You might desperately seek a proper diagnosis when you notice an ache or bulge in your abdomen or groin that’s hard to ignore. So, can urgent care diagnose a hernia? Yes, these centers can perform physical exams and use imaging tests like ultrasounds or CT scans, making them a reliable first step in identifying a hernia.
Role of Urgent Care in Diagnosing Hernias
Urgent care centers play an important role in diagnosing hernias by offering quick medical attention. Here’s how they help:
- Initial Exam: Urgent care providers can often diagnose hernias through a physical exam. They check your symptoms and medical history and may ask you to cough or strain to see how the hernia responds.
- Imaging Tests: If the diagnosis isn’t clear or complications are suspected, they might recommend imaging tests like ultrasounds or CT scans to confirm the hernia and rule out other issues.
- Specialist Referrals: Urgent care providers usually refer patients to a specialist for further evaluation and treatment to ensure proper care once a hernia is diagnosed.
Hernia Emergency Symptoms
Hernia emergency symptoms can signal a serious problem, such as a strangulated or trapped (incarcerated) hernia. This kind of hernia needs immediate medical care to avoid complications like tissue damage or infection. Following are some alarming signs:
- Severe Pain: Sudden, intense pain that gets worse over time.
- Bulge Changes: The hernia bulge feels firm and tender or changes color to red, purple, or dark.
- Digestive Problems: Nausea, vomiting, trouble passing gas, constipation, or bloody stools.
- Other Symptoms: Fever, fast heartbeat, or extreme tiredness.
- Blockage Signs: Being unable to pass gas or have a bowel movement.
Urgent Care Vs Emergency Room for Hernia Treatment
Both urgent care centers and emergency rooms can treat hernia symptoms, but they serve different purposes:
- Urgent Care Centers: These handle non-life-threatening issues that still need quick attention. They’re open on evenings, weekends, and holidays, with shorter wait times than emergency rooms. For hernia symptoms, they can do physical exams, order imaging tests like ultrasounds or CT scans, provide pain relief and refer you to a specialist or surgeon if needed.
- Emergency Rooms: These are for life-threatening or severe medical problems that need immediate care. They’re open 24/7 and have access to advanced equipment and specialists. While they can provide the same tests and treatments for hernias as urgent care centers, emergency rooms are usually much more expensive, often about 10 times costlier.
The Most Problematic Hernia Type
While incarceration and strangulation in hernias can sound alarming, they are quite rare. Common hernias, like inguinal hernias, have a low risk of strangulation, about 1 to 2%. This means the chances of strangulation are small. However, it’s still important to see a surgeon. Surgery might be recommended if you’re young, healthy, experiencing pain, or if the hernia is affecting your daily life. Doctors might suggest monitoring the hernia for older adults with weaker abdominal muscles to see if it worsens.
Femoral hernias, which occur in the thigh area, are more likely to strangulate. About 20 to 30% of untreated femoral hernias can lead to strangulation. If diagnosed with a femoral hernia, surgery will likely be recommended quickly to prevent complications.
Closing Note
If you are in severe abdominal pain, you might wonder, “Can urgent care diagnose a hernia?” They certainly can, and they are a good choice as they will not only diagnose but also refer you to a qualified specialist.
Visit our hernia specialist, Dr. Rick Ngo, at Texas Hernia & Surgical Specialist. Only 25% of General Surgeons in the US perform minimally invasive hernia surgery, and our doctor is one of them. Dial (888) 365-1544 to schedule an appointment.