It’s a sad fact that 54% of adults have had back pain for five years or even longer. Everyday back pain can range from manageable to needing constant care.
That kind of back pain needs medical attention but doesn’t necessarily need immediate attention. Mostly things like stress (which accounts for the majority of back pain) cause this kind of everyday ache.
We’re talking about sudden, strong pain that may point to a more long-lasting injury. We’re talking about when to seek urgent care for back pain. Keep reading to know the symptoms and what you can do.
Usually, acute back pain will go away on its own. It commonly crops up when you stress or strain your lower back, like by improperly lifting something heavy.
The issue is finding immediate relief and then managing it. It’s also important to go to a walk-in clinic for back pain of this sort to see if you need more intense treatment.
Let’s say you have a sudden onset of acute back pain but you haven’t done anything strenuous lately. If it’s coupled with abdominal pain as well, you need to go to urgent care for back pain.
The reason these two symptoms together are so alarming is that they could be symptoms of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Your aorta is the main artery of the body. It runs from your heart through your abdomen. When it ruptures, you’ll feel as if you have an intense stomach ache.
A ruptured aorta is life-threatening. Don’t waste time asking “should I go to urgent care for back pain?”, just go to a walk-in clinic.
Another serious condition that you should see a back injury doctor for is cauda equina syndrome. One of the main symptoms of this condition is progressive leg weakness.
What happens when you have this condition is that there is a severe compression of the nerve sac in your lumbar spine.
There are a few ways you could get cauda equina syndrome.
You could have a previously undiagnosed spinal condition. An infection could also be the culprit. And, as usual, you could have injured your spine somehow.
Treatment for cauda equina syndrome involves immediately surgical intervention. Doctors will do what they can to decompress the pressure on your lumbar nerve sac. Get diagnosed quickly at an urgent care clinic to see if that’s what you need.
There are many common, everyday causes of back pain, like herniated discs, that you can get checked out at an urgent care clinic.
You can go to a walk-in clinic for back pain if you can’t see your primary physician or just want a quick diagnosis. From there, a back injury doctor can tell you if you need medicines, physical therapy, or just to take it easy for a while.
Be aware of what costs are associated with visiting an urgent care clinic. You’ll find seeking urgent care for back pain can be affordable.
No matter what, please see a doctor about your severe symptoms. Come visit us at Coastal Urgent Care and we’ll take care of you!
