Urgent Care or ER? How to Know Where to Go for Bone and Joint Injuries

Accidents and injuries happen all the time due to numerous factors, leading to minor to severe damage for those involved. Current statistics show that 30 million people visited medical offices this year alone for treatment of joint and musculoskeletal injuries, resulting in a range of symptoms that hinder movement and comfort.

In situations where the need for medical care is more immediate, and if your regular physician isn’t available to help with your joint problems, when is urgent care or an ER visit the way to manage the situation? Let’s have a look at the common joint injuries and determine the reasons these services should be used.

Fort Worth, Texas, residents dealing with joint pain and related issues have Dr. Joseph Daniels and the Southwest Orthopedic Associates team to help with treatment, including urgent care.

Common bone and joint conditions

Your joints can be affected by a range of problems, including:

Injuries

You can experience several types of damage to bones and joints from overexertion, impact, accidents, or overusing them in sports, work, or performing the same motions repeatedly at home. These frequently result in stretching and tearing of ligaments and muscles (sprains and strains), bone fractures, dislocations, bursitis, tendinitis, contusions, and concussions.

Diseases

Many types of arthritis (gout, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis) lead to joint pain and stiffness, with osteoarthritis being the most common. Joint pain can also come from lupus and fibromyalgia.

Urgent care treatment

Urgent care sits somewhere between a walk-in clinic and an emergency room: It handles all the general minor issues indicative of one, but not the severe cases of the other. You can manage all minor problems that come with walk-in cases, such as upper respiratory infections, cuts, scrapes, bruises, sore throats, and the like. However, for high fever, diarrhea, allergic reactions, concussions, minor bone fractures, sprains, and strains, urgent care is a better option.

All mild to moderate joint problems can be managed at our facility, including dislocations, chronic joint conditions, and other related joint issues mentioned.

Emergency room treatment

Emergency care works best for moderate to severe problems, dealing with things like chest pain, difficulty breathing, major lacerations, significant breaks in bones that deform or show through the skin, paralysis, severe headaches, and uncontrolled bleeding. Emergency rooms are open 24/7 and have direct access to doctors to treat issues as needed.

If the pain and other symptoms are bad enough that you can’t get medical care on your own, it’s a good indication that emergency care is necessary. They can handle other problems, but ERs are the option for conditions that immediately endanger your health.

Both urgent care and ERs are essential for immediate medical needs, but getting the best care for your specific condition should make it easier to navigate your options. So, if you’re struggling with moderate joint pain and other issues, contact Dr. Daniels and Southwest Orthopedic Associates today to get relief.