Practices Start in a Few Weeks. The Physical Cannot Wait.
Every August, the same thing happens across North County. Fall practices open at Pattonville, Hazelwood Central and West, McCluer, Ritenour, and the private schools, and hundreds of families discover that their athlete cannot step on the field without a current physical on file. The school's free physical night already happened, the pediatrician is booked into September, and the urgent care line is out the door.
If you are in that spot, here is the short version: we do MSHSAA sports physicals at our Bridgeton office for $25, appointments are usually available the same week, and your athlete leaves with the signed form in hand. Book a $25 sports physical online or call (636) 393-8390.
The rest of this post covers what the MSHSAA form actually requires, what the exam includes, what it costs around St. Louis, and what to bring so you only have to make one trip.
What Missouri Actually Requires (the MSHSAA 3-Step Form)
Missouri high school athletes need a pre-participation physical evaluation on the official MSHSAA form, and the form has three parts:
- Step 1, Medical History. You and your athlete fill this out at home. If your student is under 18, a parent or guardian helps complete it. This page stays with the examining provider, not the school.
- Step 2, the Physical Exam. The hands-on evaluation, performed and recorded by a licensed healthcare professional.
- Step 3, the Medical Eligibility Form. This is the only page that goes back to the school. It is the signed clearance that makes your athlete eligible.
Two details on that form surprise most parents:
- A full clearance is valid for two years. If your athlete was cleared without restrictions last August on the current form, check with the athletic office before paying for a new exam. Many families buy physicals they do not need yet.
- It is not just for sports. The same MSHSAA eligibility form covers sports, spirit squads, and marching band. Band camp families need this form too, and they are usually the last to find out.
Missouri's form lists exactly who may perform and sign the exam: MD, DO, PA, ARNP, or DC. As a Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Bordeaux is authorized to perform the full evaluation and sign the eligibility form your school collects.
What Happens During the Exam
A sports physical is a real screening, not a signature station. At our office the visit takes about 20 minutes and covers:
- Review of the medical history you filled out, including the heart-health questions MSHSAA added for sudden cardiac risk
- Vital signs: blood pressure, pulse, height, and weight
- Heart and lung exam
- Vision check
- A joint-by-joint musculoskeletal screen: neck, back, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles
Most healthy athletes are cleared and signed off in that same visit. If the screening flags something, a heart murmur, uncontrolled asthma, or an old injury that never fully healed, we document it, explain the next step, and complete the clearance once it is resolved. That is the point of the exam, and it is exactly how the sports physical process is designed to work.
The musculoskeletal screen is also where a chiropractic office earns its keep. We look at the same knees and shoulders all season through youth sports injury care, so when a returning athlete shows up with a quietly aggravated ankle from last spring, we catch it before two-a-days make it worse.
What Sports Physicals Cost Around St. Louis (Summer 2026)
| Where | Price | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Wellness Chiropractic (Bridgeton) | $25 | Same-week appointments, form signed at the visit |
| Urgent care chains (Total Access, CareNow) | $35 | Summer promo pricing; walk-in waits during the August rush |
| Hospital-system convenient care | $35 | Year-round youth physical pricing at select locations |
| Retail clinics (CVS MinuteClinic) | $60 to $70 | Self-pay; most insurance does not cover sports physicals |
| School or hospital free physical events | Free | Limited dates and partner schools; slots fill fast |
One thing that surprises families every year: most insurance plans treat a sports physical as a separate screening exam, not a covered wellness visit. That is why nearly everyone, including the big chains, quotes a flat cash price. Ours is $25, paid at the visit, no insurance paperwork involved.
If your school offers a free physical night and the date works for you, take it. Those events exist for a reason and we are glad they do. This post is for the much larger group whose event already passed, whose slots filled, or whose school is not on a partner list.
What to Bring So One Trip Is Enough
- The MSHSAA form, with the Medical History page already filled out. Print it from your school's athletics page or the MSHSAA website. Under-18 athletes need a parent or guardian to help complete the history.
- A parent or guardian for athletes under 18.
- Glasses or contacts if your athlete wears them, for the vision check.
- A list of current medications and dosages.
- Details of past injuries or surgeries, especially anything from last season that still acts up.
Forget the form? We keep current MSHSAA forms at the front desk. It just adds a few minutes to the visit.
Serving Every North County District
Our office sits at 11520 St. Charles Rock Rd in Bridgeton (63044), easy to reach from I-270 via the St. Charles Rock Rd exit. Typical drive times for the families we see:
- Pattonville schools: 5 minutes
- St. Ann and Maryland Heights: 5 to 8 minutes
- Hazelwood Central, East, and West: 8 to 12 minutes
- Florissant and the Ferguson-Florissant district: 12 to 15 minutes
- Earth City, Berkeley, and Overland: under 12 minutes
After-school and early-evening slots go first in August. If your athlete's coach set a paperwork deadline, do not wait for the week before.
Sports Physical FAQs
How much does a sports physical cost near me?
Around St. Louis in summer 2026, expect $35 at urgent care chains, $60 or more at retail clinics, and free only at limited school-partnered events. Our price in Bridgeton is $25.
How long is an MSHSAA physical good for?
A clearance without restrictions is valid for two years from the exam date. The examining provider can also issue a shorter clearance when follow-up is needed, so check the box your provider marked on the eligibility form.
Can a chiropractor do a sports physical in Missouri?
Yes. The MSHSAA form authorizes MD, DO, PA, ARNP, and DC providers to perform the exam and sign the Medical Eligibility Form. Schools accept the signed Step 3 form regardless of which listed provider type signed it.
Does marching band really need one?
Yes. The MSHSAA eligibility form covers Sports, Spirit, and Marching Band. Band directors collect the same Step 3 form the coaches do.
What if my athlete does not pass?
Most athletes are cleared the same day. If something needs a closer look first, we explain exactly what and why, coordinate the follow-up, and sign the clearance as soon as it is resolved. A flagged physical is the screening doing its job, not a dead end.
Book the Physical, Cross It Off the List
Ten minutes of paperwork at home, twenty minutes in our office, and your athlete is cleared for the season with the signed MSHSAA form in hand for $25.
Book a $25 sports physical online or call (636) 393-8390. If you have several athletes in the house, tell us and we will book them back to back.
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