Medically reviewed by Dr. Cade Sapala, DCDoctor of Chiropractic, Carolina Performance Chiropractic · Updated July 2026
Heading into each season, athletes across the Upstate line up for a sports physical. Most places treat it as a box to check. We treat it as a chance to do something more useful for the athlete. Your physical is performed by Dr. Cade Sapala, a sports and performance chiropractor who works with athletes every day. You leave with your school sports form completed and signed and your athlete cleared to play, and you can add a personalized movement screening that shows where your athlete is most likely to get hurt this season and what to do about it.
Two Ways to Book
Standard Sports Physical
$40
The complete preparticipation exam your school requires, done thoroughly and signed before you leave.
- Full preparticipation physical exam
- School sports form completed and signed
- By appointment, no waiting room
Physical + Personalized Movement Screening
$60 ($20 add-on)
Everything in the standard physical, plus a sport-specific screening that flags the injury your athlete is most at risk for.
- Everything in the standard physical
- Sport-specific movement screening
- Your athlete's top injury risk, in plain language
- Targeted corrective work to address it
Both options are self-pay, so no insurance is needed. Serving Greenville, Mauldin, Simpsonville, and the surrounding Upstate.
“A standard physical clears you to play. The movement screening tells you how to stay healthy all season.”
What a Sports Physical Covers
Every physical is the full preparticipation exam. We do not rush it.
- Medical and injury history review
- Height, weight, and vital signs
- Blood pressure and pulse
- Vision check
- Heart and lung exam
- Abdominal and general screening
- Joints, flexibility, and range of motion
- Completion of your physical form
The $60 option adds the sport-specific movement screening described next.
The Personalized Movement Screening
A standard physical confirms that an athlete is healthy enough to play. It does not tell you how they move, or where they are likely to break down over a long season. That is what the movement screening adds.
We take the athlete through a series of movements, some general and some specific to their sport, and watch for the asymmetries, restrictions, and weak links that tend to turn into injuries. Then we hand them a plain-language read on their single biggest injury risk and the specific work that will shore it up. For a runner that might be a hip that collapses on one side. For a pitcher it might be a shoulder that has lost rotation. Knowing it in August is a lot better than finding out in October.
Why Get It From a Sports Chiropractor
You can get a sports physical at an urgent care, a retail clinic, or a pediatrician, and they all work. Here is what is different about getting yours here.
| Carolina Performance Chiropractic | Urgent Care / Retail Clinic | |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the exam | A sports and performance chiropractor who works with athletes daily | A rotating provider who may not treat athletes |
| Movement and injury-risk screening | Available as a $20 add-on | Not offered |
| If something looks off | We can assess it and start a plan on the spot | Referred elsewhere |
| The goal | Clear your athlete to play and help them stay healthy all season | Complete and sign the form |
It is the same athlete-first approach we bring to sports chiropractic care and to working with runners and triathletes year round.
What to Bring
To make the visit quick, bring:
- The physical form your school or league provides
- A list of current medications
- Any known allergies
- Relevant medical or family history
- A parent or guardian if the athlete is under 18
Most South Carolina schools use the South Carolina High School League preparticipation form. We complete and sign it during your visit, and we can supply the form if you do not have one. Your athlete leaves cleared to play, with the form ready to hand back to the school.
Who It's For
We see athletes of every level, and the movement screening is tailored to the sport.
- Middle school and high school athletes
- College and club athletes
- Travel, select, and rec league players
- Adult and masters athletes
Whether the sport is cross country, soccer, football, basketball, baseball or softball, volleyball, swimming, tennis, lacrosse, wrestling, or cheer and gymnastics, the screening looks at the demands that sport actually places on the body.
For Coaches and Athletic Directors
Run a team or an athletic program in the Greenville area? We can coordinate sports physicals for your athletes and keep the movement-screening option open for anyone who wants a deeper look at injury risk before the season. Reach out or call (864) 202-4938 and we will set up a time that works around your schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
A standard sports physical is $40. For $60 you can add a personalized movement screening that identifies where your athlete is most likely to get hurt this season. Both are self-pay, so no insurance is needed.
The standard physical is the full preparticipation exam: a medical and injury history review, height, weight, and vital signs, blood pressure and pulse, a vision check, a heart and lung exam, an abdominal and general screening, and a joints, flexibility, and range of motion check, plus completion of your preparticipation physical form. The $60 option adds a sport-specific movement screening.
It is a short assessment where we watch how the athlete moves through general and sport-specific patterns, identify the asymmetries and restrictions most likely to lead to injury, and give them targeted corrective work. A standard physical clears an athlete to play. The movement screening tells them how to stay healthy through the season.
Your exam is performed by a sports and performance chiropractor who works with athletes every day. You can add a movement and injury-risk screening that walk-in clinics do not offer, and if we spot a problem we can assess it and build a plan rather than send you elsewhere.
Bring the preparticipation form your school or league provides. Most South Carolina schools use the South Carolina High School League form, which we complete and sign during your visit. If you do not have one, we can supply it. You leave with the form signed and your athlete cleared to play.
Plan on about 20 to 30 minutes for the standard physical, and a bit longer if you add the movement screening.
A preparticipation physical is generally valid for one year, but check your school or league for their specific date requirements before the season starts.
No. You can book a sports physical directly online, whether or not you have seen us before.
References
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Preparticipation Physical Evaluation.
- South Carolina High School League. Sports Medicine.
This page is for education and does not replace an individual evaluation by a licensed provider.