A good dive physical includes a few different parts that a medical professional should look for. Checking cardiovascular fitness, gastrointestinal function and visual acuity are all part of a general examination. Additional tests may be recommended by doctors to assess your diving skills. It's important to talk with your dive doctor if you have a history of ear infections. A dive physical can provide you with the necessary information, even if your ear infection history is not present.
Cardiovascular fitness:
Before diving as a hobby/career, it is important to assess your cardiovascular endurance. This may sound like a simple task, but it is not. For example, you shouldn't sign up for a diving course if you can't even walk a block! Instead, you should exercise for 20 minutes four to five times a week. You might need to walk for as little as a quarter of a mile.
Examining gastrointestinal function
Examining gastrointestinal function during a scuba dive physical is extremely important because ischemic colitis can occur during a diving expedition. Belching and abdominal discomfort may be experienced by divers, but little is known about serious gastrointestinal complications. A few rare conditions of the gastrointestinal system have been reported. These include gastric rupture from intra-gastric expansion and massive pneumoperitoneum which result from lung barotrauma. However, scuba diving has not been shown to cause mesenteric blood clotsis, acute Ischemia colitis, or hemorhagic Colitis.
Examining visual acuity
Diver physicals are used to verify that divers can perform the skills required and to evaluate a diver's eyesight. To assess if a diver's vision is good, a diving professional will ask the diver to fill out a visual acuity questionnaire. While the objective is to assess a diver's distance and near vision, the test also measures a person's visual acuity.
Checking for barotrauma
If you're going scuba diving, you should take extra precautions to check for barotrauma. Barotrauma is a combination of the Greek words baros and trauma. Trauma refers to injury. When the pressure changes during diving, it can cause damage or even complete rupture to certain parts of the ear. It can also be caused by diving with a cold. This can cause symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.
Checking for Asthma
Before diving, it is a good idea to consult your physician if you suspect you may have asthma. You can experience asthma symptoms that can get worse or worse, and even trigger by diving. Your doctor will likely prescribe you oral steroids to help with your asthma. It is a good idea to have an emergency supply of inhalers at all times. To assess your asthma severity, your physician may also perform an exercise test and a lung function test.