A good dive medical includes several components that a medical professional should inspect. The general examination includes checking for cardiovascular fitness and gastrointestinal function, visual ability, and barotrauma. 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.
Checking out 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 the gastrointestinal function
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. Some rare gastrointestinal conditions have been reported, including gastric rupture due to intra-gastric air expansion and massive pneumoperitoneum, which results from lung barotrauma. Scuba diving has never been associated with hemorhagic colitis, acute ischemic and mesenteric vein embombosis.
Examining visual acuity
Dive physicals are done to make sure divers can perform the necessary skills and to assess a diver’s 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.
Checking for barotrauma
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. The pressure changes that occur during a dive can cause injury or damage to key parts of the ears. You can get this condition if you are suffering from a cold, congestion, or while diving. It can also cause vomiting and pain.
Asthma screening
You should see your physician if you suspect that you have asthma before you dive. 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. To protect yourself, keep some inhalers aboard 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.