Immediate Sore Throat Treatment in Chicago & Naperville

A sore throat can be painful and uncomfortable, but it is not usually an indication of an emergency. However, if you or a loved one has sore throat and suddenly has difficulty swallowing or breathing, or starts experiencing excessive drooling, it should be considered an emergency that requires urgent medical care. If the sufferer is unable to breathe, call 911.

If the sore throat is still severe after 2 or 3 days or it persists for 5 to 7 days, you need to consider seeking urgent care fore sore throat at our facility. Our competent medical professionals are available 24/7 to help patients get prompt treatment for emergency symptoms. While general practices and emergency rooms require waiting, we are fully equipped to treat patients upon arrival.

What Causes Sore Throat?

The regular sore throat is also referred to as pharyngitis. It is sometimes accompanied by hoarseness, tonsil swelling, painful or difficult swallowing, and even scratchiness. It is sometimes associated with headaches, vomiting, nausea, runny nose, chills, and fever.

The typical causes of sore throat include:

– Trauma or physical injury to the throat

– Bacterial infections including strep throat or an upper respiratory infection

– Viruses such as mononucleosis, the common cold, or influenza

– Allergens like dust, pet dander, pollen, or post-nasal drip

Viral infections such as the flu or a cold are responsible for most sore throat cases. Viral infections that cause sore throats include chickenpox, measles, and mononucleosis, which is an infectious disease that’s usually transmitted via saliva.

If the sore throat is due to a bacterial infection, the most likely culprits are likely to be diphtheria, strep bacteria, or whooping cough, which is an infection of the mucous membranes. Other causes of sore throat include other illnesses or environmental factors such as allergens.

Sore Throat Symptoms

Besides a scratchy, sore throat, other symptoms may include fever, difficulty swallowing, difficulty opening your mouth, hoarseness that lasts longer than a week, a rash, earache, or lump in the neck. The more severe symptoms should only be evaluated by a competent medical professional.

Strep Throat

Strep throat is a bacterial infection that affects the tonsils and throat. While some people assume that any type of sore throat is strep or caused by the streptococcal bacteria, this is usually not the case. It is actually more common fore sore throat to be caused by viral infections than strep bacteria.

Strep bacteria are airborne, which means that it can be passed from one person to another when the infected person coughs, sneezes, or breathes. If you come into contact with the strep bacteria, symptoms will start to present in about 2 to 5 days.

Symptoms of Strep Throat

Strep throat shares most of the symptoms as sore throat, but here the soreness is caused by a type of bacteria known as streptococcus. The pain associated with strep throat mostly feels the same as sore throat caused by other illnesses, but a strep throat infection usually results in serious complications.

It is due to this reason why it is important to come to our urgent care clinic to have one of our competent medical professionals evaluate any sore throat that lasts for more than 1 or 2 days. If it is found out that you have strep throat, antibiotics may be prescribed.

Sore Throat Remedies

The remedies and medicines for sore throat caused by environmental factors or a virus may include:

– Using a humidifier

– Sucking on flavored frozen desserts like ice pops

– Sucking on hard candy or throat lozenges

– Gargling with warm salty water

– Taking naproxen, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen

Strep Throat Remedies

The typical remedies for sore throat are not sufficient for strep throat or soreness caused by bacteria. If our medical care providers determine that the sore throat is due to strep bacteria or other types of bacteria, antibiotics will most likely be prescribed. Ensure that you complete the entire dose of antibiotics even if your symptoms improve after a few days. It will help prevent the bacteria from retuning as well as the development of drug-resistant bacteria, which is a growing problem worldwide.

When Should You Seek Medical Help for Your Sore Throat or Strep Throat?

If your sore throat lasts more than 1 or 2 days or it is accompanied by other symptoms like difficulty breathing, joint pain, fever, or rash, you need to seek medical care at our urgent care clinic. We pride ourselves on our fast, efficient, and cost-effective care for sore throat irrespective of the cause.

Our team of highly qualified and reliable medical professionals located at our urgent care facility is ready to serve you. We will evaluate your sore throat and any other symptoms you have and recommend a treatment specifically tailored to your condition and prescribe or provide the medication required.