People rely on a clinic like Sterling Urgent Care for the quick diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and injuries. Here, they also can schedule appointments outside of normal business hours. That's important for men and women who cannot miss work. It's also essential for someone who is injured when most healthcare clinics are closed and wants to avoid going to a hospital emergency room.

Not all injuries can be treated at an affordable urgent care center. Complex bone fractures and life-threatening injuries must be attended to in an emergency room. Relatively minor fractures, severe sprains, and puncture wounds are commonly seen at an urgent care center.

Sprains

Sprains are often treated at Sterling Urgent Care. Although people refer to a sprain by the name of the joint, it actually is an injury to the ligament connected to the joint. Ankle, knee, and wrist sprains are the most frequent. Ankle sprains occur when someone twists the ligament too far while walking, running, or turning. Knee sprains usually are associated with falling, but they also occur when pivoting. Wrist sprains typically happen when someone falls and automatically thrusts out one or both arms.

These incidents commonly can be managed at home, but a severe sprain should receive medical care. A healthcare practitioner can rule out a bone fracture during the appointment. Wearing a splint or other type of support device to immobilize the joint may be advisable. In other cases, wearing a compression bandage is all that's necessary. This reduces blood flow to the area, which decreases inflammation and swelling.

Fractures

Relatively minor bone fractures of the wrist, hand, feet and ankle also can be managed at the best urgent care clinic in the area. By age group, children and senior citizens are those most likely to experience this injury. Patients may not know whether the bone was broken but suspect a fracture because of the intense pain. An X-ray confirms the diagnosis.

Fractures to these body parts most commonly occur because of falls and athletic activity. Motor vehicle accidents also frequently result in broken bones.

Puncture Wounds

Puncture wounds may need to be thoroughly cleaned and inspected by a healthcare practitioner. Stepping on a sharp object like a nail, especially when barefoot, is a somewhat frequent occurrence. That's particularly true for children.

These wounds are prone to infection because dirt and other contaminants are trapped inside. If the patient has not received a tetanus vaccination in the previous five years, the practitioner will want to provide one when treatment is provided to prevent serious complications.