Orthopedic injuries can be sustained while playing sports, in a motor vehicle accident, and just by living life. We’ve all slipped on the stairs or caught ourselves while falling, so it’s important to understand these injuries and when to seek treatment.
An orthopedic urgent care treats “musculoskeletal injuries that include trauma from accidents or falls, fractures, sprains, and dislocations,” according to Direct Orthopedic Care.
Fall or Crush Injuries: Knee, Back, Foot, and Ankle Pain
There are plenty of injuries that require an orthopedic urgent care. Typically the urgent care sees patients experiencing acute injuries. According to the National Institutes of Health, “acute injuries happen suddenly, such as when a person falls, receives a blow, or twists a joint.”
In the wintertime, an injury skiing, snowboarding injuries, and strains from shoveling snow are common in Colorado. In the summertime skateboarding, riding a scooter, biking, or jumping on a trampoline create the potential for injury as well. Sports injuries arise from playing football, softball, kickball, hockey, soccer, or other sports.
Commonly injured body parts include:
- Neck
- Shoulder
- Ribs
- Wrist and Forearm
- Low Back and Tailbone
- Knee
- Ankle
Why are X-Rays Important?
X-ray services are an important diagnostic tool used to determine if injuries are sprains, strains, dislocations, or fractures.
Fractures, according to MedlinePlus, are a break in the bone. Diagnosing fractures is easily done with an x-ray. Symptoms of bone fractures include: intense pain, numbness, tingling, problems with moving the limb; and swelling, bruising, or tenderness at the site of the injury.
Strains are torn or stretched muscles or tendons. MedlinePlus explains that “tendons are tissues that connect muscle to bone.” Like with a fracture, symptoms include pain and swelling. However, a strain can cause muscle spasms and trouble moving the muscle.
Sprains are torn or stretched ligaments. “Ligaments are tissues that connect bones at a joint,” as explained by MedlinePlus. As with a fracture, symptoms include pain, swelling, and bruising. With a sprain it can be difficult to move your joint.
Dislocations are a joint injury that forces the end of your bone out of position, according to MedlinePlus. A dislocated joint has similar symptoms to a fracture: swelling, pain, and problems with moving the body part.
Injuries & When to Seek Treatment
Examples of injuries that may require an x-ray include, but are not limited to:
Crush injuries are sustained when there is pressure put onto a body part, such as when “the body is squeezed between two heavy objects,” according to the National Library of Medicine. An example is when a heavy object is dropped on a person’s hand or foot. These injuries typically require medical treatment due to the chance of fractures, nerve damage, and/or bleeding. An example is closing your hand in a car door or being involved in a motor vehicle accident, or MVA.
FOOSH is an acronym for “fall onto an outstretched hand,” as stated by WebMD. These types of injuries are most often due to a patient landing on their hand or wrist due to a slip or fall. An example that is common during the winter months is slipping on ice and bracing yourself from the fall with your hand.
Fall injuries – The CDC states that for every five falls, one of those falls will cause an injury like a broken bone or head injury. A fall injury can happen to anyone, but older people are at higher risk. If a person hits their head, it is important to seek medical treatment if feeling unwell afterward.
For fall injuries, older adults are encouraged to seek treatment to determine if there is injury to their brain. An example of this type of injury is falling on stairs. This may cause tailbone pain if landing on your bottom.
It is important to seek injury treatment if you have any concerns. According to the Houston Methodist, it is especially important to seek treatment when there is/are:
- Weakness when moving the limb or muscle
- Joint swelling that comes about rapidly
- Limb deformity
- Not being able to bear weight
- Joint pain that is persistent
- Swelling that limits your ability to move toes or fingers
Urgent Care with X-Ray Near Me
Looking for an urgent care with x-ray near me? Whether you tripped on the stairs resulting in you landing on your shoulder or you sustained a sports injury, Advanced Urgent Care & Occupational Medicine in Colorado has experienced x-ray technicians and providers ready to assess your injury.
Our urgent care centers have digital x-ray machines. We offer extended hours to complement the hours of your primary care provider. We are open 7 days a week with urgent care clinics across the Denver metro area. *Due to staffing shortages, x-ray services vary by clinic. You may be asked to travel to a nearby clinic. Click here to view our locations.
If your injury is serious, please go to the emergency room. Otherwise, visiting an urgent care is fine and oftentimes, the wait times are shorter at the urgent care. Click here to learn more about the ER vs. urgent care.
We can treat minor injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. Click here to learn more about MVAs.