A good dive medical includes several components that a medical professional should inspect. General examination procedures include checking cardiovascular fitness, gastrointestinal function, visual acuity, and barotrauma. Doctors may recommend additional tests to evaluate your diving abilities. If you have any history of ear infection, it is important to speak with your physician. A dive physical can provide you with the necessary information, even if your ear infection history is not present.
The importance of cardiovascular fitness
It is important to assess your cardiovascular fitness before you decide to pursue diving as a hobby, or even as a career. This may sound like a simple task, but it is not. If you're unable to walk a single block, then you shouldn't register for a diving program. Instead, exercise for 20 to 30 minutes five times a week. Even walking a mile may not be sufficient.
Examining gastrointestinal function
A scuba dive physical should include a thorough examination of the gastrointestinal function. This is because ischemic complications can arise during diving expeditions. Although divers may experience belching or abdominal discomfort, there is not much information about severe gastrointestinal complications. Gastric rupture may occur due to intragastric air expansion, massive pneumoperitoneum, or lung barotrauma. However, mesenteric vein thrombosis, acute ischemic colitis, and hemorrhagic colitis have never been linked to scuba diving.
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. Although the goal of the test is to evaluate a diver's near and distant vision, it also measures the person's visual acuity.
Examining for barotrauma
Scuba diving requires you to be extra cautious in order to prevent barotrauma. Barotrauma is a combination of the Greek words baros and trauma. Trauma refers to injury. Dive pressure can cause damage or rupture to the eardrums. If you have a cold or congestion, diving can cause this condition. You may also experience nausea or vomiting.
Checking for Asthma
Before you go on a diving vacation, consult your doctor if you think you might have asthma. The symptoms of asthma can become worse or more severe, and can be triggered by diving. Asthma treatment can be provided by your doctor with oral steroids. As a precaution, you should keep a supply of inhalers on board your dive boat. A physician can perform an exercise test to assess your asthma and also do a test of your lung function to determine the severity.