A good dive physical should include a few parts that a professional should examine. General examination procedures include checking cardiovascular fitness, gastrointestinal function, visual acuity, and barotrauma. Additional tests may be recommended by doctors to assess your diving skills. If you have had any ear infections in the past it is important that your dive doctor be consulted. You don't need to have a history of ear problems, but a dive physical will help you get the right information.
Cardiovascular fitness:
It is essential to assess your cardiovascular health before diving as a hobby and/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 may need to walk a few miles.
Examining the gastrointestinal function
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. Belching and abdominal discomfort may be experienced by divers, but little is known about serious gastrointestinal complications. Some rare gastrointestinal conditions have been reported, including gastric rupture due to intra-gastric air expansion and massive pneumoperitoneum, which results from lung barotrauma. However, scuba diving has not been shown to cause mesenteric blood clotsis, acute Ischemia colitis, or hemorhagic Colitis.
Examining visual acuity
Dive physicals are designed to ensure that divers are able to perform the required 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. The test is designed to measure a person's vision acuity and distance vision.
Checking for barotrauma
If you plan to scuba dive, it is important that you take extra precautions in order to avoid barotrauma. The word barotrauma is derived from the Greek words baros, meaning pressure, and trauma, which means injury. When the pressure changes during diving, it can cause damage or even complete rupture to certain parts of the ear. If you have a cold or congestion, diving can cause this condition. It can also cause vomiting and pain.
Asthma Testing
You should see your physician if you suspect that you have asthma before you dive. Asthma symptoms can worsen or wax and wane, and they can even get triggered by diving. Oral steroids can be prescribed by your doctor to treat 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.