The summer months bring lots of fun, including breaks from school, vacations from work, and time spent outdoors at the pool, beach, or family gatherings. But the summer heat, especially in Auburn, Alabama, can pose many health risks. Here are some common health concerns you may see this summer that can be treated at a local Auburn urgent care, including at Mills Urgent Care in Auburn, Alabama.
1. Heat Exhaustion and Other Heat-Related Illnesses
Alabama’s extreme heat and humidity during the summer leads to an increased risk of suffering from heat exhaustion. Outdoor workers, athletes, landscapers, senior adults and children are especially vulnerable. Some symptoms of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, dizziness, headache, nausea and weakness.
If heat exhaustion is left untreated, it can progress into a heat stroke, which is a medical emergency. Fortunately, a local urgent care clinic can assess hydration status, determine whether emergency care is warranted, and provide treatment to prevent heat exhaustion from progressing.
2. Severe Sunburn and Sun Poisoning
When spending large amounts of time outdoors during the summer, especially in the afternoon and on days with a high UV index, it’s crucial to use proper sun protection. Without the proper protection, sunburns happen often and can be severe, even progressing into sun poisoning.
While most sunburns can be treated at home, a burn that’s very severe and coupled with other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fever, facial swelling or widespread blistering can be cause to visit an urgent care. At a walk-in urgent care clinic like our Mills Urgent Care clinics in Auburn, Alabama, providers can evaluate burns and give treatment advice, or prescribe steroid creams, IV fluids, or topical antibiotics in extreme cases.
3. Swimmer’s Ear and Other Swimming-Related Infections
Swimming is a fun way to beat the summer heat, which is why visits to a local swimming pool, lake or even the beach are very common during the summer. Unfortunately, swimming can pose some health risks, especially if proper precautions aren’t followed.
Not taking the care to thoroughly dry ears after swimming can lead to swimmer’s ear, which is a common bacterial infection in the ear canal. Swimming in unclean water, especially certain lakes, can lead to other bacterial infections as well. At an urgent care clinic, medical professionals can diagnose infection and provide treatment.
4. Insect Bites and Mild Allergic Reactions
Spending extra time outdoors during the summer, especially in areas that are wooded or grassy, can mean bites or stings from insects such as mosquitoes, ants, chiggers, wasps, bees, and ticks. While most bites won’t be a cause for concern, some bites can cause allergic reactions or spread diseases. If a bite or sting starts to look worrisome, or if you experience adverse symptoms, visiting a local walk-in urgent care clinic is a good place to start for getting a medical assessment and treatment advice.
5. Strains, Sprains and Fractures
Participating in outdoor activities and games becomes a lot more common during the summer months, which means musculoskeletal injuries also become more common. Sports, hiking, biking and even swimming can all unfortunately lead to accidents that result in sprains, strains or fractures. Visiting a local urgent care clinic is a good first step for having an injury evaluated by a medical professional, and even getting an x-ray done when needed.
Quick Medical Treatment for Common Summer Injuries in the Auburn Area from Mills Urgent Care
At Mills Urgent Care walk-in clinic locations in Auburn, AL, we provide medical services for these summer health concerns and many more! For a full list of our services, click here. If you’d like to find out more about what we do, or schedule an appointment, you can contact us, schedule online, or walk in to either of our Auburn locations today!