A good dive physical includes a few different parts that a medical professional should look for. A general exam includes checking your cardiovascular fitness, gastrointestinal function as well as visual acuity and barotrauma. To further evaluate your diving ability, doctors may recommend additional tests such as xrays. It's important to talk with your dive doctor if you have a history of ear infections. However, even if you don't have a history of ear infections, a dive physical will provide the necessary information.
Assessing your cardiovascular fitness
Before diving as a hobby/career, it is important to assess your cardiovascular endurance. While this may seem like an easy task, it is far from simple. If you are unable to walk a block, don't sign up for a diving class. It is better to exercise 20 minutes four to five time per week. You might need to walk for as little as a quarter of a mile.
Examining the function of the stomach
The importance of examining the gastrointestinal function is paramount during a scuba diver physical. This is because ischemic bowel disease can develop during a diving expedition. Divers may exhibit belching and abdominal discomfort, but there is little information on severe gastrointestinal complications associated with the activity. 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. But, hemorhagic, acute ischemic, and mesenteric thrombosis were never linked to scubadiving.
Examining visual acuity
Dive physicals assess the abilities of divers and evaluate their vision. A questionnaire about visual acuity will be administered by a professional diving instructor to help determine whether a diver can see well. While the objective is to assess a diver's distance and near vision, the test also measures a person's visual acuity.
Do you suspect that your barotrauma is present?
Barotrauma should be checked if you are going scuba diving. Barotrauma derives its name from the Greek words baros which is pressure and trauma which refers to injury. In a dive, the pressure changes can damage or rupture key parts of the ear. It can also be caused by diving with a cold. You may also experience nausea or vomiting.
Asthma screening
Before going on a dive vacation, your physician should be consulted if you believe you might have asthma. Asthma symptoms can worsen or wax and wane, and they can even get triggered by diving. Asthma treatment can be provided by your doctor with oral steroids. Keep an extra supply of inhalers with you on board your dive boat. Your doctor can also conduct an exercise test to assess asthma symptoms and do a lung function check to determine severity.