Getting injured is always a stressful situation, and that stress increases tenfold when it happens to someone you care about. When you’re that stressed, it may be hard to determine whether you should go to the doctor or not. You don’t want to let something go untreated, but you also don’t want to clog up the waiting room at the urgent care if you don’t need to be there. It’s important to be able to determine which category your injury falls into.
Take Care of It At Home
In this economy, you don’t want to head to an urgent care center and pay them to take care of something that you could’ve taken care of at home. There are several things that shouldn’t be a cause for concern and can be fixed with the simple first aid kit you have stocked at home.
Minor Cuts and Bruises
Minor cuts and scrapes are the easiest thing to take care of at home. Clean the wound with some water and gentle soap (or antiseptic cream if it’s really dirty), and keep it covered as it heals. Bruises can be handled with an ice pack and by giving your body some time to heal.
However, there are certain times when you should get your injury looked at by someone at urgent care. If you can’t get your cut to stop bleeding after five or so minutes, that’s a sign you may need stitches. Most head wounds should be looked at professionally as well as if you suspect the wound to be infected. Additionally, if your bruise is growing instead of shrinking, you should consider getting checked out.
Splinter Removal
Splinters are a small yet annoying problem to deal with. You shouldn’t leave the splinter of wood in your skin for long. In most cases, you can grab a set of tweezers and pull it out yourself. Don’t forget to bandage the wound when you’re done like normal. However, if you aren’t able to get the splinter out on your own, you should make time to get it taken care of by a professional. Splinters are often breeding grounds for bacteria and other microorganisms that could lead to infection if not treated properly.
Simple Aches and Pains
There’s no reason to head to the doctor for a simple headache when over-the-counter painkillers will do the trick. Those happen every now and then to everyone. You should only be concerned when the headaches are becoming chronic. There may be an underlying cause that you’ll need a doctor (either urgent or primary care) to address.
Head to Urgent Care
Urgent cares exist for a reason, and you shouldn’t be concerned about taking up space in the waiting room when you actually need to see a doctor.
Minor Breaks and Sprains
While some sprains and strains can be taken care of at home, often it’s hard to tell whether something is strained or broken on your own. A doctor is trained to evaluate the injury in a way that you can’t while you’re in pain. In some cases, your local urgent care will have access to an X-ray machine to let you know how bad the break is. They’ll also give you a support device (cast, brace, etc.) if you need one and give you advice on how to heal best.
Unexplained Rashes
Rashes should also be examined by a doctor, especially if you aren’t sure where they came from. While you could compare your rash to pictures on the internet in an effort to diagnose yourself, it’s easier if you head to urgent care and have the doctor evaluate you. They’ll ask you some questions and look at the rash’s pattern to determine what it is. Most rashes can be treated with certain over-the-counter medications, but your doctor will give you exact instructions to help.
Various Infections
Any infection involving your ears, nose, throat, or upper respiratory system needs to be seen by a doctor. In most cases, these infections require prescribed medication as a treatment, so being seen by your local urgent care doctor is necessary to treat the infection.
