Each year, hundreds of thousands of Americans go to their doctor to seek treatment for pain due to back injury. Anyone who has had a back injury wants to heal it fast, as this type of injury can be very disabling.
If you’ve injured your back, there are some things you need to do to make sure you do not aggravate the damage and develop chronic pain and ultimately get back to normal function. This is a guide on what to do if you get a back injury.
First Aid Treatment for a Back Injury
What you do in the initial stages of injury matters a lot, as it can impact your recovery. Do the following if your back injury is not causing significant pain:
- Rest and avoid strenuous activities. Avoid sleeping on your back to prevent aggravation – sleeping on your side is often recommended. Place a pillow between your legs for extra support.
- Apply ice to the area for at least 20 minutes, several times a day. This is critical within the first 72 hours of the injury-causing incident.
- Take over over-the-counter anti-inflammatories to relieve back pain and swelling. You can also apply a topical pain reliever to the back, which delivers pain-relieving substances through the skin.
- Avoid lifting things, as well as twisting and bending motions.
- Prolonged bed rest is usually not recommended. Physical therapy exercises can help strengthen core muscles, speed up recovery, and restore range of motion and flexibility. However, you should not exercise within the first few days of your injury. Physical therapists usually advise starting slowly after a couple of weeks have passed since you sustained the injury.
If your symptoms don’t improve, you should see a doctor for evaluation. Your injury could be more serious than it appears, and a doctor can provide you with advanced treatments to treat back pain and avoid future complications.
When To Seek Urgent Orthopedic Care
If you have suffered a back injury that is severe or is accompanied by other symptoms such as numbness, weakness, and incontinence, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Listen to your body – you should be able to tell if the injury is severe. Pain that is so debilitating that you are unable to stand up and walk normally, needs to be evaluated by a medical professional.
Some urgent care centers provide on-site diagnostic testing for orthopedic injuries. Using an X-ray, urgent care providers can help with assessing the extent of your injury and whether or not there is any damage to your spine or other bones in the back. The urgent care doctor will use the results of the X-ray to guide your treatment and may recommend the following: medicines, physical therapy, acupuncture, or chiropractic care.
The advantage of urgent orthopedic care is that you can be seen by a provider immediately without the need for an appointment, something that cannot be done with your primary care provider and emergency room visits. The costs of visiting an urgent care center are also much lower than going to an emergency room.
Urgent Care for Back Injury in Rochester, NY
The medical professionals at Cornerstone Urgent Care Center can give you immediate attention for your non-life-threatening yet painful back injury. We are fully equipped to see patients with many orthopedic issues and offer on-site digital X-rays for quick diagnosis and to get you the appropriate treatment for your injury. We are also proud to say we specialize in treating workers’ compensation patients in Rochester.
Being a walk-in clinic, no appointment is necessary, and there is little or no wait time to be seen by a provider. Cornerstone Urgent Care Center is open 365 days a year, simply proceed to our location at 2968 Chili Ave, or use our online form to let us know you are on your way.
