Will Urgent Care do Imaging? Is it worth going to for an injury that isn't serious?

[Kassia]

I've had a foot/ankle injury for a couple of weeks and it's not getting any better.  I've been trying all week to get an appointment to be seen and finally had one for today, but it was just canceled and rescheduled for Monday.  I really don't wait all weekend - I have pain and swelling that isn't improving.  

I'm tempted to go to urgent care, but am fairly sure there isn't a fracture.  It might be a tendon, but I don't know.  How much can they do at urgent care?  Is it worth going or should I just be patient and wait until Monday.  I guess I just had my mind set that I was going to have this seen before the weekend.  😞  

[Jaybee]

I guess it depends on the urgent care, but the one near our house was very helpful when ds had a sprain. They did X-rays in house, got us a splint, gave us information on how to care for it, and told us to make a follow-up appointment with our pcp. Quick, easy, and informative. I'd say go for it.

[ktgrok]

They can maybe give you a boot/splint and pain meds...not really anything else. 

Do you have an orthopedic walk in clinic in your area? Ours is called an orthopedic convenient care clinic, others are orthopedic urgen care, etc. 

[Kassia]

1 minute ago, ktgrok said:

They can maybe give you a boot/splint and pain meds...not really anything else. 

Do you have an orthopedic walk in clinic in your area? Ours is called an orthopedic convenient care clinic, others are orthopedic urgen care, etc. 

No, we don't have that here.  I wish we did!  

[Catwoman]

1 minute ago, ktgrok said:

They can maybe give you a boot/splint and pain meds...not really anything else. 

Do you have an orthopedic walk in clinic in your area? Ours is called an orthopedic convenient care clinic, others are orthopedic urgen care, etc. 

This is what I was thinking, too. A walk-in orthopedic center would be your best option.

I think it’s pretty terrible that a doctor would cancel your appointment for today and reschedule for Monday when they know you are in pain. GRRRR!!!!!

If you have to go to a regular urgent care, can you call ahead and ask if they do imaging? Otherwise, is there a not-too-busy ER in your area? (I can understand if you want to avoid the ER, but it would be a way to get the imaging done today.)

 

[Catwoman]

1 minute ago, Kassia said:

No, we don't have that here.  I wish we did!  

We were posting at the same time!

Can you call a regular orthopedist’s office and ask to be seen today? They might fit you in if you tell them you are in pain and are worried that things will get worse over the weekend.

[ktgrok]

What about podiatrist? Maybe see if one can get you in today? Or call ortho office back and ask them what you should do, since they canceled yoru appointment and you are in a lot of pain?

[kbutton]

I think you'd have to call the urgent care and ask if they do imaging.

I had a sprain that kept getting worse no matter what I did or didn't do--I did RICE, and it would just get worse.

I had a bad experience seeing an orthopod (jerk) to rule out a tiny fracture, and in desperation, asked my chiropractor to look at it. I thought he had told me he didn't do feet...anyway, he fixed the sprain. The swelling went down visibly while I was still in the office. It was still a slightly sore and slightly swollen for a couple of days, but I could walk on it normally right away.

If you already have a chiropractor, it might be a quick way to get this taken care of.

 

[Bootsie]

Many of the urgent care facilities around me do imaging and we have been very pleased with them.  We have found them to be a good place to get seen quickly, get imaging started, and get a referral to a specialist.  

On the other hand, DS hurt his shoulder, called the orthopedic, would call back for an appt... he had to call back the next day; he waited several days for an appt. just to be told "you need to get an MRI" will call you with the info---he had to follow up several days later about the scheduling; then that took several days, he went in for the MRI and was told that the images would be sent to the ortho how would call him in two days, several days go by and he didn't hear anything so he called--"we never got the images..."  so we are 2 weeks into this now.  

I think the range of services and quality of urgent care depends upon your location.  Our regular medical practice has its own urgent care facility which then connects to all of the regular doctors in the practice, has our records and everything else.  It is really more of a clinic for when you have something that you can't wait several days for an appointment.  We have used stand-alone urgent cares and been very happy, also.

[Jaybee]

9 minutes ago, Kassia said:

No, we don't have that here.  I wish we did!  

Ours isn't specifically that. But they still had all we needed, and are connected in some way with the orthopedic practices in the nearby city. So even though it is also where we have gone for flu, strep, and covid testing, they are broad enough to cover orthopedics as well.

[Kassia]

6 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

 

I think it’s pretty terrible that a doctor would cancel your appointment for today and reschedule for Monday when they know you are in pain. GRRRR!!!!!

If you have to go to a regular urgent care, can you call ahead and ask if they do imaging? Otherwise, is there a not-too-busy ER in your area? (I can understand if you want to avoid the ER, but it would be a way to get the imaging done today.)

 

The doctor had emergency surgery.  I could call the urgent center ahead of time.  I just don't know if it's silly to spend the extra money since I have the appt. on Monday now.  I definitely don't want to spend thousands at the ER, though.

 

5 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

We were posting at the same time!

Can you call a regular orthopedist’s office and ask to be seen today? They might fit you in if you tell them you are in pain and are worried that things will get worse over the weekend.

I did call and no one had any openings.  

 

4 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

What about podiatrist? Maybe see if one can get you in today? Or call ortho office back and ask them what you should do, since they canceled yoru appointment and you are in a lot of pain?

This is actually the podiatrist that is part of the orthopedic group that I called.  I'm not in a lot of pain, but I definitely have discomfort and swelling.  Wearing a shoe helps a lot so I think a boot would be good.  I have a left boot, but it's my right side that's injured!  

 

[ktgrok]

Ok, given all that, I'd try two things. 1 - call ortho office back and ask if there is anyone else you could see today, even a PA, as you are i pain and have swelling. If they say no than 2. call urgent care and ask what they can do for a sprain or torn tendon, do they have walking boots, etc. 

[Jaybee]

Adding that we don't live in a large city, so I have been a little surprised and very pleased at what all our urgent care does well. I wouldn't have expected it.

ETA: So definitely give them a call and see what they say.

Edited June 4, 2021 by Jaybee

[Kassia]

Just now, ktgrok said:

Ok, given all that, I'd try two things. 1 - call ortho office back and ask if there is anyone else you could see today, even a PA, as you are i pain and have swelling. If they say no than 2. call urgent care and ask what they can do for a sprain or torn tendon, do they have walking boots, etc. 

So, you would do that even with an appointment set up for Monday morning?  I am so torn (no pun intended) because it seems like a waste of money but I do want to know what is going on with this injury and was so relieved to have the appointment set up for this morning so I'd know before the weekend.  

[Jaybee]

Just now, Kassia said:

So, you would do that even with an appointment set up for Monday morning?  I am so torn (no pun intended) because it seems like a waste of money but I do want to know what is going on with this injury and was so relieved to have the appointment set up for this morning so I'd know before the weekend.  

If you get what you need at urgent care, you could cancel Monday's appointment and make a follow-up appointment instead.

[Kassia]

@Bootsiehow frustrating for you and ds!  Hope you get some answers soon.  I feel like I've been getting the runaround all week with places not returning my calls or referring me to the wrong doctor and now this last-minute cancellation.  I don't know what our urgent care is like - we only used it for an ear infection once.  I will call and see what they can handle.  

 

[Catwoman]

6 minutes ago, Kassia said:

So, you would do that even with an appointment set up for Monday morning?  I am so torn (no pun intended) because it seems like a waste of money but I do want to know what is going on with this injury and was so relieved to have the appointment set up for this morning so I'd know before the weekend.  

I hate waiting over the weekend, too — even with minor stuff, I always worry that something will go horribly wrong and there will be no one to call. It’s just the idea that I might not be able to get help if I need it. 

I understand not wanting to spend a fortune at the ER. If urgent care is open all weekend, you could adopt a wait-and-see approach, and if you don’t feel any worse, you could wait until your regular appointment on Monday. If you get worse, you could go to urgent care over the weekend — or even the ER if you get desperate.

 

Edited June 4, 2021 by Catwoman

[Harriet Vane]

I would go on Monday because that appointment is with an expert. You don’t know what you’ll get at an urgent care. The only thing that would make it more urgent is if your toes were numb or tingling.

[Bootsie]

Just now, Kassia said:

@Bootsiehow frustrating for you and ds!  Hope you get some answers soon.  I feel like I've been getting the runaround all week with places not returning my calls or referring me to the wrong doctor and now this last-minute cancellation.  I don't know what our urgent care is like - we only used it for an ear infection once.  I will call and see what they can handle.  

 

Hope you are able to get some relief before the weekend!

This is one of DS''s first experiences of navigating this all by himself, so he is learning that he has to be his own advocate and stay on things.  I have decided that it is either not hurting as much as he says or that it really is hurting that bad and he is fearful that they are going to say he needs surgery and he just would rather not hear it or he would be staying on top of things and following up more quickly.

[Catwoman]

Just now, Harriet Vane said:

I would go on Monday because that appointment is with an expert. You don’t know what you’ll get at an urgent care. The only thing that would make it more urgent is if your toes were numb or tingling.

That’s what I was thinking, too. And if things get worse over the weekend, Kassia could still go to urgent care or the ER, so it wouldn’t really be any different than if she goes to urgent care today.

[Kassia]

Thank you!  I'm sure I won't need the ER.  With shoes on, I'm not in a lot of pain and the swelling has gone down a bit since I originally injured it, but it seems stuck at this level and there's no change.  I absolutely hate going to the doctor and was hoping this would heal on its own, but it's not happening.

[Catwoman]

Just now, Kassia said:

Thank you!  I'm sure I won't need the ER.  With shoes on, I'm not in a lot of pain and the swelling has gone down a bit since I originally injured it, but it seems stuck at this level and there's no change.  I absolutely hate going to the doctor and was hoping this would heal on its own, but it's not happening.

Maybe you could call your doctor in another hour or so and ask if the doctor is back in the office and if there is any way they can squeeze you in today. For all you know, the emergency surgery could have gone quicker than expected and the doctor could end up back in the office with most of his appointments having been canceled. 

I would take a shot at it. All they can say is no, and I’m sure they will be sympathetic if you remind them that you are in pain and are worried about waiting all weekend to be seen on Monday, so even if they can’t fit you in, they will probably be very nice about it.

[Bootsie]

If it were really bothering me, I would probably try to get into urgent care today and then decide if I wanted to keep the Monday appointment.  If you get all the answers you need at urgent care you can cancel the Monday appointment.  If you still want to see the specialist on Monday you will at least have two opinions on the situation.  

 I would be careful that it is an urgent care clinic and not a free-standing emergency care clinic.  Locally it is sometimes hard to distinguish the two and we even have some that are urgent care by day and emergency care at night.  The billing/charges are significantly different; not only does it cost me much more to go to an emergency care facility my insurance is billed thousands of dollars.  An urgent care clinic is billed simply as doctor's visit--this may vary where you are and with your insurance.  

[Farrar]

Our urgent care actually has an X-ray. So I'd say yeah, definitely go. Even if they don't, they'll have a professional sense of if you even really need it. Of course, it depends on how much pain you're in and how much you'll have to pay...

[Catwoman]

Ok, here's a question to ask yourself...

If this were Monday and you called the doctor and got an appointment for Thursday, would you be ok with that, or would you be worried and insist on being seen sooner?

I'm trying to figure out if your fears are mainly about not being able to get help over the weekend, or if you feel like your foot and ankle are getting worse and you need to see someone right away. 

I know that I have an issue with waiting over the weekend, and my worries aren't always entirely rational, so that's why I'm asking. I feel like I have more control over the situation when it's a weekday and I know the doctor's office will be open if I get desperate.

On the other hand, even if you know you might be worrying irrationally, it is still awful to worry, so you definitely need to factor that into your decision. (And yes, I worry about worrying, too! I am a lunatic!)

[Kassia]

25 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

 

 I would be careful that it is an urgent care clinic and not a free-standing emergency care clinic.  Locally it is sometimes hard to distinguish the two and we even have some that are urgent care by day and emergency care at night.  The billing/charges are significantly different; not only does it cost me much more to go to an emergency care facility my insurance is billed thousands of dollars.  An urgent care clinic is billed simply as doctor's visit--this may vary where you are and with your insurance.  

Wow, that stinks.  Insurance/medical charges can be such a hassle!  Ours is definitely urgent care only.  

 

 

22 minutes ago, Farrar said:

Our urgent care actually has an X-ray. So I'd say yeah, definitely go. Even if they don't, they'll have a professional sense of if you even really need it. Of course, it depends on how much pain you're in and how much you'll have to pay...

We have a very high deductible, so I'd have to pay the full cost and then the full cost of the doctor on Monday.  I suspect it's a tendon issue and I'll need an MRI.  

 

14 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

 

If this were Monday and you called the doctor and got an appointment for Thursday, would you be ok with that, or would you be worried and insist on being seen sooner?

I'm trying to figure out if your fears are mainly about not being able to get help over the weekend, or if you feel like your foot and ankle are getting worse and you need to see someone right away. 

I know that I have an issue with waiting over the weekend, and my worries aren't always entirely rational, so that's why I'm asking. I feel like I have more control over the situation when it's a weekday and I know the doctor's office will be open if I get desperate.

On the other hand, even if you know you might be worrying irrationally, it is still awful to worry, so you definitely need to factor that into your decision. (And yes, I worry about worrying, too! I am a lunatic!)

That is a very good point about would I wait three days if it were during the week.  I would - wouldn't be happy about it, but I'd be fine with it.  

I am not worried about it getting worse.  It's been stable and I've been taking ibuprofen and keeping it elevated as much as possible as well as wearing shoes all the time since that seems to help when I walk.  I think it's just that I've been injured now for so long and had really hoped to get answers by this weekend.  Plus I need to heal ASAP due to commitments this summer and I don't want to delay any treatment that might be needed.  

 

Thank you to all who responded!  ❤️

[prairiewindmomma]

Kassia—to clarify—this is the ankle you had imaging on initially, right? And you are just two weeks out?

Why don’t you just order a boot from Amazon to wear? They have them (in fact, the same ones my orthopedist has).

Personally, my experience was that it was 4 weeks until I could get a shoe on. I am super impressed if you can do that already. When regentrude(?) and others mentioned months for recovery, that was my experience. Soft tissue injuries can take just as long or longer as bones to heal. Not having a broken bone doesn’t mean that your injury was not a big deal. It just means that a bone wasn’t broken.

Also, if you had initial xrays and you are still struggling, the follow up shouldn’t be xrays, it should be MRI. It is more sensitive. When I broke my heel bone, the fracture and bone fragments weren’t visible on X-ray but they were on mri. 
 

If you are still swollen, I would stay off of it this weekend, ice a lot, and call for a follow up with mri. I wouldn’t head to urgent care.

[prairiewindmomma]

https://www.amazon.com/Support-Sprained-Volleyball-Basketball-Supports/dp/B07Z5QTD62/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=ankle+brace&qid=1622824818&sprefix=ankle+brace&sr=8-9
 

This isn’t my exact brace, but this is close. 

[Kassia]

4 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Kassia—to clarify—this is the ankle you had imaging on initially, right? And you are just two weeks out?

 

I haven't been seen at all yet.  I was hoping it would get better on its own.  A regular running shoe fits fine.  I haven't tried any other shoes, but I think they would fit - I'm not that swollen.  I have a small ball underneath my ankle bone and another one on my instep.  The rest of the area is just puffy.  

[ktgrok]

1 hour ago, Kassia said:

So, you would do that even with an appointment set up for Monday morning?  I am so torn (no pun intended) because it seems like a waste of money but I do want to know what is going on with this injury and was so relieved to have the appointment set up for this morning so I'd know before the weekend.  

Only if I needed pain meds or a splint. Urgent care can only patch you up temporarily. You will still need to see the ortho office for true diagnosis, treatment, etc. Urgent care can do an xray and say if it is broken, but not diagnose a tendon tear, or anything complex. And won't know treatment, etc. You absolutely need the specialist for all that. 

If you don't need pain meds for the weekend, just wait. 

1 hour ago, Kassia said:

Thank you!  I'm sure I won't need the ER.  With shoes on, I'm not in a lot of pain and the swelling has gone down a bit since I originally injured it, but it seems stuck at this level and there's no change.  I absolutely hate going to the doctor and was hoping this would heal on its own, but it's not happening.

Oh, yeah, just wait until monday. Unless there is an obvious fracture urgent care can't tell you anything specific. Not with a tendon or what not. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Ok, if you haven’t been seen at all and you have a podiatry appointment for Monday—definitely photograph your foot now and then RICE all weekend and see if elevation helps. Rephotograph to compare after a lot of RICE.

[alisoncooks]

I know it's super frustrating to wait...but I would wait. I doubt urgent care would be able to do much except maybe imaging and then refer you to the orthopedic practice, which you'd be seeing soon anyway. 

[Carrie12345]

1 hour ago, kbutton said:

k you'd have to call the urgent care and ask if they do imaging.

Ask who READS the imaging, too.

One of our UCs can do all types of imaging, but they send them to the hospital to be read.  I once waited over 24 hours for results.

Another one of our UCs does them and reads them on site, right away.

We also have ones that don’t do any imaging.

[Catwoman]

Just checking up on you, @Kassia!

How are your foot and ankle feeling today?

 

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by Catwoman
Autocorrect decided I wanted to say smoke instead of ankle. NO! :)

[Kassia]

17 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

Just checking up on you, @Kassia!

How are your foot and ankle feeling today?

 

 

Aw, thank you so much for thinking of me!  

My foot/ankle is feeling worse today.  😞  I am glad I have that appt. on Monday.  Since it felt like it was getting a bit better after elevation/Advil/rest for so long, I thought I'd try walking around the house without a shoe while I was home and also didn't take Advil yesterday (I hate taking NSAIDs for such a long time).  Well, I don't know if that's the reason why, but I have a lot more pain today and I'm back in the shoe and taking Advil regularly.  

Thank you again.  

[Catwoman]

Just now, Kassia said:

Aw, thank you so much for thinking of me!  

My foot/ankle is feeling worse today.  😞  I am glad I have that appt. on Monday.  Since it felt like it was getting a bit better after elevation/Advil/rest for so long, I thought I'd try walking around the house without a shoe while I was home and also didn't take Advil yesterday (I hate taking NSAIDs for such a long time).  Well, I don't know if that's the reason why, but I have a lot more pain today and I'm back in the shoe and taking Advil regularly.  

Thank you again.  

I hope having the support of the shoe around your foot will help! It would make sense that going without shoes might have made it worse, because you might have needed the extra cushioning under your foot, as well as the pressure of the shoe around it.

I don’t like taking NSAIDs for too long, either, but sometimes you don’t have a choice. If the pain gets really bad, try Aleve.

What time is your appointment on Monday? I hope it’s early so you can get this sorted out!!!

[Kassia]

34 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

I hope having the support of the shoe around your foot will help! It would make sense that going without shoes might have made it worse, because you might have needed the extra cushioning under your foot, as well as the pressure of the shoe around it.

I don’t like taking NSAIDs for too long, either, but sometimes you don’t have a choice. If the pain gets really bad, try Aleve.

What time is your appointment on Monday? I hope it’s early so you can get this sorted out!!!

Thank you!  My appt. is 11:15am so not too bad.  Just hoping this one doesn't get canceled because I'm very anxious to go now.  This is a new (to me) doctor and I hope he knows what he's doing.  He has good reviews, but I've had such terrible experiences with doctors that I always worry.

Edited June 5, 2021 by Kassia

[Catwoman]

It’s always hard to choose a new doctor. It takes a while to build up a level of trust.

[Kassia]

17 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

It’s always hard to choose a new doctor. It takes a while to build up a level of trust.

It's more than that for me.  We've had way too many incompetent doctors.  It's pretty much become the norm, unfortunately.  I've wasted an enormous amount of time and money on doctors who misdiagnosed and/or recommended the wrong treatment for me.  It's appalling and scary.  

[Catwoman]

@Kassia — How did it go at the doctor’s appointment? 

You may not be home yet, but I wanted to see how you’re doing. I hope everything went well!

[Kassia]

6 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

@Kassia — How did it go at the doctor’s appointment? 

You may not be home yet, but I wanted to see how you’re doing. I hope everything went well!

Thanks so much for thinking of me!  It's exactly what I thought it was (thanks go google searching).  He gave me inserts to wear for 4-6 weeks along with rest/elevation and come back for MRI/boot if no improvement.  He said insurance won't cover MRI now without using conservative treatment first unless it was a traumatic injury.  

Thank you again.  

[Catwoman]

Thanks for the update — I hope the inserts help and that you get better soon!

[Kassia]

27 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

Thanks for the update — I hope the inserts help and that you get better soon!

Thanks so much!  You are so thoughtful.  I'm in a lot of pain today.  I wish I could have the MRI - I don't have time to wait around all summer to get this healed. We have a crazy stressful busy summer.