A good dive physical includes a few different parts that a medical professional should look for. General examination procedures include checking cardiovascular fitness, gastrointestinal function, visual acuity, and barotrauma. To further evaluate your diving ability, doctors may recommend additional tests such as xrays. If you have any history of ear infection, it is important to speak with your physician. You don't need to have a history of ear problems, but a dive physical will help you get the right information.
The importance of cardiovascular fitness
It is crucial to assess your cardiovascular condition before you consider diving as a hobby or career. This may sound like a simple task, but it is not. You shouldn't sign-up for a diving course if your ability to walk is not sufficient. You should be exercising for 20 minutes at least four to five days a week. You might need to walk for as little as a quarter of a mile.
Examining the function of the stomach
It is important to examine the gastrointestinal function of divers during a scuba diving physical. Ischemic colitis can happen during a dive expedition. Divers may exhibit belching and abdominal discomfort, but there is little information on severe gastrointestinal complications associated with the activity. Rare gastrointestinal conditions, such as gastric leakage due to intra-gastric pressure expansion and massive pneumoperitoneum (which results from lung barotrauma), have been reported. However, scuba diving has not been shown to cause mesenteric blood clotsis, acute Ischemia colitis, or hemorhagic Colitis.
Examining visual acuity
Dive physicals can be used to determine if divers have the ability to perform the required skills and assess their vision. The diving professional will request that a diver complete a visual ability questionnaire to assess his or her vision. While the objective is to assess a diver's distance and near vision, the test also measures a person's visual acuity.
Barotrauma screening
If you plan to scuba dive, it is important that you take extra precautions in order to avoid barotrauma. Barotrauma derives its name from the Greek words baros which is pressure and trauma which refers to injury. Pressure changes in a dive can cause damage to or even rupture of key parts and organs of the ear. This condition can be caused by diving while having a cold or congestion. You may also experience nausea or vomiting.
Asthma testing
You should see your physician if you suspect that you have asthma before you dive. The symptoms of asthma can become worse or more severe, and can be triggered by diving. Your doctor will likely prescribe you oral steroids to help with your asthma. Keep an extra supply of inhalers with you on board your dive boat. A physician can run an exercise test for asthma to assess the severity of your condition, as well as a lung function test.