Stabler Clinic is offering sports physicals, which the Alabama High School Athletic Association requires, for Butler County’s student-athletes.  And they’re doing so at no charge.

The physicals will cover all male and female sports for all student-athletes at Greenville, Georgiana, McKenzie and Fort Dale Academy.

Clinic manager Amanda Salter said that this year the clinic is looking to get the word out to as many students as possible.

“We just want to get the word out that it is for all students, and we try to relay that through the coaches,” Salter said. “But sometimes there are kids that are missed, and just don’t get the word to know to come that day.”

Hundreds of students will flood the Stabler Clinic facility at 300 College Street, which might ordinarily make for a daunting task for the modestly-staffed clinic.  Fortunately, they’ll have some help in the form of additional family nurse practitioners, helpers from the sports medicine crew and also participants from the hospital’s physical therapy department.

Though the times haven’t been ironed out yet, working dates are available for three of the four planned physicals.

“We have them scheduled and we haven’t confirmed a time yet with the coaches,” Salter said.  “Zebbie Mitchell is our athletic trainer and he’s working with the coaches on exact times.

“Right now we have McKenzie’s scheduled on April 18, Greenville on April 20 and Georgiana on April 28.  A date for Fort Dale Academy hasn’t been set yet.”

Students will undergo a comprehensive exam in which nurse practitioners determine whether they’ve ever had previous injuries.  They’ll then move to the orthopedic and physical therapy phase in which their past history of fractures and sprains is determined.

“We just want to be sure that we capture any disability or problems that the student-athlete may have before they start competing, especially if they’re a new athlete who hasn’t competed before,” Salter said. “You want to be sure that any problems that you can see during the physical visit can be captured before they got out and any harm came to them.”

For more info, call Stabler Clinic at 334-382-2681.