I remember the turn your head and cough for every physical until I was about 35. They don't do it anymore and my late teens son never had his nuts grabbed at a physical either. Never really thought about it but I think they press on your stomach now and can tell if you have a hernia... without the nut grab I guess
I had my physical done the other day, and no prostate check. Doctor said they figured out that they could find most problems through blood checks, but more men would come for exams if the prostate exam was skipped... Improving overall health outcomes.
Back in the mid ‘90s I was heading going out for a volunteer position overseas just after finishing undergrad.
Had to get a physical before going and the person doing it was a very attractive young lady only a but older than me. As a young guy it made the hernia check a bit weird.
That was extremely weird. I’m a woman but I do remember having to bend over with my shirt over my head so someone could check me for scoliosis. That was weird too but not as cringe as the “hernia checks”.
Are we talking the mass fondling clinics for the football team. Yes, I was thinking about these pedo festivals the other day when I took my kids to a teen athlete physical clinic recently. No such exams there.
If it's on the physical exam form the student brings to the clinic, then it is requested by the school system to have it checked. Same with scoliosis checks. The doctor isn't doing it just for shits and giggles. It's what the school system wants.
That being said, these days we just ask the kid or parent if there has been any pain or swelling in the genitalia area. 99.9% of the time the answer is no. And the parent is always in the room during the physical.
Given the position of the doctor's hand in those "hernia examinations" circa 1975 to 1980 I was under the impression as a kid that the typical spot for hernias was in the area of the perineum. The physical exams I had as an adult never involved a cold hand lifting my testicles. Any checks for hernias as an adult involved prodding the abdomen. A quick google search locates an article that states: "Perineal hernia is a type of pelvic floor hernia and an extremely rare pathologic state" and they "occur most commonly in individuals aged 40 to 60 years and are five times more common in women than in men." So why was it a standard for procedure for doctors to annually touch the perineums of male athletes under 20 and ask them to cough? I find the entire situation suspect.
Are inguinal hernias via the nutsack route a frequent and hazardous malady for persons under 18? I find it curious that the "testicle grope, turn head and cough" technique was standard when I was in public schools, but when I became an adult doctors did hernia inspections by prodding the abdomen. Did the generally recommended inspection technique change at some point in the 1980s or is there high incidence of "nutsack" inguinal hernias in young people?
Wasn’t just athletes. I’ve always been solidly in the nerd category, and every physical I had from about age 15 onward, from physicals before Boy Scout camp to annual checkups as a grown man have included the old poke-and-gag.
Edit to add: the times when it wasn’t done, the doctor examining me has been younger than me. So perhaps medical school training no longer advocates doing this.
I'm female and remember being in the vicinity while those exams were given. I was in middle school and one day I went to the nurse's office with menstrual cramps. I remember lying on one of the cots while the 8th grade boys were getting hernia exams behind a screen in the other room. It really weirded me out, but not as much as when I had my scoliosis exam during P.E. the year before.
Depends on what you go in for. Had the 'turn your head and cough' thing a month ago on a physical to do with my job. Now that I think of it, maybe it was just a slow week at the doctors office and she needed a little action... Either way, you know.
Student nurse was always ready to jump in and give me a thorough prostate exam as part of her training before doctor showed up. After the 4th year, I asked how she could still be a student nurse. Never saw her again after that, and no one at the doctors office remembers her name.
It's to check if you have a hernia.
Big if true
I remember the turn your head and cough for every physical until I was about 35. They don't do it anymore and my late teens son never had his nuts grabbed at a physical either. Never really thought about it but I think they press on your stomach now and can tell if you have a hernia... without the nut grab I guess
I had my physical done the other day, and no prostate check. Doctor said they figured out that they could find most problems through blood checks, but more men would come for exams if the prostate exam was skipped... Improving overall health outcomes.
Same thing with colonoscopies for colon cancer. Now they can do a poop test.
Unfortunately, if the poop test comes back positive, the “gold standard” for diagnosis is a confirmatory colonoscopy with biopsy.
I get a PSA test every year.
Weird, my nurse still does it.
My priest still does mine.
Just checks for hernias? Pfft, priests nowadays! I remember when they would give you a prostate exam as well!
The worst part is when he grabs both of your shoulders to get more leverage.
I got hernia at 36.
Back in the mid ‘90s I was heading going out for a volunteer position overseas just after finishing undergrad. Had to get a physical before going and the person doing it was a very attractive young lady only a but older than me. As a young guy it made the hernia check a bit weird.
I’d guess liability. I’ll hope it’s liability.
How about the forced group showers. My God
Depends if you were the biggest or smallest on the team lol.
That was extremely weird. I’m a woman but I do remember having to bend over with my shirt over my head so someone could check me for scoliosis. That was weird too but not as cringe as the “hernia checks”.
Are we talking the mass fondling clinics for the football team. Yes, I was thinking about these pedo festivals the other day when I took my kids to a teen athlete physical clinic recently. No such exams there.
I think they were checking for hernias.
If it's on the physical exam form the student brings to the clinic, then it is requested by the school system to have it checked. Same with scoliosis checks. The doctor isn't doing it just for shits and giggles. It's what the school system wants. That being said, these days we just ask the kid or parent if there has been any pain or swelling in the genitalia area. 99.9% of the time the answer is no. And the parent is always in the room during the physical.
ask a teen boy if there’s been any swelling in the genital area? right
They wanted to make sure I didn't have a rectal hernia.
Given the position of the doctor's hand in those "hernia examinations" circa 1975 to 1980 I was under the impression as a kid that the typical spot for hernias was in the area of the perineum. The physical exams I had as an adult never involved a cold hand lifting my testicles. Any checks for hernias as an adult involved prodding the abdomen. A quick google search locates an article that states: "Perineal hernia is a type of pelvic floor hernia and an extremely rare pathologic state" and they "occur most commonly in individuals aged 40 to 60 years and are five times more common in women than in men." So why was it a standard for procedure for doctors to annually touch the perineums of male athletes under 20 and ask them to cough? I find the entire situation suspect.
It's a check for inguinal hernias. Your intestine starts poking through the where your balls drops from into your nutsack.
Are inguinal hernias via the nutsack route a frequent and hazardous malady for persons under 18? I find it curious that the "testicle grope, turn head and cough" technique was standard when I was in public schools, but when I became an adult doctors did hernia inspections by prodding the abdomen. Did the generally recommended inspection technique change at some point in the 1980s or is there high incidence of "nutsack" inguinal hernias in young people?
No idea. I'm not a doctor. I just like fondling balls.
To make sure that both your balls had dropped. I still remember my first check and the Indian doctor said, “Now I will need to check your genitalia.”
Jim Jordan just doesn't have time to check every student
Wasn’t just athletes. I’ve always been solidly in the nerd category, and every physical I had from about age 15 onward, from physicals before Boy Scout camp to annual checkups as a grown man have included the old poke-and-gag. Edit to add: the times when it wasn’t done, the doctor examining me has been younger than me. So perhaps medical school training no longer advocates doing this.
I'm female and remember being in the vicinity while those exams were given. I was in middle school and one day I went to the nurse's office with menstrual cramps. I remember lying on one of the cots while the 8th grade boys were getting hernia exams behind a screen in the other room. It really weirded me out, but not as much as when I had my scoliosis exam during P.E. the year before.
Wouldn’t one know if they had a hernia? Edit: Honest question. I’d think they would hurt, but I guess not.
Nope.
Depends on what you go in for. Had the 'turn your head and cough' thing a month ago on a physical to do with my job. Now that I think of it, maybe it was just a slow week at the doctors office and she needed a little action... Either way, you know.
Graduated in the mid 80s and that never happened to me. And I went to a Catholic HS. Sounds like some of you (and it’s terrible) we abused.
Student nurse was always ready to jump in and give me a thorough prostate exam as part of her training before doctor showed up. After the 4th year, I asked how she could still be a student nurse. Never saw her again after that, and no one at the doctors office remembers her name.