Why Orthopedic Urgent Care Can Save You Time, Pain, and Money

Problems like injuries and illnesses lead to widespread trips to the hospital, with over 155 million Americans journeying to the ER for help in 2025. Of that number, trauma and injury care made up about 40 million visits, but the severity of the damage isn’t always the same. 

Emergency rooms have essential functions for medical health, but depending on the severity of your injuries or illness, you may wait a long time for treatment. Urgent care is a great middle ground offering medical help outside of your doctor’s office hours and managing less severe issues than an ER in a quicker time.

Orthopedic Urgent Care addresses a wide range of issues related to musculoskeletal injuries, and Dr. Joseph Daniels and the Southwest Orthopedic Associates team provide these services, as well as many others, to the Fort Worth, Texas area.

What is orthopedic urgent care?

Generally speaking, urgent care provides care for immediate, acute, and chronic medical needs, addressing a broad range of issues, including upper respiratory illnesses, back pain, nausea, rashes, diarrhea, insect bites, wound care, infections, headaches, and migraine attacks.

Orthopedic urgent care provides services for managing tissue and joint injuries, which include: 

• Strains: pulling or stretching of a tendon, which can lead to a tear

• Sprains: pulling or stretching of a ligament, also possibly causing a tear

• Dislocations: when the bone moves out of the joint

• Fractures: bone damage that can range from a mild crack to a major break  

We manage these and other orthopedic issues with treatments such as physical therapy, regenerative medicine (including PRP therapy), sports medicine, ice and heat therapy, activity modification, and tools for immobilizing injured joints, including braces and splints.

When are the benefits?

Urgent care provides an excellent service for people who need help but either don’t have a doctor or are dealing with problems outside of their doctor’s hours, but have less severe medical issues than an ER requires. 

Urgent care allows you to receive diagnostic care on-site to confirm a diagnosis and offer help that either treats the issue or provides assistance until your regular doctor can make the necessary referrals for other needs. If a condition is critical enough to require ER care, we can transfer diagnostic information upon arrival to help treat your issues.

When to consider emergency care

To determine the best place to receive treatment between urgent care and the ER, consider the severity of the problem. Mild to moderate problems are suitable for urgent care. However, if difficulties include airway obstruction, breathing issues, circulation problems, neurological illness, chest pain, severe pain, loss of consciousness, or a high fever, seek emergency care immediately.

Other reasons to get to an ER include sudden vision problems, signs of stroke, severe burns, non-stop bleeding, seizures, head injuries, significant abdominal pain, mental health crisis, irregular heartbeat, and severe broken bones.

Getting help from your doctor and emergency care always benefits you when necessary, but orthopedic urgent care can offer treatment for mild to moderate problems in a reasonable time. If you’re injured and need orthopedic urgent care, make an appointment with Dr. Daniels and the Southwest Orthopedic Associates team today for help.