Physical Exams

What are physical exams?

Physical exams are an important part of your treatment program at Victory Recovery Partners. They enable your provider to assess your current state of health, the effects of your addiction on your body, and evaluate any co-occurring medical conditions.

Patients enrolling in one of Victory Recovery Partners' addiction treatment programs, such as the intensive outpatient program, undergo a physical exam as part of their initial psychiatric evaluation.

Physical exams are simple, quick, and easy.  Exams typically take less than an hour and are available at all Victory locations. 

At Victory Recovery Partners, all patients see board-certified physicians or psychiatric nurse practitioners and can be sure of receiving compassionate care from people who truly understand the challenges of addiction.

What does a physical exam involve?

Your physical exam at Victory Recovery Partners is a comprehensive evaluation and medical examination. The procedure is very similar to an annual physical that you might have with your primary care provider. It begins with checks of all your vital signs, including:

• Temperature
• Blood pressure
• Heart rate
• Respiration rate
• Reflexes
  
  

Your physician at Victory Recovery Partners listens to your heart and lungs through a stethoscope, checking for any sounds that could indicate an infection, disease, or abnormality. They also carry out a careful examination of your body, looking at the condition of your eyes, throat, teeth and gums, skin, hair, nails, and joints.

During the physical exam, your physician is constantly assessing aspects of your health, such as how well you move, whether you have any problems balancing or talking, how alert you are, signs like tremors or rashes, and whether you're showing signs of depression, anxiety, or other mental health disorders.

What happens after my physical exam?

After completing your physical examination, your provider takes blood and urine samples for lab testing. In addition to checking for markers of disease, such as raised blood sugar, they need to run toxicology tests to measure the levels of harmful substances in your body. That helps them plan your treatment program and provides a baseline for future toxicology tests.

As soon as they have the results of your tests, your Victory Recovery Partners physician goes over the findings with you. They may have concerns about underlying health problems that need attention, such as diabetes. You might be unaware you have diabetes, or your addiction might be interfering with your ability to manage the condition.

Either way, addressing these issues helps you improve your wellness and optimize your chances of successful addiction recovery.

If you want to find out more about physical exams or arrange a psychiatric evaluation, call Victory Recovery Partners or book an appointment online today.