Fractures

When to go to urgent care for a fracture

Most fractures can be treated in an urgent care setting. However, if you have a severe fracture, you should go to the emergency room. Go to the emergency room for a fracture if:

• You’re unstable and unable to walk, talk, or stay awake
• You have an open fracture (the skin is broken from your fracture)
• Bone is protruding from the skin

An urgent care clinic is perfect for minor fractures, especially fractures in your hand, foot, or ankle. For minor fractures, you’ll receive the same treatment in our urgent care clinic as you would in the emergency room at a fraction of the cost.

What your urgent care doctor can do for a fracture

If you believe you have a broken bone, your urgent care doctor can help. All MedHelp locations are equipped with digital x-ray capabilities, so we can identify any fractures onsite. Your urgent care doctor will immediately view your x-ray, and our board-certified radiologist will overread all films within 24 hours. All of our x-rays are digital and cloud-based.

Once your doctor has identified your fracture, we’ll stabilize it with a splint or boot. Our urgent care doctor can make a referral to an orthopedist for further evaluation. You can use any orthopedist you like. If you don’t already have an orthopedist, we can make an appointment with Dr. Blake Perry, our specialist in sports medicine who practices at our 280 Clinic.

What you can do for a fracture

If you think you’ve broken a bone, don’t use it! Stabilize your potential fracture in the best way you can until you can see your urgent care doctor. You can also ice your injury and take over-the-counter pain medication such as ibuprofen or Tylenol for discomfort.