Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Clavicular Pain in a 23-Year-Old

Case A 23-year-old man presents to an urgent care with pain at the distal end of his left clavicle that began the previous day after he fell onto his left shoulder while mountain biking. His pain is constant and sharp and worse when moving his left arm and shoulder. He does not have fever, vomiting, chest pain, shortness of breath, or abdominal pain, and he has no head injury, no head or neck pain, and …

Knee Pain in an 8-Year-Old Boy

Case An 8-year-old boy presents to an urgent care center with left knee pain that he has had for 3 days. The pain is worse with walking, and his mother says that he has been limping and will not put full weight on the leg. He reports no trauma, fever, vomiting, or numbness. His mother reports that she has given him ibuprofen but that this has not relieved his pain. View the image taken (Figure …

Foot Injury in a Weekend Warrior

A 46-year-old weekend warrior presents to an urgent care center 3 hours after injuring his right ankle and foot while playing basketball. He reports moderate to severe pain over the lateral side of the ankle and foot, which started after he jumped for a rebound and came down on the foot while it was in plantar flexion and inverted. However, he can walk. He reports no paresthesia or pain at the midfoot or proximal fibula, …

Heel and Ankle Pain in an Adult After a Jump from a Second-Floor Window

A 38-year-old man presents to an urgent care center and reports pain in his right heel and ankle that he describes as severe enough that he cannot walk on the foot. He says that the pain began the previous evening when he landed on the group after jumping out of a second-floor window on a dare. He has some minimal paresthesia, but he has no fever, vomiting, head trauma, head or neck pain, or chest …

Hip Pain in an Adult After a Fall

A 67-year-old woman presents to an urgent care center after 12 hours of pain in her right hip that began after she slipped in her kitchen and fell onto that hip. She reports that the pain is constant and worsens with walking. She has not experienced numbness in the hip, and she reports no other injuries. She has not sustained any head trauma, and she has no head or neck pain. View the image taken …

Finger Pain After Jamming During a Basketball Game

A 19-year-old college student presents to an urgent care center with pain at the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint of the middle finger of his right hand. He reports that the pain started suddenly the previous evening when the finger was jammed while he was playing basketball. The pain is worse through the range of motion, but there is no numbness and no pain at the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint.

Wrist Pain in an Adult After a Fall

A 62-year-old woman presents with left wrist pain that began after she fell onto her outstretched left hand earlier in the morning while walking her dog. She has wrist pain throughout the range of motion, as well as some pain in her hand. She sustained no injuries to her head or neck, and she has no head pain, neck pain, chest pain, or shortness of breath.

Shoulder Pain in a 62-Year-Old After a Fall

A 62-year-old man presents with right shoulder pain that began the previous evening after he fell in his garage. The pain is worse with movement through the range of motion. He has no pain in the elbow and says that he has no head pain or head injury. His social history reveals that he is a smoker and drinks alcohol. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.

Clinical Challenge: March 2016

A 36-year-old man comes to an urgent care center reporting pain in his back that began the previous day. The pain is sharp and worse with certain changes in position. He does a lot of lifting at his job stocking shelves in a grocery store, but he cannot relate the onset of the pain to any specific lifting that he has done. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.

Sudden-Onset Left-Sided Chest Pain

A 32-year-old man with a history of pneumothorax presents to the urgent care after a sudden onset of left-sided chest pain that started 30 minutes earlier when he was inhaling while smoking a cigarette. He reports shortness of breath, dizziness, and diaphoresis. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.