Experiencing an unexpected injury can disrupt your daily life. Knowing where to seek immediate medical attention can make a significant difference in your recovery. While both orthopedic urgent care and regular urgent care clinics offer medical attention outside of traditional office hours, there are key distinctions that can impact your experience and treatment.
What is Orthopedic Urgent Care?
An orthopedic urgent care center is specifically designed to provide specialized care for musculoskeletal injuries and conditions, such as fractures, sprains, strains, and sports injuries. These centers are staffed by trained orthopedic specialists who have expertise in diagnosing and treating these types of injuries [Source: Orthopedic Physicians Associates]
Key Differences of Orthopedic Urgent Care vs. Regular Urgent Care:
- Specialized Expertise: Orthopedic urgent care centers are staffed by physicians and other healthcare professionals with specialized training in musculoskeletal conditions. This expertise ensures accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment for a wide range of injuries, from sprains and strains to fractures and dislocations.
- Focus on Musculoskeletal Conditions: Unlike traditional urgent care clinics that treat a broader range of illnesses, orthopedic urgent care centers focus exclusively on conditions related to the musculoskeletal system. This allows for more efficient and effective care for patients with orthopedic injuries.
- Advanced Diagnostic Tools: Many orthopedic urgent care centers are equipped with on-site imaging capabilities, such as X-ray and sometimes even MRI, allowing for prompt diagnosis and treatment planning.
- Seamless Transition to Continued Care: As part of a larger orthopedic practice, orthopedic urgent care often provides a seamless transition to specialized care with orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, and other specialists within the same network.
What Services Does Orthopedic Urgent Care Typically Offer?
Orthopedic urgent care centers, like OCR’s Longmont Orthopedic Urgent Care location, typically offer a range of services, including:
- Diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries: Sprains, strains, fractures, dislocations, tendonitis, bursitis, and other musculoskeletal conditions
- On-site X-ray and other diagnostic imaging
- Splinting and casting for fractures
- Wound care and suturing
- Pain management options
- Physical therapy evaluations and initial treatments
- Referrals to specialists as needed
Orthopedic Urgent Care vs. Regular Urgent Care
When to Choose Orthopedic Urgent Care
An easy way to think about the key symptoms and accidents is that orthopedic urgent care is your bone and joint urgent care. Orthopedic urgent care centers provide a comprehensive range of services designed to address a variety of musculoskeletal concerns. They are designed to provide immediate medical attention for injuries and conditions affecting your bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. [Source: Princeton Orthopaedic Associates]. These urgent care services commonly include:
- Sudden Onset of Musculoskeletal Pain
- Examples: Ankle sprains, Wrist fractures, Back pain (sudden onset), Any new or unexpected pain in bones, joints, muscles, or tendons
- Acute Injuries
- Examples: Sports injuries (e.g., sprains, strains, concussions, fractures), Injuries sustained during recreational activities (e.g., hiking, biking, skiing), Falls, Any sudden injury to the musculoskeletal system
- Worsening of Existing Orthopedic Conditions
- Examples: Increased pain or swelling in a previously injured area, Loss of range of motion in a joint, Sudden worsening of arthritis symptoms, Any significant change in the severity of an existing orthopedic condition
- Concerns About a Possible Fracture or Dislocation
- Examples: Severe pain and swelling, Difficulty moving a joint, Loss of sensation or numbness, Any injury that may have caused significant trauma to a bone or joint
Specific Body Part Injury Categories
- Back and Neck Injuries: Back pain, Neck pain, Whiplash, Herniated discs, Spinal stenosis
- Hand and Wrist Injuries: Sprains, Strains, Fractures, Carpal tunnel syndrome, Trigger finger
- Shoulder, Arm, and Elbow Injuries: Rotator cuff tears, Shoulder dislocations, Elbow sprains, Tennis elbow, Golfer’s elbow
- Hip, Leg, and Knee Injuries: Hip fractures, Knee sprains, Meniscus tears, ACL/MCL tears, Hip bursitis
- Foot and Ankle Injuries: Ankle sprains, Foot fractures, Plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis
Please remember that certain conditions such as head trauma, deep lacerations, and non-orthopedic issues like the flu or fever are not suitable for treatment at orthopedic urgent care. We advise consulting your Primary Care Physician, Urgent Care, or visiting the local Hospital Emergency Room for these concerns.
When to Consider Regular Urgent Care Instead
While orthopedic urgent care centers excel in addressing musculoskeletal injuries, there are instances where seeking care at a traditional urgent care clinic may be more appropriate. These include:
- Illnesses: For conditions such as flu, strep throat, urinary tract infections, and other medical conditions not related to the musculoskeletal system.
- Minor cuts and scrapes: These do not require specialized orthopedic attention, such as simple lacerations or abrasions.
- Fever, cough, or cold symptoms: These typically indicate a respiratory or viral infection rather than a musculoskeletal issue.
Regular urgent care clinics are equipped to handle a broader range of medical conditions and can provide prompt treatment for these types of illnesses. But it is also important to note that urgent care centers are not a substitute for emergency rooms. If you have a severe or life-threatening condition, you should go to the emergency room or call 911 immediately.
Experience the Difference at OCR Longmont Orthopedic Urgent Care
At Orthopaedic & Spine Center of the Rockies (OCR), we offer comprehensive orthopedic urgent care services. Orthopedic Urgent Care is staffed by the specialists of Orthopedic & Spine Center of the Rockies and offers fast attention from our expert orthopedic providers and sports medicine specialists who utilize state-of-the-art technology, practices, and treatments for musculoskeletal injuries.