Many people treat an urgent care facility like a mini emergency room. They use them when they have an urgent or unexpected medical problem that isn’t life threatening, so they don’t want to go to an emergency room. Or they choose an urgent care facility because they believe the wait will be shorter than if they go to the emergency room.
However, there is a growing number of patients that use the urgent care centers in lieu of their regular doctor due to an inability to get doctor’s appointments that will fit into their schedule. Many doctors either do not offer evening and weekend hours or those appointment slots are so limited that they book months in advance. This leaves those that work during regular business hours stuck if they want to see a doctor quickly.
There are a large number of people that suffer from chronic health conditions or conditions that flare up being worst sometimes. When these happens, they need to see a physician, but waiting two months to get into their doctor the pain, discomfort, and inability to get their job done.
One example of this is lower back pain. Almost 70% of people in the United States having lower back pain on a nearly daily basis. Back pain that is severe enough to negatively impact their day-to-day lives and activities. An urgent care facility may be the only option when the pain hits.
A recent study showed that at least 40% of people suffering from long-term lower back pain so not see a doctor or physical therapist. For many, they may feel their pain is inevitable or unavoidable due to failed attempts to alleviate the pain or feeling like they got the run around from a physician in the past.
There are many possible causes of lower back pain, which makes it difficult to diagnose. For many, lifestyle and general health may play a role in the back pain. For others, it may be the activities involved in their job.
Another study showed that 40% of the people suffering from lower back pain have attempted doing exercises to alleviate that pain. There are multiple research studies that suggest strengthening the core muscles will help alleviate lower back pain by reducing the amount of strain being put on the lower back muscles.
However, exercise does not work for all patients. Lower back pain can be caused by muscle tension, pain, or spasms, but it could also be caused by nerves or by physical problems in the back such as herniated or degenerative discs.
Degenerative Disc Disorder (DDD) is a medical condition in which the discs in the back literally deteriorate into nothing causing the vertebra to rub against each other and applying pressure on nerves running through the back.
Degenerative Disc Disorder can be treated within a number of ways including non-operative options like physical therapy and operative options like lumbar fusion. According to one study published in World Neurosurgery, the positive outcomes of lumbar fusion compared to non-operative options were about even.
For patients with degenerative disc disorder, one wrong turn can put them in intense pain. When this happens, an after hours urgent care may be the only option. These types of clinics generally do not require appointments, and they see patients as quickly as possible. Emergency room care can sometimes take hours for non-emergency patients.
Depending on where you live and when you work, it may feel literally impossible to find doctors that are available when you need them. This is why an urgent care facility may be the best option. An urgent care doctor can prescribe a medication to reduce the flare up causing the lower back pain as well as a short-term painkiller to alleviate the pain. While this is not a long-term solution, it can enable a patient to resume normal life.
