There is no doubting that the urgent care center has become more popular than ever, especially now that there are well over 7,000 urgent care clinics found throughout the United States. After all, more than one quarter of the population has attended an urgent care location at least once in the past two years alone, meaning that up to three million people will visit an urgent care clinic over the course of a single week. And these numbers are on the rise, with the urgent care locations found in the United States only gaining more and more popularity with the progression of time.

But what exactly can you go to an urgent care clinic for? For any emergent medical concern, going to a local emergency room is still ideal, especially if you fear that your condition might be life threatening or quickly become so. But for many other medical issues, the average walk in clinic will more than suffice, as urgent care treatment is much more extensive than many people even realize. Urgent care centers are now more equipped than ever to handle all kinds of medical needs.

For instance, care for various injuries, from sports injuries and beyond, is more than possible. Treating an ankle sprain is common in the typical walk in urgent care center, largely in relation to the fact that spraining your ankle is incredibly easy to do and something that can actually happen in day to day life. Therefore, up to 25,000 sprained ankles will happen over the course of just one day here in the United States alone.

Fracture care is also possible at many walk in urgent care centers. In fact, up to four fifths of all urgent care locations are actually able to provide fracture care to some extent, though the most serious of fractures will likely still need to be treated in the hospital. But for many patients, having a fracture treated in the average walk-in medical care clinic is hugely ideal, as it will allow them to save time and money alike, as ER visits are quite costly in both matters.

In addition to this, care for infections can also be provided. While wound repair is the most common procedure that is performed in any given walk-in medical clinic or urgent care center, respiratory illnesses are actually the most commonly diagnosed illness. Other types of infections also abound. As a matter of fact, there are more than eight million cases of urinary tract infections diagnosed over the course of just one year – and likely even more that go undiagnosed. Among the population of children in the United States, ear infections are widely common, thanks to a variety of factors. But while these conditions can certainly be painful or at the very least uncomfortable, there are ways in which they can be handled. A simple course of antibiotics will often be enough to eradicate the illness for the patient in question, and such antibiotics can easily be prescribed at the typical urgent care center.

Preventative care is also an important part of just about any given urgent care center. Consider, for instance, the flu. The flu is an illness that is hugely common each and every year. In fact, no less than 5% of the population will contract the flu during this span of time. In particularly bad years, as much as 20% of the population can come down with the illness. Unfortunately, far too many people think of the flu as not all that much more severe than the common cold. But this is not the case. The flu can lead to serious complications for any person, particularly those who fall into at risk populations. The flu vaccine, as offered by many an urgent care walk in clinic, can help to lower these risks, if not fully eradicate them. For while the flu shot is not going to fully protect anyone, it can help to reduce the risk of developing serious complications that can all too easily lead to death for far too many people. At the end of the day, some reduction of risk is better than none.