QUESTION: “When a muscle or joint problem gets really painful, do I have to go to the ER, or do urgent care centers provide orthopedic care?”
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ANSWER: When pain becomes unmanageable, many believe they need to go to the emergency room. But the ER is primarily designed to serve life-
threatening emergencies. An urgent care center may be able to help you, but you will likely be seen by a generalist — not an orthopedic specialist. In both cases, you will walk out with a referral to have a second appointment with a specialist.
A facility such as GO Ortho is a good option. This office is staffed by orthopedic specialists but accepts walk-ins and same-day appointments. This enables patients to get in with a specialist to take care of their pain much sooner than typical orthopedic offices, which might not have an open appointment for weeks.
A GO Ortho visit is charged as a regular orthopedic office visit and not as an ER/emergency level visit that may come with a high cost to the patient.
GO Ortho is an independent practice housed at Hillcrest Hospital and cares for a wide range of orthopedic conditions from acute pain resulting from breaks or sprains to chronically painful conditions. Because you are seeing an orthopedic specialist, conditions can be quickly and more accurately diagnosed as well as treated properly. GO Ortho staff are trained to provide sophisticated treatments, advanced orthopedic imaging and outfit patients in the latest in slings, braces, casting and other support devices.
While we do advocate going to the ER when you are faced with a severe medical problem, most orthopedic pains and conditions are not life-threatening and are best treated by an orthopedic specialist.
