Urgent care facilities are opening up in almost every town and city in the U.S. People are finding these types of clinics to be extremely convenient when a doctor’s appointment cannot be attained and the wait at the emergency room is out of the question. Urgent cares are set up to receive patients whose complaints are not life threatening, but cannot wait for an appointment at the doctor’s office.

Such problems as chest pain or severe head injuries are, without a doubt, reasons to be seen immediately at a hospital emergency room. Some examples of symptoms that can be seen by urgent cares are a sprain or strain, a cut that does not need stitches, minor broken bones, a skin rash, a cough or a severe sore throat, and others. These are not typically life threatening complaints and can easily be attended to at urgent cares, or a medical walk in clinic.

Symptoms that are strongly advised to be seen to at a hospital emergency room are chest pain, severe head injuries, heavy bleeding, compound fractures, fever in a newborn, and many other types of problems. An infant under three months old suffering from a fever or convulsions is best examined and treated at a medical center emergency room, or, even better, a pediatric emergency room that specializes in children that young.

Urgent cares and immediate care facility’s names are often verbally used interchangeably. However, there is a difference between the two. Often an urgent care facility will accept patients with time-sensitive complaints, but not symptoms that are serious or life threatening. Many people are misled by the name urgent, and will assume that this term means that this facility will take in someone with symptoms that should be seen at a hospital emergency room. The term immediate care means that the facility will allow people to be able to walk in and be seen for non-serious, non-life threatening symptoms.

Many urgent cares, about 85%, will typically be open seven days every week, giving easy access to patients even when they are not able to reach their primary physician. It is estimated that the number of people in the United States who stop in at an urgent care facility each week is up around three million. The most common illness urgent care staff members treat is the common cold or flu, and the most routine procedure they practice is the treatment of wounds. In addition, most of these centers, at least four out of five, will treat fractures. Some urgent cares will provide preventative care such as vaccinations and blood pressure checks in addition to providing such services as certain laboratory tests, and physical examinations for sports, work, and school. Diagnostic testing is also sometimes available; for instance, pregnancy testing, X-rays, EKG, and drug screening.

People with moderate to severe back pain will often visit an urgent care facility. However, statistics show that 40% of people who experience pain every day do not see a doctor, they simply live with the pain, providing it does not render them nonfunctional. Up to 69% of Americans with low back pain admit that it does affect them on a daily basis, yet, so few will spend the time or money to find relief. Many will try to find relief from back pain through exercise, which, although it may work for a time, is not always the answer for the long term health and strength of the back.

Knee pain is also a common problem for many people. There are many different reasons why a person will experience pain, swelling, or even weakness in one or both knees. To find out why an individual is having this problem, a visit to a physician would be the best place to start. Normally, X-rays will be ordered, and, if necessary, a doctor may order an MRI for a closer, more detailed look. When a diagnosis is made, depending upon the cause of the malady, very often physical therapy will be the treatment of choice.

Urgent care facilities employ approximately 20,000 doctors. The need for these types of care centers has resulted in their widespread construction and availability, in addition to opening up new doors through which physicians are given opportunities to provide much needed medical care to the public.