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Physical exam frequency

How often you need a physical exam; Health maintenance visit; Health screening; Checkup; Wellness appointment

Even if you feel fine, you should still see your health care provider for regular checkups. These visits can help you avoid problems in the future. For example, the only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to have it checked regularly. High blood sugar and high cholesterol levels also may not have any symptoms in the early stages. A simple blood test can check for these conditions.

Information

All adults should visit their provider from time to time, even if they are healthy. The purpose of these visits is to:

  • Screen for diseases
  • Assess and help reduce the risk of future medical problems
  • Encourage a healthy lifestyle
  • Update vaccinations
  • Maintain a relationship with a provider in case of an illness

Recommendations are based on sex and age:

Talk with your provider about how often you should have checkups.

Open References

References

Barton MB, Wolff TA. The preventive health visit. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 12.

  • Blood pressure check

    Blood pressure check - illustration

    To measure blood pressure, your doctor uses an instrument call a sphygmomanometer, which is more often referred to as a blood pressure cuff. The cuff is wrapped around your upper arm and inflated to stop the flow of blood in your artery. As the cuff is slowly deflated, your doctor uses a stethoscope to listen to the blood pumping through the artery. These pumping sounds register on a gauge attached to the cuff. The first pumping sound your doctor hears is recorded as the systolic pressure, and the last sound is the diastolic pressure.

    Blood pressure check

    illustration

  • Physical exam frequency

    Physical exam frequency - illustration

    Even if you feel fine, it still important to see your health care provider regularly to check for potential problems. Certain symptoms such as high blood sugar and high cholesterol levels often do not produce any symptoms until advanced disease has occurred.

    Physical exam frequency

    illustration

  • Blood pressure check

    Blood pressure check - illustration

    To measure blood pressure, your doctor uses an instrument call a sphygmomanometer, which is more often referred to as a blood pressure cuff. The cuff is wrapped around your upper arm and inflated to stop the flow of blood in your artery. As the cuff is slowly deflated, your doctor uses a stethoscope to listen to the blood pumping through the artery. These pumping sounds register on a gauge attached to the cuff. The first pumping sound your doctor hears is recorded as the systolic pressure, and the last sound is the diastolic pressure.

    Blood pressure check

    illustration

  • Physical exam frequency

    Physical exam frequency - illustration

    Even if you feel fine, it still important to see your health care provider regularly to check for potential problems. Certain symptoms such as high blood sugar and high cholesterol levels often do not produce any symptoms until advanced disease has occurred.

    Physical exam frequency

    illustration

 

Review Date: 5/19/2025

Reviewed By: Jacob Berman, MD, MPH, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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