, it might still be a good idea to get an annual physical exam.

Just as a car needs regular maintenance, your body also needs to be checked to make sure there are no issues that you’re not aware of and could be a problem in the future.

The annual physical exam plays a crucial role in maintaining good health. During these annual checkups, your doctor reviews your overall health, including heart rate, blood pressure, weight, and lifestyle habits.¹

Regular physical exams are helpful to catch potential health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, before they become more serious.¹

Getting an annual physical exam offers numerous benefits, including:²

·       Assess your overall health and identify underlying health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

·       Keeping your vaccines updated, as your doctor will review your vaccination history and may recommend immunization.

·       Keeping up with routine cancer screenings. Depending on your age and risk factor, your provider may recommend cancer screening including those for breast cancer, prostate cancer, gynecological cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, or skin cancer.

·       Keeping your medical records updated, ensuring your doctor has accurate information about your health history, medications, and treatments.

·       Building a relationship with your doctor, which helps create trust, open communication, leading to more personalized treatment.

Where to get your health screening done?

You can schedule your annual physical exam with your primary care physician. If you don’t have one, urgent care centers, walk-in clinics, and telemedicine platforms may provide access to annual physical exams.

What is included in an annual physical exam?

During your visit with your doctor, they’ll start by asking how you’ve been feeling and if you’ve noticed any symptoms. They’ll also want to know about your lifestyle habits, like whether you smoke, exercise, or anything else that might be important. After that, they’ll move on to a physical exam.³

Typically, yearly checkups include:³

·       Medical and family history – including a record of past diagnoses, treatments, and procedures.

·       Vital signs – such as heart and breathing rate, temperature, and blood pressure.

·       Heart exam – the doctor will listen to your heart with a stethoscope to detect signs of heart disease.

·       Lung exam – your doctor will listen to sounds that might indicate the presence of heart or lung disease.

·       Head and neck exam – an examination of your throat, tonsils, teeth, and gums to check your overall health.

·       Abdominal exam - helps detect the size of the liver and the presence of abdominal fluid, listen to intestinal sounds, and check for sensitivity.

·       Neurological exam – assess nerves, muscle strength, reflexes, balance, and mental state.

·       Dermatological exam – examines the skin and nails to indicate allergies or other conditions.

·       Breast and pelvic exam – the doctor checks for abnormal lumps and lymph nodes in breasts and nipples. They also examine the vulva, vagina, cervix, uterus, and ovaries.

·       Genital and prostate exam – the doctor checks the testicules for lumps, tenderness and changes in size, perform hernia exam, examine the penis, and perform prostate exame.

·       Laboratory tests – this may include a complete blood count, cholesterol test, chemistry panel, and urinalysis (UA).

Results and follow-up

After your physical exam is done, you should go back to your normal life. Your doctor will give you the results and any signed paperwork for your employer if you need it.

If your provider notices anything that’s affecting your health, they may require additional appointments. Depending on the case, the doctor may ask for more tests and recommend you see a specialist.

Your doctor will tell you when it's time to schedule a follow-up visit or your next annual exam.

Costs

The cost of an annual physical exam varies depending on your insurance coverage. If you have Medicare Part B, you’re entitled to a full checkup at no cost during your first year, called the "Welcome to Medicare" visit, and a wellness exam each subsequent year.³

These wellness exams focus on preventive care and don’t have a deductible or copay, though they aren’t the same as an annual physical.³

The Affordable Care Act mandates that most insurance plans cover certain preventive services, vaccinations, and screenings at no cost, but you must follow your insurer's guidelines.³

Key takeaways

Even if you're feeling healthy, it's important to visit your doctor on a regular basis. An annual physical can help catch potential health issues early. If you ever notice something feels off, don’t hesitate to seek medical attention. Preventing problems before they become serious is the best way to maintain long-term health.

References

1-    Why An Annual Medical Exam is Important. Columbia University Irving Medical Center. https://www.columbiadoctors.org/news/why-annual-medical-exam-important

2-    Physical exam frequency. Medline Plus. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002125.htm

3-    Bloomfield HE, Wilt TJ. Evidence Brief: Role of the Annual Comprehensive Physical Examination in the Asymptomatic Adult [Internet]. Washington (DC): Department of Veterans Affairs (US); 2011 Oct. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK82767/