Common Injuries That Require Immediate Medical Attention - Legacy ER

W​hen it comes to seeking urgent medical treatment, symptoms are often the first subject people discuss. But it’s important to know when a physical injury requires emergency services or a trip to urgent care. Here are a few common injuries that require immediate medical attention when sustained. 

Concussions

Concussions are probably one of the most common, most dangerous, and most overlooked injuries, especially among athletes. If you’re experiencing dizziness, nausea, confusion, or slurred speech after a head injury — or if you see these symptoms in another person — you should seek emergency healthcare services immediately. But regardless of whether you’re experiencing these symptoms or not, visiting your doctor or an urgent care clinic after any sort of head injury is a good idea. 

Hand Injuries

Whether it’s a deep cut or a fracture, seeking immediate care for hand injuries is crucial. Without quick, effective medical treatment, a hand injury could result in temporary disability. If you sustain a hand injury and start experiencing symptoms like numbness, severe bleeding, or loss of strength, it’s important that you seek out the appropriate treatment as soon as possible. 

Severe Burns

Burning your finger on a hot plate might not require emergency medical treatment, but if you sustain severe burns of the second or third degree, immediate medical attention is required. If you can’t tell whether you have a mild first degree burn or a more serious second degree burn, then urgent care is a viable option for treatment. Urgent care clinics average seven treatment rooms, so the wait will be shorter, especially in a situation like this. Things like spilling hot liquids, prolonged exposure to flames or hot surfaces, and burns to your ears, feet, or genitals should be treated with urgency.

Eye Injuries 

Like severe burns, eye injuries by themselves are already disturbing, which means most people seek medical attention for them anyway. But less severe symptoms may still require emergency medical attention. Bright, dark, or cloudy areas of vision could be indicative of more serious medical issues, so the sooner you get medical attention, the better. To skip the wait, urgent care clinics can be utilized here. 

Whether it’s the sudden onset of a headache or an accident with a hammer, all of these injuries require immediate medical attention. If you’re unsure whether or not to seek out emergency services, err on the side of caution and get effective treatment as soon as possible.