Should You Go to Urgent Care or the Emergency Room for Sprains and Strain?

Sprains, strains, and bone fractures can occur due to incorrect form or technique, an accident, or defective equipment that causes you to overstrain your body. If you have sprains and strains, the big question is whether you should head to a walk-in urgent care center or rush to an emergency room. When you have a sudden injury, seeking medical attention is paramount. Whether you need to visit urgent care or ER depends on the severity of the symptoms or the injury. For moderate injuries, a walk-in clinic in Marbach, San Antonio, can help, but an ER may be the option for more severe injuries like a badly sprained ankle.

Walk-in Clinic vs. Emergency Room for Common Injuries

A sprain involves a tear of or pulled ligaments, the tissues that connect bone to bone. A strain involves a pull or tear of the tendon or muscle, while a fracture entails a broken bone. It could be mild such as a hairline fracture, or severe such as shattered bone.

So if your symptom or pain is mild, going to a walk-in clinic is okay to get immediate treatment. However, if there is a total tear of ligaments, tendons, or muscles, this is considered a severe sprain or strain. Therefore, it requires an ER for treatment. The same happens for a severe fracture. 

What is a Walk-in Urgent Care?

A walk-in urgent care clinic is a healthcare facility providing relatively quick treatments involving acute illnesses and mild or minor injuries. These clinics are best for dealing with health conditions and injuries that need prompt medical treatment but aren't life-threatening. Strains, sprains, and fractures can be treated at a walk-in urgent care facility. 

The walk-in care facilities have medical and diagnostic tools and equipment. If you sustain a musculoskeletal injury, the healthcare providers can perform X-rays or other imaging tests to help ascertain the nature of the injury. After determining the damage, you may be given a bandage or splint to wear. You are offered instructions on how to take care of the injury to speed up the recovery process.

When Should Head to the ER for Sprains and Strains

You need to arrange a trip to an emergency room when the symptoms, condition, or injury are severe or seemingly life-threatening. For instance, a walk-in clinic in Marbach, San Antonio, can handle simple fractures. On the other hand, you have to reach an ER if it is a case of complex fractures like broken bones that show visible deformity or a bone pushing through the skin. It will require a major procedure to help repair the bone internally instead of just receiving a cast.

Consider urgent care near you when your injuries don't present any life-threatening complications or are not very severe and necessitate an ER trip. Visit Alamo City Urgent Care for your urgent care needs like sprains, strains, or fractures in Marbach, San Antonio. This facility's healthcare workers and clinicians can adequately take care of these issues and provide respite.