Urgent symptoms

Topics to discuss

• Call 911 for chest pain or shortness of breath with new leg swelling. Do not wait for a routine programme appointment.
• Seek urgent assessment for a newly swollen, painful leg
• A major injury, deformity, or inability to bear weight needs urgent evaluation

Choosing the next step

Use the warning signs above to decide when emergency help is needed. This page cannot check your symptoms or tell you that it is safe to wait. If symptoms are severe, sudden, or getting worse quickly, seek urgent medical help. A routine appointment request is not an emergency service, and a message may not be read right away.

For a life-threatening emergency, call 911. Do not drive yourself if you feel faint, confused, or unable to travel safely. If possible, have someone stay with you while help arrives. Bring your medicine list and allergy information if they are easy to reach, but do not delay emergency care to collect records.

Sources

• Plantar Fasciitis and Bone Spurs — American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
• Osteoarthritis: evidence rationale for shockwave therapy — NICE
• Deep Vein Thrombosis — MedlinePlus (NIH)