Summer is a time for outdoor fun, but it also brings a rise in seasonal injuries– from sprains and cuts to heat-related illnesses and sports accidents. When someone gets hurt, it can be hard to know whether urgent care or the emergency room is the right place to go. In this blog, we’ll help you understand which summer injuries can be treated at urgent care and which require a trip to the ER, so you can get the right care quickly and safely.
For same-day injury treatment, visit the walk-in clinic at AFC Urgent Care West Orange. We see patients for acute injuries on a walk-in basis. No appointment is required! If you’d like to plan your visit in advance, simply save your spot below.
Are Urgent Care and the ER Different?
They are very different indeed, because while urgent care treats a wide variety of diseases and injuries, most of them not life-threatening at the time but for sure something you can’t treat by yourself at home, the emergency room treats injuries or illnesses that are acute or life-threatening at the moment.
Common Summer Injuries Treated at Urgent Care
1. Sun Burns and Blisters
During the summer months, Urgent care isn’t unreachable from the sight of folks complaining of blisters from their sunburns. This is because a lot of heat and UV rays are being emitted by the sun during this period, and most people don’t take precautions to avoid burning from it.
2. Dehydration or Heat-Related Illness
Summer is rife with cases of dehydration or heat-related illness, causing people to faint or fall ill. But in most cases, such cases go to the urgent care ward unless the individual's life has been judged to be in immediate danger, then go to the ER.
3. Cuts and Wounds
Cuts and wounds from running around, playing sports, or going hiking are injuries that you can take care of with a simple first aid kit. But to be safe rather than to be sorry, it is still prudent to visit urgent care to take a look at the cut to make sure it isn’t infected.
4. Strains, Sprains, and Fractures
Sprains and strains are a common thing if you’re going to be involved in sports or other outdoor activities during the summer. But not to worry because such problems can easily be looked after in urgent care. This also includes fractures and torn ligaments.
Common Summer Injuries Treated In The ER
1. Intense Fractures and Breaks
When the fractures and breaks are in vital areas like the skull, ribs, or pelvis, or are numerous around the body, then the person needs to be taken to the ER. Because such an injury is too severe to be handled at Urgent Care, and if not looked at immediately, it could be life-threatening.
2. Third Degree Burns.
The heat during summer or flames from barbecues can be so intense that they cause third-degree burns. At this level, the burns cause intense pain and start to damage the nerve endings on the skin.
3. Severe Head Injuries.
Head injuries should not be taken lightly, and any such injury that results in the person losing consciousness or bleeding from the head goes straight to the emergency room.
4. Deep Cuts on Vital Organs
Normal cuts that don’t go too deeply to the point that they hit a major artery or vital organ can be handled at the urgent care center. But when the wound or the cut hits any major artery or removes a limb, then it needs to be taken care of in the emergency room.
Get Acute Injury Diagnosis & Treatment at AFC Urgent Care West Orange
Not all summer injuries require a visit to the ER. Urgent care centers are equipped to handle a wide range of non-life-threatening issues like minor burns, sprains, cuts, and heat exhaustion– often with shorter wait times and lower costs. However, for serious injuries, the ER is the safest choice. If you’re dealing with an acute injury, come visit the walk-in clinic at AFC Urgent Care West Orange for rapid care. You can visit us any day during the week, including our convenient evening and weekend hours. For more information about the types of injuries we treat, please call to speak with one of our medical professionals at (973) 669-5900.
