A good dive medical includes several components that a medical professional should inspect. General examinations include visual acuity, cardiovascular fitness, visual acuity, barotrauma, and gastrointestinal function. Doctors may also recommend additional tests, such as x-rays, to further assess your diving abilities. If you have had any ear infections in the past it is important that your dive doctor be consulted. 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. While this may seem like an easy task, it is far from simple. For example, if you cannot walk a block, you should not sign up to a diving course. It is better to exercise 20 minutes four to five time per week. Even walking for a mile is not enough.
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. Scuba diving has never been associated with hemorhagic colitis, acute ischemic and mesenteric vein embombosis.
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. Although the objective of the test is to determine a diver’s distance and near vision abilities, it also measures a person’s visual acuity.
You should check for barotrauma
Scuba diving requires you to be extra cautious in order to prevent barotrauma. Barotrauma comes from the Greek words trauma (meaning injury) and baros (meaning pressure). 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. It can also cause vomiting and pain.
Asthma Testing
Before you go on a diving vacation, consult your doctor if you think you might have asthma. Your asthma symptoms can become more severe or less severe over time. They can also be triggered by diving. Asthma treatment can be provided by your doctor with oral steroids. To protect yourself, keep some inhalers aboard your dive boat. To assess your asthma severity, your physician may also perform an exercise test and a lung function test.