Annual Physical Exams & Well Checks

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Schedule your annual physical exam or annual well check for screenings and disease prevention to get the care you need.

Annual Physical Exam or Annual Well Checks

During an annual physical exam, your primary care provider assesses your overall health by reviewing any on-going or previous medical issues, and screens to identify or prevent new medical problems. Physical exams vary by your age, health, family history and lifestyle (e.g., whether you smoke, what you eat, how active you are).

Even if you feel fine, you should still see your healthcare provider for annual well checkups. These visits can help you avoid problems in the future. Delaying care or avoiding care can lead to serious health complications that can be avoided by regular checkups.

All adults should visit their primary care provider from time to time, even if they are healthy.

The purpose of these visits is to:

Screen for diseases
Assess risk of future medical problems
Encourage a healthy lifestyle
Update vaccinations
Maintain a relationship with a provider in case of an illness

What you can expect at your exam:

A measurement of your height and weight
Screening for alcohol and tobacco use
Screening for depression and anxiety
Vaccinations (if needed)

Physical Exam Tests

Your physical exam at Avance Care may include the following tests

For everyone

Blood pressure screening
Cholesterol screening
Colon cancer screening — especially for people ages 50–75
Diabetes screening
Hearing test
Osteoporosis screening – especially for women and some men over age 65
Infectious disease screening
Skin cancer screening

For women only

Breast exam
Mammogram referral
PAP smear and HPV testing

For men only

Prostate cancer screening discussion

Components of a complete history and physical examination

Before your examination, you will be asked to answer questions about your personal and family medical history, your previous surgeries or procedures, and your lifestyle behaviors like smoking, alcohol use, sexual health, diet, and exercise. The survey will include questions about your mood and if you have concerns about safety in your home. This is your chance to mention any complaints or concerns about your health. These concerns may need to be addressed thoroughly at a follow-up visit.
The vital signs include blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, and body temperature.
Head & Neck
Opening up and saying “ah” shows off your throat and tonsils. The quality of your teeth and gums also provides information about your overall health. Ears, nose, eyes, lymph nodes, thyroid, and carotid arteries may also be examined.
Heart
Listening to your heart with a stethoscope may reveal an irregular heartbeat, a heart murmur, or other clues to heart disease.
Lungs
Crackles, wheezes, or decreased breath sounds may be heard using a stethoscope. These and other sounds are clues to the presence of heart or lung disease like asthma or COPD.
Abdominal
“Percussion” or tapping your abdomen may detect liver size abnormality and the presence of abdominal fluid. Palpation may identify abnormal masses. Listening may identify abnormally-enlarged blood vessels.
Neurologic
Nerves, muscle strength, reflexes, balance, and mental state may be assessed.
Skin
Skin and nail findings could indicate a problem or disease somewhere else in the body. Sun screen will be discussed and a follow-up visit for a skin biopsy may be offered for any suspicious skin lesions.
Extremities
Sensation and pulses can be checked in your arms and legs. Examining joints can assess for abnormalities.
- Complete Blood Count (CBC) screens for anemia, iron deficiency, inflammation/infections, and blood cancers.
- Lipid Panel (Cholesterol) is a component for assessment for your risk of heart attack, and stroke.
- Complete Metabolic Panel screens for diabetes, nutritional status, liver, and kidney function.
Details of these exam are based on age, risk factors, and current guidelines
Male
- Genital exam: The testicles are examined for lumps, tenderness, or changes in size. The penis is examined for discharge and unusual growths or skin changes.
- Hernia exam: The instructions “turn your head and cough” checks for a weakness in the abdominal wall between the intestines and scrotum.
- Prostate exam: Inserting a finger in the rectum examines the prostate for its size and any suspicious areas
Female
- Breast exam: Breasts, nipples, and arm pits are examined for abnormal skin findings and masses.
- Pelvic exam: The pelvic exam allows examination of the vulva, vagina, cervix, uterus, and ovaries. Screening for STD’s and Cervical Cancer with a PAP smear and HPV testing will be offered as indicated.
You will be asked your preference if you would like a chaperone for the male physical exam or female physical exam.

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