Years ago if you sustained an injury, your only option for care was the dreaded emergency room where you might sit for hours waiting to be treated. Times have changed and so have options for your medical care. Today, there are urgent care centers just about everywhere, but should you go to urgent care for a sports injury?
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When you are bleeding from a cut, a dog bite, or hurting yourself using a power tool or other implement, it is always better to be safe and find out if stitches are required. It is easy enough to find out what medical care is necessary and not risk further complications. Seek the help of Premier Urgent Care Center to find out when stitches are required for a cut.
The advent of more urgent care centers has been a boon not only for busy hospital emergency rooms but for patients as well. It relieves the emergency room from seeing less than serious conditions, and it provides patients a more timely diagnosis and treatment. The question remains of when to go to an urgent care vs. the emergency room.
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There has been much discussion over the last decade about concussions in professional sports. It has brought more attention to high school and college sports as well. Children are just as vulnerable to getting a concussion, but in other ways. You can’t watch them every minute of the day, so here are some tips about what to do if you suspect your child may have a concussion.
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Lots of people are thrilled when winter arrives, and they can finally enjoy skiing, snowboarding, sledding, ice skating, ice hockey, and all the other cold weather sports. It’s fun until there is an accident. The most common injuries range from fractures, breaks, sprains, strains, and dislocations. Let’s learn more about the most common winter sports injuries and how to prevent them.
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Remember when Mom would chase after you, insisting you put on your hat and scarf before you headed out into the frigid weather? Remember how you would protest, and maybe even leave that hat and scarf behind?
Our bodies lose copious amounts of heat from our heads, which can affect core body temperature, but that’s not the whole story. Failing to keep your ears protected from cold weather can contribute to, or even cause, hearing loss.
Ears, like your nose, are comprised mostly of cartilage, so there is no insulation (fat) to keep them warm when the temperatures drop. You probably figured that out when you were last in the cold: your nose and ears are usually the first body parts to feel the chill.
Our hands and feet are also susceptible to conditions such as frostbite, but that is usually avoided by wearing gloves, socks, and shoes.
In fact, once the temperature hits 59°F, you need to make sure your ears are protected. In many parts of the country, 59°F is hardly bundle-up weather. But at this temperature, your hypothalamus (a small portion of the brain that is responsible for multiple body functions, including temperature control) begins to conserve heat for your internal organs, moving blood away from your extremities (that means your ears).
Cold ears are annoying, to be sure, but unprotected ears in cold weather can actually be dangerous. When your ears are exposed to cold, bone spurs, also called exostosis, can result. This happens when excess bone grows in the ear canal to protect the ear. This condition is sometimes called surfer’s ear, since surfers who frequent cold water wear wetsuits, but they do not usually protect their ears.
Excess bone growth can be incredibly painful. When that bone growth occurs in the ear canal, it can lead to a host of other problems. Water, dirt, and bacteria can become trapped in the ear and lead to recurring ear infections. The only treatment for exostosis is surgery.
For more information on how to protect your ears this winter, contact Premier Urgent Care at (773) 891-2890.
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The back-to-school shuffle is finally here, and parents and their children alike are busy adjusting to new schedules. After-school fall sports are in full swing, which may make kids more likely to sustain injuries. Though coaches and teachers have the best intentions when it comes to keeping your children safe, there are things that you, as a parent, can do to maximize their safety all season long. Here’s how you can keep your child healthy on and off the field this fall.
Dehydration can set in earlier in children than it does for healthy adults – the younger the child, the quicker dehydration can occur. During the cooler fall months, kids will also be less likely to rehydrate, as their perception of effort may be less at lower temperatures. Send them to school with a water bottle and encourage them to refill frequently during the day and at practices. At dinner and other meals at home, offer water – not juices or pop.
Sports equipment, particularly used school gear, can fall into disrepair and do its job less effectively. For contact sports such as football and soccer, snug fitting protective equipment can help protect against serious injury or concussion. If school equipment does not seem to be well-maintained, consider purchasing your own for the season or encouraging the school to buy more for the team. Always be on the lookout for signs of disorientation, confusion, dizziness, or nausea or vomiting, which could be indicative of a concussion.
Avoid Overexertion in the Heat
Though it is still September, the Chicago area is known for having temps well into the 80s throughout the month. When kids are pushing themselves physically, heat-related illnesses can occur. Heat exhaustion, heat cramps, and even a heat stroke pose a threat to children and teens, particularly those who push themselves and don’t know when to take a break. Football players are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses due the equipment they wear – studies show they are over 11 times more likely to suffer a heat- related illness than any other sport combined.
Talk to your kids about knowing their limits and taking rests throughout practice, especially during the heat. Make sure your child’s coaches are on board and that they know safety trumps any need to develop toughness or “grit.” When a child does come home from a hot practice, make sure they drink plenty of fluids, including water and sports drinks to replace electrolytes.
We at Premier Urgent care hope you have a safe and fun fall sports season! If you do need help, our providers are available for immediate care.
Premier Urgent Care Center provides high-quality healthcare throughout the Chicago area, with urgent care services that are quick, convenient, and compassionate. We have a staff of highly trained and board certified physicians and physician assistants who can address the immediate healthcare needs of your whole family.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us for immediate care.
Learn why patients have come to trust Premier Urgent Care. Visit https://premierucchicago.com.
One of the best ways to keep kids up, out, and active this summer is to encourage sports participation. Whether it involves organized team sports or a little informal one-on-one competition, sports are a great way to prevent kids from becoming couch potatoes. However, summer sports are not without risk. Here are several common sports injuries you might encounter during the summer months, as well as several tips and techniques to avoid visits to the doctor’s office.
The most common sports-related injuries in children (and adults) are sprains and strains. Sprains involve ligament damage and strains involve muscle damage. They each can range from very mild to severe. Sprained ankles can occur on the basketball court or while just running around the back yard. Proper footwear is a good start to help prevent ankle sprains, but sometimes they are inevitable. Imagine after a jumpshot you land on an opponent’s foot. You will likely injury your ankle. You or your child may be running full speed for a loose ball and feel an immediately pain in a muscle, such as the hamstring (posterior thigh). That would be a muscle strain. Dynamic stretching and having your body properly warmed up before strenuous exercise is a great way to prevent that. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) is an excellent place to start with treating the injuries initially.
Some of these injuries are due to sudden movements and others due to repetitive movements. Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow, lateral epicondylitis and medial epicondylitis, respectively are overuse injuries. The best way to prevent them is through proper technique and training methods. Once the injury occurs, it often requires rest, anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen or naproxen), and physical therapy exercises.
There is virtually no limit to the ways a child can fracture or break a bone with summer physical activities. Whether it’s from a trampoline, skateboarding, football, or a bicycle accident, these injuries can be serious if not treated appropriately.
Some fractures are obvious with an unnatural deformity, like an S-shaped curve in a child’s forearm. Others can be subtle and occur from overuse during sports when a child doesn’t give his/her body time to rest between games or activities. An example of that would be a stress fracture in a runner’s foot or gymnast’s lower back. The best ways to prevent fractures are to use protective equipment and get plenty of rest between exercises.
Children who play sports and are active during the summer also run the risk of eye injuries. A thrown ball can strike a child in the face, and debris can get into the eyes when swimming.
You can prevent eye injuries with protective wear, such as goggles. If your child has an eye injury, you should take him/her to an emergency room or urgent care center as soon as possible for an immediate exam. In rare cases, some eye injuries can have long-lasting effects and threaten a child’s vision.
When the temperature rises, it becomes much more dangerous for young bodies to exert themselves when not properly hydrated. Dehydration increases the likelihood of muscle cramps and other overuse injuries.
The simple solution is to avoid soda and caffeine, and drink plenty of water before, during, and after heavy physical activity.
Head injuries can be serious and, thankfully, they are not as common as some of the other summer sports injuries listed here. But, they do happen and can result from any contact sport – hockey, football, or soccer.
You can prevent these injuries by requiring that your child wear a helmet to participate in these sports. If there is a possibility of concussion, such as headache, fogginess, or memory difficulty after head trauma, be sure to seek immediate medical attention.
If you do run into trouble this summer, you will not have to deal with it on your own. Premier Urgent Care has convenient office hours and is available to see you and/or your child whether you have an appointment or not. We’re located in the Hyde Park/Kenwood area and offer free parking for our patients.
Visit https://premierucchicago.com to learn more about different types of health facilities, such as urgent care clinics, to help you decide which facility can best treat your condition at the appropriate time and with the right resources.
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Soon your children will be home for the summer. They will be playing outside and (inevitably) injuring themselves. There are many common summer injuries for kids, but the question many parents ask is, “What should I do if they happen?”
Some injuries aren’t serious and can be treated at home, but others require the attention of a medical professional. Here are a few common summer injuries for kids and tips for helping them stay safe.
It’s nice outside and the kids want to bounce. They love the trampoline, but it can be dangerous if they are not careful.
A few tips to keep your children safe on trampolines:
If you are unsure a trampoline is safe for your child, it may be best to keep them away or consult your child’s physician for more information.
Most kids love to help mow the lawn or ride the mower for fun, but this can be dangerous if they are not properly supervised. To protect your children from injuries, it is important to keep these ideas in mind:
This is not an exhaustive list by any means but just some common contributors to mower injuries.
Children love to visit playgrounds and parks in the summer. There are slides and jungle gyms and myriad fun objects to climb on, swing from, and play with to and keep kids entertained. But what about the hazards of a playground?
Keep your children safe with these rules for playground safety:
Many things can happen to a child at the playground. It is important to think about safety with your children, with regard to their clothing and play habits.
Kids will be kids and they will find ways to hurt themselves that few can predict. However, it is important to follow safety practices no matter where you are or what your child is doing. Following the tips above steps will help prevent many potential injuries to your children.
Helmets should be mandatory and pads are strongly recommended when riding a bike, skateboard, or scooter. Water safety should not be ignored but is a separate topic that requires its own list of tips. Dangers seem to be lurking at every turn. It is impossible to prevent all injuries but some simple precautions can significantly help reduce the chances.
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