Monument Health offering free sports physicals to student athletes

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Many athletes – especially student athletes – are well accustomed to sports physicals and examinations.

Monument Health is helping families by offering sports examinations free of charge to school-age athletes.

These exams are required by the South Dakota High School Activities Association.

They evaluate whether students are medically-eligible to participate in sports – even if students feel healthy.

“You want to make sure that these athletes are able to essentially play the sport in a safe way, but then also make sure that they’re not missing something that’s important,” said Dr. Hollan Harper, Osteopathic Physician. “Whether that be an underlying heart issue, whether that be vision, whether that be things that they’re just not aware of. Even though they feel like they’re fine, sometimes doing these screening pre-participation examinations reveal things that maybe they didn’t even know that they had.”

While some students may be apprehensive, physicians say there is nothing to be worried about.

They check to ensure students are healthy, have functioning use of their joints, hearing, lungs, and have healthy vision.

The service is free for students through the college level.