Emergency Urgent Care: When to Go to an ER: Broken Bones
Broken bones, also known as bone fractures, are among the most common injuries seen in emergency rooms all over the country, with a significant number of Americans of all ages heading over to an ER for broken bones. The reason why broken bones are among the most common injuries is due to the fact that one can suffer a broken bone through different ways and causes. It may be as a result of a heavy fall, a motor vehicle accident, as a result of sports-related injuries especially when taking part in contact sports such as football, soccer among others. Not all broken bones are born equal as while there are those that are severe and require to be attended to at an ER such as the excellent frontlineer.com, there are those that can be handled safely by your doctor or at an urgent care facility. It is important to know when and when not to go to an ER for broken bones, so that you can avoid the waiting times and the costs at an ER as ERs will always prioritize patients with serious and life-threatening conditions and therefore if your condition is not serious, you may find yourself waiting before you can be seen by the ER physicians. This article will look to highlight some of the instances that show you should head over to an ER for broken bones, with the hope that it will be of great help to you as you decide where to go after having suffered a broken bone.
One of the main instances when you should go to an ER for broken bones is if you have suffered what is referred to as an open fracture. These are also referred to as compound fractures as per the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com, and are those cases of broken bones where the broken bone penetrates the skin and is exposed. When you suffer such an injury, the broken bone may remain exposed or it may move back under the skin and may no longer be visible, although underlying tissue will still be visible. Such cases of broken bones are extremely painful and also cause severe bleeding and should always be attended to at an ER. This is because, since the bone has been exposed, there is an increased chance of bone infection, as well as infection in the underlying tissue. The specialist attention offered at an ER will also help in the healing and giving the best outcomes especially since open fractures can have issues healing as a result of being open to the skin. This is why they should always be handled at an ER, especially since surgery may be required, services not offered at an urgent care facility.
It is not always that you will suffer an open fracture where the bone has broken through the skin, and in such situations, it is important to know which signs to look out for which indicate that you should head over to an ER as soon as possible for emergency urgent care. One of the red flags you should be on the lookout for is if you notice that the injured area as well as the area surrounding it is turning blue, going pale or becoming numb. This is a sign of the broken bone injury leading to an interruption of blood supply in the affected area and should be taken seriously so as to avoid loss of the same, especially when dealing with a limb where the fingers or toes are tuning blue, pale or going numb. If the person who has suffered the broken bone appears not to be breathing or is unresponsive, you should also call 911 as soon as possible so that an ambulance can be dispatched to your location and have them taken to an ER as soon as possible for emergency urgent care. If you notice visible deformity on the site of the injury, then you should go to an ER as soon as can, such as the highly rated frontlineer.com, so that you can be attended to. While bleeding is to be expected during an injury leading to a broken bone, if the bleeding is heavy or blood is even coming out in squirts, then you should also go to an ER as soon as possible for emergency urgent care.
The nature of the injury leading to the broken bone should also determine if you need to go to an ER for the same as per the gurus over at frontlineer.com. Here, if you suffered the broken bone during a serious injury or accident, then you should go to an ER regardless of how serious your injury looks on the outside or how you feel. This is because such injuries, with car accidents being a prime example, usually cause internal injuries and even internal bleeding, which may cause serious issues if not attended to, even though it may be hard to tell from the outside. The type of bone that has been fractured also determines whether or not you need to go to an ER. While minor fractures such as broken bones of the hand, wrist, foot or even ankle can be handled at an urgent care facility, unless of course it is a compound or open fracture, there are certain broken bones that should always be handled in an ER regardless of the severity. These include broken bones in the neck, spine, head or skull, ribs, sternum, face, lower back or the lumbar, upper leg, the pelvis and the hip. If you break any of these bones, then you should go to an ER as soon as possible for emergency urgent care.
The above are the instances when you should go to an ER for broken bones, with more on this and other related topics as well as access to the best emergency urgent care services to be found over at the highly rated frontlineer.com
