When Does a Sore Throat Warrant a Trip to Urgent Care?

When you wake up with a sore throat, it ruins your day. Whether you have allergies or are coming down with a cold, a sore throat isn't a walk in the park.

In most cases, your sore throat goes away on its own in a couple of days to a week. However, if your throat isn't any better in a couple of days, you may want to head to urgent care for medical treatment.

At Highway Integrative Health Center, our team offers convenient urgent care services when you're dealing with a sore throat or other symptoms. Our team comprises two expert doctors — Dr. Jose Lopez-Chevres and Dr. Yaritza Arriaga O'Neill.

When you need fast treatment and compassionate care, you don't have to look any further than the Highway Integrative Health Center team.

Sore throat causes

You can end up with a sore throat for various reasons. Sometimes, it's not due to sickness at all. A long night at a concert where you sang at the top of your lungs sometimes causes throat discomfort the next day.

However, you might have an illness or other underlying problem if you have a sore throat and other symptoms. A few of the conditions that lead to a sore throat include:

• Viral infections
• Bacterial infections
• Allergies
• GERD
• Smoke or irritants
• Strained muscles

More recently, a sore throat has been a symptom of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Although it's a vague symptom, a sore throat may signal various medical conditions or simply dryness in the air.

Suppose you have other signs of an illness, such as a fever, body aches, or a cough. In that case, our team should evaluate you to rule out viral or bacterial infections.

Signs you need help

A sore throat isn't something you need to worry too much about. With viral illnesses, your sore throat should go away when the virus runs its course. This may be several days to a week or so.

However, if you have a sore throat accompanied by a fever, or you don't feel quite right, you may want to get checked out. Other reasons that warrant a trip to our urgent care include the following:

• Severe pain in your throat
• Pain that doesn't get better on its own
• Difficulty swallowing fluids
• Large swollen glands
• Bloody saliva
• Joint pain or swelling
• Rash

If your child has a sore throat and exhibits excessive drooling, irritability, and trouble moving their neck, seek care immediately. These are signs of epiglottitis, a severe problem, especially in children.

What treatments can you expect?

At your urgent care appointment, our team checks your vital signs and inquires about your symptoms. They'll want to know when your symptoms started and what you've tried at home to ease your sore throat pain.

If our team is concerned about an infection, they swab your throat to check for strep throat. If you don't have strep and nothing else is going on, you likely have a viral illness that needs to run its course.

When a bacterial infection causes your sore throat, our team prescribes antibiotics to eliminate the problem. If you have a viral illness, home care measures can help. Our team recommends these home therapies:

• Ice chips
• Lozenges
• Plenty of fluids
• Warm liquids
• Gargling with salt water

Over-the-counter medications also help to relieve your symptoms. Our team can help you decide which type of medication is best for you.

If you have a sore throat you can't seem to kick, call our office in Davenport, Florida, today at 689-600-1542. You can also request an appointment online using our convenient booking tool.