Emergency Urgent Care: When to Go to an ER: Joint Care
Imagine for a moment how difficult it would be to open and close your door if it didn’t have hinges. The same applies to our bones, as without joints, it would be very difficult to move. Joints are the areas in our body where two or more bones meet. Some of the joints in the body include the shoulder, knee, ankle, wrist among others. Since most of the joints in our body are mobile, it allows for bones to move, making things like locomotion or lifting of stuff possible. Joints are therefore a very important part of the anatomy. They are actually more complex than you may think, consisting of a number of different parts such as the ligaments, cartilage, tendons and many others, all of which are discussed in detail over at frontlineer.com. All of these parts of the joint can get injured, including the bones coming together in the joint. Issues with the joint should always be taken very seriously as if not, one could lose functionality of the joint. It is important to know when you should head over to an ER for joint care when you are having issues with your joint and this is what this article will look to help with as it will highlight some of the common joint injuries and conditions and when to go to an ER for them.
One of the instances when you need to go to an ER for joint care is if you have suffered a fracture in the joint, with ankle and wrist fractures being common. Joint fractures should be taken seriously so as to prevent any unwanted outcomes and ensure that you recover fully from the injury. There are a number of signs that indicate that you need to go to an ER for a fractured joint. One of them is if you notice bone visibly protruding from the skin at the site of the injured joint. This is a sign that you have suffered from an open fracture, which should always be treated at an ER such as the excellent frontlineer.com due to the increased risk of infection of the bone, as well as due to the high levels of pain involved. Other signs that you need to go to an ER for your joint fracture include severe deformity of the joint, especially on the ankle, severe pain that isn’t easing with the use of over-the-counter pain meds, an inability to move toes for a broken ankle or fingers for a broken wrist, an inability to move the joint, numbness in the joint as well as the turning blue of the area around the joint.
Another injury of the joint that should always lead to a visit to an ER is a dislocation, which occurs when the bones coming together in the joint are pulled or pushed out of position in the joint. When you suffer a dislocation, you will be unable to move the affected joint normally, and the injury can be very painful. A joint dislocation should always be treated at an ER and you should not try to pop the joint back in place on your own as per the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com. While you can suffer a dislocation on any joint, the shoulder is the most commonly affected. Signs of a dislocation include severe pain in a joint, misplaced bone visible on the joint area, an inability to move the joint normally, numbness or a tingling sensation on the joint area or even a cut or open wound on the joint area. If you suffer a dislocation and notice any of these signs, you should head over to an ER as soon as possible for joint care. Another common injury as far as joints are concerned is a sprain which occurs when the ligaments of the joint are injured or torn, either partially or completely. In most cases, sprains can either be handled at home or at an urgent care facility. However, there are instances when you need to go to an ER for a sprain, especially in severe cases involving complete ruptures of ligaments. Signs that you need to go to an ER for a sprain include severe deformity of the joint, you are unable to move or put any weight on the affected joint or severe pain, swelling and tenderness of the joint.
The joint may also be affected by arthritis, which is the inflammation of the joint leading to pain and stiffness. If you have arthritis, there are certain signs that indicate that you need to go to an ER as soon as possible for joint care. These signs include shortness of breath especially if you have rheumatoid arthritis which can increase the risk of heart attack, as well as other signs of a heart attack, severe abdominal pain, high fever, red or black spots on the fingers or toes, uncontrolled bleeding, immobility in the extremities among others, as discussed in detail over at the excellent frontlineer.com. If you notice any of these symptoms, you should head over to an ER as soon as possible for joint care. You should also head over to an ER if you suffer burns on and around joints, especially major joints such as the knee, ankle among others or if you are bitten by an animal on a joint.
Don’t forget to head over to the highly rated frontlineer.com for more on this and other related topics as well as for the best emergency urgent care services, including the best joint care.
