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Sore Throat

A sore throat can make it painful to swallow. Sore throat treatment from Wellington Physicians Urgent Care can help relieve your symptoms and get you accurately diagnosed and treated.

What Is a Sore Throat?

A sore throat is the primary symptom of pharyngitis. Pharyngitis is the inflammation of the throat (pharynx). “Pharyngitis” and “sore throat” are two terms that are often used interchangeably.

Common Sore Throat Symptoms

Sore throat symptoms vary depending on the cause, but may include throat pain, fever and chills, as well as general discomfort.

Other sore throat signs and symptoms may include:

  • Pain or a scratchy sensation in the throat which gets worse with talking or swallowing
  • Dry throat
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Swollen and sore glands in your jaw or neck
  • Red swollen tonsils
  • Hoarse voice
  • Pus or white patches may appear on tonsils
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • High fever

Painful swallowing is the most common symptom, as a sore throat when swallowing can be a sign of throat irritation.

Sore Throat Causes

Tonsilitis, mononucleosis, pharyngitis and streptococcal infection (strep throat) are the most common sore throat causes.

Viral illnesses may also cause a sore throat. These include flu (influenza), mononucleosis (mono), common colds, chickenpox, measles and croup.

Bacterial infections that may cause a sore throat include: Strep throat, caused by a bacterium known as Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A streptococcus and Whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory tract infection.

It is very important to determine if a sore throat is viral or bacterial as strep infection can cause other more serious illnesses.

A test commonly referred to as a rapid strep screen can determine if it is a strep infection by taking and testing a swab of the throat. A blood test can indicate mononucleosis (mono) or an elevated white blood cell count caused by infection.

Viral infections can be treated symptomatically, while strep and other types of bacterial infections require antibiotic treatment.

Also, physicians want to make sure not to prescribe an antibiotic if the infection is viral. Antibiotic resistance can occur if they are prescribed when they aren’t needed. Finding the root of the infection is key.

Sore Throat Relief

When the throat is painful and scratchy, it can become unbearable at times. Over-the-counter medicine can be used to give some pain relief. Other options of pain relief are:

  • Gargling with salt water
  • Drinking warm beverages
  • Sucking on ice chips or popsicles (be careful with children under two)

To help keep others around you healthy, it’s recommended that you wash your hands as often as possible.

Rare Causes

Sore throats are usually dealt with easily through the right treatment from an urgent care clinic, but occasionally they can be a symptom of a rarer issue.

An infected area of tissue (abscess) in the throat can also cause a sore throat, although this is rare. Another rare cause is a condition occurring when the small cartilage “lid” covering the windpipe swells up, blocking airflow (epiglottitis). Both of these causes can block the airway, leading to a medical emergency.

Additionally, it could be caused by an allergic reaction. Minor allergic reactions (such as a dry sore throat) are not a big deal, but difficulty breathing means you should call 9-1-1 or seek emergency care immediately.

Urgent Care for Sore Throat

Sore throat treatment from an urgent care center can provide much needed pain relief while also accurately diagnosing your sore throat. The medical professionals at Wellington Physicians Urgent Care can help provide an accurate diagnosis to what is causing the sore throat.

With an accurate diagnosis you can receive the right pain relievers or be prescribed antibiotics to clear up your sore throat and make sure you are not spreading the infection.

Contact Us Today

Wellington Physicians Urgent Care, located in Wellington, Florida, is open seven days a week with convenient daytime and evening hours for patients needing urgent care treatment. Wellington Physicians Urgent Care’s team of medical professionals are here to help with your sore throat.

Walk-in or make a reservation online.