Help patients book appointments with you on Solv. It's free! A annual physical exam or annual well visit is a routine check-up where a doctor or healthcare provider checks you for routine health issues and asks you basic questions about your health. During a physical exam, the doctor will most likely go over your medical history and ask you questions about the current state of your health.
They'll also check vital signs like your heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature, as well as take a look at whether your skin appears healthy. You'll also get a head and neck exam, a lung exam using a stethoscope , an abdominal exam, a neurological exam, and more.
Women may get a breast and pelvic exam and men may get prostate, penis, testicular, and hernia exams. Annual exams are important because they can help you find out about health issues early on so treatment can begin as soon as any problems are discovered. If you're overweight or you're at risk for diabetes, you'll most likely get a blood sugar test too.
Everyone over the age of three should have a physical exam every year. At age 50, your doctor might start screening for colorectal cancer.
At 40, women should begin getting regular mammogram screenings for breast cancer. Women ages 45 to 54 should get them yearly and women 55 and older should get them at minimum every two years.
