Urgent care may seem like a daunting word, especially when it comes to experiencing seemingly minor injuries or uncomfortable sensations. While not all of these pains and discomforts may warrant a trip to a hospital, they still need to be treated nonetheless. This is where urgent care comes in. Although urgent care deals with injuries like burns, deep cuts, flu symptoms, and other injuries that aren’t exactly life-threatening, they also provide other services people are unaware of.
In the US alone, around three million patients visit urgent care clinics across the country each week, and not all are rushed in for colds and injuries. These clinics are also staffed and equipped to provide STI and STD testing, physical examinations for schools and sports, as well as stitches and x-ray scans for minor injuries.
STI And STD Tests
This is an increasingly important service that urgent care clinics provide to people. With so many people unaware of the dangers of unprotected sex or engaging in them in spur-of-the-moment moments, sexually transmitted diseases are increasingly prevalent. There are a number of STDs that do not produce symptoms, which make these the most dangerous as they end up spreading infections upon others. If you are sexually active and are not locked into a partner, it is best to routinely get checked for STDs before they worsen with time.
School And Sports Physical Examinations
Many people assume that physical examinations for school or for sports can only be done with a primary care physician. This is untrue because urgent care clinics are fully capable of conducting these examinations known as pre-participation exams. These show schools or organizations that those who wish to partake in physical activities are physically fit enough and healthy.
If you are a parent that has a middle school or high school student who requires a sports physical, your local urgent care clinic can likely help you out. With the practitioners experienced in physical health, these clinics are often easier to access as well.
Stitches And X-Ray Scans For Minor Injuries
If you have a broken leg or have gotten into an accident that is extreme, the hospital emergency room is the place to be. But for minor cuts such as those from cooking accidents, or fractures from sports, urgent care clinics can conduct stitching for wounds and even provide an x-ray to assess the damage. Additionally, they can clean the wounds before and after stitching, which prevents infections from occurring down the line.
Some urgent care facilities can provide assistance and scans of minor fractures that may have occurred through physical activities or accidents. If you experience extreme pain, difficulties in movement or supporting weight, swelling or deformities, these may be signs that you need to be checked for fractures or broken bones. If anything is too severe for the clinic to handle, they may refer you to a hospital for better treatment. For cases that can be handled by the clinic’s physicians, they will be able to provide treatment plans and prescription medicines for you to assist you in recovering.
Conclusion
If you experience discomfort or painful injuries, it pays to have these checked as soon as possible. Having any pains checked right away prevents them from worsening and becoming larger issues down the road. Asides from these, always remember that urgent care clinics do a wider variety of things asides from the usual treatment and recommendations. So if you need to be tested for an STD, your child’s school requires a physical, or if you experience any pains from an injury, make your way to your nearest urgent care clinic.
Agile Urgent Care is a premier urgent care center in Secaucus, New Jersey. Being a full-service, walk-in medical facility that has state-of-the-art equipment and treatment services, we are your go-to for your health needs.
