Getting hurt is never fun. It can be painful, frustrating and even scary if the injury is severe enough. While many injuries are minor and heal on their own with time, what happens when the injury you thought was no big deal is lingering and causing you significant pain?

That’s where our team comes in to help! Our AFC center is fully equipped with an X-ray machine and highly skilled X-ray technicians who can help identify a fracture.

Our AFC Urgent Care Athens, TN team wants to help you on the road to recovery, so learn more about our diagnosis process below.

Why Do Fractures Happen?

Our bones are the literal foundation of our bodies! They provide us with structure and protect our organs, which means they have to be strong in order to keep us safe. They are built to withstand the regular pressures of life and can handle mild to moderate impacts without issue. They actually have a flexible quality to them to help ward off more serious injuries.

However, if the impact or fall is forceful enough, it can cause the bone to give and little cracks or a full break can occur. If you get hurt and the pain is significant, the injury site is swollen or you can see a visual deformity, come see us for a quick X-ray.

The Most Common Fracture Sites

• Wrists
• Ankles
• Hips
• Clavicle (collarbone)

How Does an X-ray Work?

An X-ray is a machine that takes a picture of a part of your body using X-ray beams. The beams aren’t able to travel through tissue or intact bone, so the image that appears is the inside of your body! If you have a fracture, those beams will be able to travel through the fracture and a dark spot will appear where the bone image would normally be a solid white.

We have a digital X-ray machine in our center, which means that instead of the image being printed on film, it is uploaded to a computer and viewed that way. This allows us to zoom in and pinpoint parts of the image without sacrificing quality. It also gives us a much clearer image that can help us quickly identify your injury. If we diagnose a fracture, we can work together to come up with the best treatment and healing plan moving forward.

Additional Benefits of a Digital X-ray

• Reduced radiation exposure
• Clear images
• Fast turnaround
• Reduced environmental impact

Our X-ray technology can help you feel better faster. Come see us at AFC Urgent Care Athens, TN for an X-ray today.