Recent Blog Posts

Scares make Halloween a favorite for people of all ages. Costumes, trick-or-treating, parties, and Athen’s Fright Fest, bring thrills and fun for the whole family. However, Halloween also comes with the potential for hazards, with thousands of people seeking emergency medical care for Halloween-related injuries. Unfortunately, many Halloween-related injuries are preventable.   In this blog, we’ll cover practical Halloween safety tips and ways to avoid common Halloween injuries. They will help keep your family ...

Read more..

Ankle injuries are all too common and happen in an instant. You can twist your ankle on an uneven piece of pavement or land awkwardly during a workout, doing an exercise you have done a million times with no issue. Or you could step on a rock on a weekend hike at Eureka Trail, rolling your ankle.   In the blink of the eye, your ankle is swollen and tender, leaving you with pain, discomfort, and ...

Read more..

We’ve all experienced seasonal allergies, from sneezing and congestion to hives and itchy skin. It’s a familiar cycle that affects each of us differently but significantly impacts our day-to-day lives.   Allergies affect one in three people in the U.S., ranking them among the most common chronic conditions. An allergy occurs when the body’s immune system interprets a substance as harmful and attempts to remove it, causing varying levels of reaction. The ...

Read more..

The beginning of a new school year comes with plenty of paperwork. For some families in Athens, that includes getting a school physical completed before a child can start certain activities, participate in athletics, or meet school health requirements. The tricky part is finding time for another appointment. Back-to-school season can make primary care schedules especially busy, and waiting for an available appointment is not always practical when a form is due soon. That is ...

Read more..

Back-to-school season means it's time to get everything in order before classes and practices begin. Along with buying school supplies and organizing schedules, many families also need to check one important item off their list: a school or sports physical. If your child plans to play football, soccer, volleyball, cross country, golf, or cheerleading this fall, there's a good chance they'll need a physical before participating. At AFC Urgent Care Athens, we ...

Read more..

Summer in East Tennessee has a way of pulling families outside. One afternoon might be spent splashing around at Athens Regional Park, another cheering from the sidelines at the McMinn County Bicentennial Park, or strolling through Downtown Athens for a community event. A few hours in the sun can make for great memories, but it can also leave you wondering if your child's bright red skin is more than a typical sunburn. Most sunburns ...

Read more..

Wondering if your child’s playground injury is a sprain, break, or bruise? Visit AFC Urgent Care Athens for walk-in pediatric injury care and on-site X-rays. It happens fast. Your child jumps from the monkey bars, misses a step on the playground, or takes a hard fall while chasing friends across the grass. Within seconds, the fun comes to a stop, and you’re left trying to answer one question: How serious is this? That ...

Read more..

The Fourth of July is one of the most anticipated holidays of the summer in Athens. Families gather for backyard cookouts, children stay up late to watch fireworks, and neighbors come together to celebrate Independence Day. Whether you’re spending the holiday with family near Downtown Athens or attending community celebrations throughout McMinn County, fireworks are often a major part of the festivities. While fireworks can be exciting, they also send thousands of people to ...

Read more..

Learn the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke, common symptoms, treatment options, and when to visit AFC Urgent Care Athens or seek emergency medical care. Summer in Athens, TN often means spending more time outdoors. Whether you’re cheering on a youth baseball team at Athens Regional Park, walking through a community event downtown, or working outside during a stretch of hot July weather, it’s easy to underestimate how quickly the Tennessee heat ...

Read more..

Wondering why your mosquito bite is swollen? Learn signs of an infected mosquito bite, when swelling is normal, and when to visit urgent care in Athens, TN. A lot of people in Athens do not think twice about mosquito bites until one suddenly becomes huge, red, and impossible to ignore. It usually starts after something normal, spending the evening at Athens Regional Park, sitting outside during a weekend cookout, or watching kids play ball while ...

Read more..

Tick bites are common in Athens, TN during spring. Learn Lyme disease symptoms, how to remove a tick safely, and when to visit urgent care. Spring in Athens is the time when people start getting back outside. You see more families at Athens Regional Park, more yard work getting done, and more weekends spent on nearby trails or by the water. It’s one of the best parts of living in East Tennessee, but it ...

Read more..

Wondering if it’s a cold, COVID, or sinus infection? Learn the key differences and when to visit AFC Athens for fast, family-friendly care. Between school drop-offs, sports practices, and afternoons spent at Athens Regional Park, families in Athens stay busy year-round. But when someone in the house starts feeling under the weather, everything can quickly slow down. It often starts the same way. A runny nose, a little fatigue, maybe a cough that seems ...

Read more..

Learn how AFC Urgent Care Athens treats sprains quickly so you can recover fast after weekend sports or outdoor activities. Weekends in Athens often revolve around outdoor sports, school activities, or family time at Athens Regional Park. It is common to see local families enjoying soccer games or children racing each other across the grass while parents watch from the sidelines. You might also catch a game at McMinn County High School, where community support ...

Read more..

Learn how to identify and treat poison ivy, oak, and sumac rashes after hiking around Athens parks and trails. Spending time outdoors is part of everyday life in Athens. Whether you are walking trails near Athens Regional Park or enjoying green spaces around McMinn County Living Heritage Museum, it is easy to come into contact with plants that seem harmless at first. A few hours later, you may notice an itchy rash that was not ...

Read more..

Seasonal allergies getting worse? Learn when pollen symptoms may require urgent care and when to seek medical help. Spring in Athens brings warmer weather, blooming trees, and plenty of time outdoors, whether you are walking near Athens Regional Park or visiting events around Tennessee Wesleyan University. However, along with these seasonal changes comes a sharp rise in pollen levels that can trigger uncomfortable and sometimes serious health symptoms. For many people, seasonal allergies cause mild ...

Read more..

Feeling under the weather & suspect it’s the flu, but you don’t have a fever? Here are all the ways you can identify this winter illness. When most people think about the flu, a high fever is usually the first symptom that comes to mind. While fever is a common sign of influenza, it’s not always present. Different flu symptoms can hit at any time – grabbing a cup of coffee at Blue Front ...

Read more..

Has your health been inconsistent since you tested positive for COVID a few months ago? Visit our clinic to help manage lingering symptoms.  A few months ago, you tested positive for COVID-19. Your symptoms were moderate and after the standard five days of self-isolation, you returned to your daily routine. But now a couple of months later, you’re still struggling with severe fatigue, and your taste and smell haven’t been the same. It ...

Read more..

Debating on whether or not you should visit urgent care for your constant cough? Check into AFC for peace of mind & affordable treatment.  It’s important to treat yourself every once in a while. We recommend hitting up Hair Therapy & Spa or cutting into a homemade pan of cinnamon rolls from Patriot Cakes & Creamery for a full Athens, TN experience. When you want to embrace life to the fullest – a lingering cough can get in ...

Read more..

Ever wonder why your cold symptoms seem to get worse at night? AFC Athens answers this common winter curiosity. We accept most insurance!  Taking your kiddos to indoor playgrounds like Mimi’s Jungle Gym is a great way to pass the time, especially during the winter. A common cold won’t stop you from spending time with your little ones or enjoying a date night at the Thai House, but have you ever felt like ...

Read more..

Pneumonia can be a mild or serious infection, but can you spread or catch it? Learn more about pneumonia from your trusted AFC Athens team.  When the weather cools down, we’re in desperate need of some fun indoor activities. Lively restaurants like Angela’s Miami Grill keep our brains sharp with weekly SINGO nights while karaoke at Social Depot Hill is sure to bring out your inner rock star. But after spending a little ...

Read more..