After an exciting day spent with family at the Apex Center, enjoying the indoor playground, rock climbing wall, or weight room, you might notice your throat feeling a bit scratchy, swollen, or even painful by the end of the week. While it could just be a minor irritation, there’s also a chance it could signal the start of an infection.

Rather than taking a risk with your health, it’s important to learn about the possible causes of a sore throat, the warning signs to watch for, and the treatment options available at AFC Urgent Care Arvada. This way, you can get the relief you need and get back to enjoying family adventures in no time.

What Causes a Sore Throat?

A sore throat can have a variety of causes, both infectious and benign.

• Cold & flu
• Seasonal allergies
• Strep throat
• Sinus Infection
• Tonsillitis
• COVID-19

Less than a third of sore throats are caused by bacterial infections, so it’s important to get an accurate diagnosis to avoid unnecessary antibiotic use.

What are the Red Flags of a Sore Throat?

Most of the time, a sore throat will run its course after a week or so, depending on the cause. However, pay attention to any progressing symptoms and warning signs of a more serious illness. You will need to seek immediate medical care from an AFC provider if you are also experiencing fever, shortness of breath, body aches, or loss of smell and/or taste.

How do You Treat a Sore Throat?

At AFC Arvada, we provide a variety of services including rapid COVID-19 testing, flu testing, strep cultures, and even on-site labs to get to the bottom of your sore throat. If your throat pain is accompanied by cough and shortness of breath, we can perform in-house chest X-rays to rule out pneumonia. Depending on your diagnosis, we can prescribe antibiotics or recommend over-the-counter treatment options from your local pharmacy.

Other at-home remedies for a sore throat include gargling with warm salt water, using a humidifier, drinking hot herbal tea, and consuming throat lozenges.

Don’t let a sore throat linger, pre-register at AFC Lakewood today!