Minor cuts, wounds, and bug bites happen every day, but when they develop infections, they can become worrisome health issues requiring urgent care. Infections happen when the cut isn’t cleaned properly, isn’t bandaged appropriately, or occurred with an unsanitary instrument. Below are five signs your wound is infected and you should go to a medical clinic.

How to Tell Whether Your Cut Is Infected

1. Redness & Inflammation

One of the earliest signs of a developing infection is redness around the wound. It will also become inflamed and swollen. Over time, if left untreated, the redness will continue to grow. Red lines stemming from the wound will begin to spread outward away from it, which indicates a very severe infection.

2. Tenderness

Wounds are often already sore, but when they begin to get infected, you’ll experience unusual tenderness on and around the wound. It may ache and throb, and even lightly touching the area around it may cause pain.

3. Fever

When your body fights off a virus or illness, your immune system’s response is a fever, trying to weaken your illness and make it unable to replicate. This happens when you’re fighting an infection from a wound, too. Fevers that get above 100 degrees in particular are cause to worry, and you should seek care from an urgent care clinic for treatment as soon as possible.

4. Swollen Lymph Nodes

Swollen lymph nodes are also key indicators that your body is fighting an infection. Lymph nodes are located primarily in your armpits, throat, and groin areas. When they’re swollen, they become tender to the touch and are more easily felt than usual.

5. Odorful or Off-Colored Discharge

If your wound begins to leak pus or discharge, you need to seek urgent care. Pus or discharge can be yellow, green, or cloudy in appearance, and many infections will give off an unpleasant odor as they fester. When not treated appropriately, they can spread to the blood or other parts of your body, creating serious medical conditions.

If you require urgent care services, visit the team at Robertsdale Urgent Care in Robertsdale, AL. Headed by Amy Younce CRNP, they’re an urgent medical care clinic devoted to improving the lives of their patients and giving back to the community. Younce is a proud Robertsdale native and has more than 6 years of experience in emergency medicine and trauma surgery. Whether you need treatment for a sports injury, management for a chronic illness, or urgent medical care for a condition that isn’t life-threatening, they’ll take an individualized approach to provide compassionate, dedicated services. Learn about their practice online, or call (251) 947-3591 for an appointment.