An unexpected sports injury can quickly change your weekend plans. One minute your athlete is on the field, court, or track, and the next you’re trying to decide where to go for care.
Does the injury require the emergency room? Can it wait until Monday? Or is there somewhere you can see an orthopedic specialist sooner?
For many recent bone, joint, and sports-related injuries, an urgent orthopedic or walk-in orthopedic clinic may be an appropriate option. During the fall sports season, Texas Orthopaedic Associates offers Saturday Sports Injury Clinics in Dallas, Plano, and Fort Worth, giving recently injured student-athletes access to orthopedic evaluation without waiting for the traditional workweek.
What Is an Urgent Orthopedic Clinic?
An urgent orthopedic clinic focuses specifically on injuries involving the musculoskeletal system — your bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other structures that help you move.
Unlike a general urgent care clinic, where providers evaluate everything from sore throats to minor injuries, an orthopedic injury clinic is focused on musculoskeletal conditions.
This can be especially helpful after a sports injury when you’re wondering whether that swollen ankle is simply a sprain, whether a knee injury needs further evaluation, or whether an injured wrist could be fractured.
What Injuries Can an Orthopedic Walk-In Clinic Evaluate?
Sports and orthopedic injuries can happen during organized athletics, recreational activities, workouts, or everyday life. Common injuries that may benefit from orthopedic evaluation include:
- Ankle and foot injuries
- Knee injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Wrist and hand injuries
- Suspected sprains and strains
- Possible fractures
- Joint injuries
- Sports-related injuries
- Injuries causing swelling, bruising, or difficulty with movement
- Injuries that make it difficult to bear weight or use an arm or leg normally
Getting the right evaluation early can help determine the extent of the injury and what the next steps should be.
Walk-In Orthopedic Care vs. the Emergency Room
Not every orthopedic injury requires a trip to the emergency room.
For a recent injury that appears to be isolated to a bone, joint, muscle, tendon, or ligament, an urgent orthopedic clinic may provide more specialized care for the problem.
However, emergency care is still important for serious or potentially life-threatening injuries. Call 911 or seek emergency medical attention for injuries involving severe trauma, uncontrolled bleeding, an open fracture, obvious severe deformity, loss of consciousness, difficulty breathing, or other symptoms that may represent a medical emergency.
When the primary concern is a recent sports or musculoskeletal injury that is not an emergency, seeing an orthopedic provider can help patients get care that’s focused specifically on their injury.
Why See an Orthopedic Specialist for a Sports Injury?
Sports injuries aren’t always as straightforward as they initially appear.
What feels like a “bad sprain” could involve a ligament injury. Knee pain after a tackle or sudden turn could involve the meniscus or ACL. A painful shoulder after a fall could require further evaluation.
Orthopedic and sports medicine providers specialize in diagnosing and treating conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system. If additional care is needed, they can also help guide the next steps, which may include bracing, advanced imaging, rehabilitation, physical therapy, follow-up with an orthopedic specialist, or other treatment.
Saturday Sports Injury Clinics for Student-Athletes in DFW
Fall sports mean Friday night football, weekend tournaments, practices, volleyball matches, soccer games, cross-country meets, and plenty of opportunities for injuries.
Texas Orthopaedic Associates offers Saturday Sports Injury Clinics for recently injured student-athletes during the fall semester at locations in Dallas, Plano, and Fort Worth.
The initial evaluation is complimentary and includes X-rays when needed. Athletes should bring their insurance card and/or school claim forms in case additional studies, such as an MRI or CT scan, or durable medical equipment, such as a brace or crutches, are needed.
A parent, coach, or athletic trainer must accompany the athlete. Parental attendance is strongly encouraged for minors, and parental consent is required when a minor is accompanied by someone other than a parent or legal guardian.
Dallas Sports Injury Clinic
7115 Greenville Ave., Suite 310
Dallas, TX 75231
Saturday clinic begins at 8:00 a.m.
Plano Sports Injury Clinic
6020 W. Parker Rd., Suite 240
Plano, TX 75093
Saturday clinic hours are 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Fort Worth Sports Injury Clinic
5900 Altamesa Blvd., Suite 100
Fort Worth, TX 76132
Saturday clinic hours are 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Please check our Sports Injury Clinic page for current clinic dates and any schedule changes before visiting.
What Should You Bring to the Sports Injury Clinic?
If your student-athlete is coming to one of our Saturday clinics, it can be helpful to bring:
- Insurance information
- School athletic insurance or claim forms, if applicable
- Information about how and when the injury occurred
- Any relevant medical information
- A parent, coach, or athletic trainer
If your athlete has already been evaluated elsewhere, bring any available records or imaging information that may be relevant to the injury.
Don’t Let a Weekend Injury Turn Into a Week of Waiting
When an athlete gets hurt, knowing where to turn can make the next step easier.
Instead of spending the weekend wondering whether an injury needs orthopedic attention, Texas Orthopaedic Associates’ Saturday Sports Injury Clinics in Dallas, Plano, and Fort Worth provide an option for recently injured student-athletes to receive an orthopedic evaluation during the fall sports season.
Whether it’s a knee injury after Friday night’s game, an ankle injury during volleyball, or a shoulder injury on the field, our orthopedic team can evaluate the injury and help determine the appropriate next step.
Learn more about our Saturday Sports Injury Clinics, including current dates, hours, and locations.
