Walk-In X-Ray Services for Suspected Breaks

A hard fall, a twisted ankle, a wrist that doesn’t look quite right after practice. When you’re not sure if something’s broken, you need an answer fast, not a long wait at the hospital. Every OnPoint Urgent Care location has digital X-ray equipment on site, so you can walk in, get imaged and get an answer from a provider in the same visit.

Serving the Denver Metro Area:

On-Site Imaging When You Need It

All six OnPoint locations are equipped with digital X-ray technology, so you don’t need a referral or a separate appointment for imaging. A provider can order an X-ray, review the results and start treatment, all in one visit. Many urgent care centers can take an X-ray and send you on your way. OnPoint goes further, with the providers, equipment and on-site capabilities to get you from diagnosis to treatment in one stop for simple, non-displaced fractures.

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What Our X-Rays Show, and What They Can’t

Digital X-ray equipment at each OnPoint location is built for fast, same-visit answers to the most common reasons people walk in. Here’s what’s included on site, and where a provider might refer you if your situation calls for something more.

On-Site X-Rays Cover:

  • Fractures and suspected breaks in the arms, legs, hands, feet and other bones
  • Sprains and joint injuries, to help rule out a break
  • Chest X-rays for respiratory concerns like a persistent cough, wheezing or suspected pneumonia

Imaging Services We Don't Offer On Site

Some services call for equipment beyond what a walk-in X-ray suite provides. If a provider suspects something these tools would show more clearly, such as a soft tissue injury or an internal issue an X-ray can’t capture, they’ll refer you to a hospital or an imaging center equipped for it. These include:

  • CT scans
  • MRIs
  • Ultrasounds

Signs It Might Be a Break

Not every ache after a bump or a fall means a trip in for an X-ray, but your body usually gives you a few clues when something more than a bruise is going on. Some breaks are obvious right away. Others feel more like a bad sprain until a day or two passes and the pain hasn’t let up. 

Here’s what tends to point toward a break rather than a strain:

  • Pain that doesn’t ease up, or gets worse when you move or put weight on the area

  • Swelling or bruising around a joint or bone that shows up quickly after the injury
  • Trouble using the limb normally, like putting weight on a foot, gripping with a hand or straightening an elbow
  • A bump, dent or shape that wasn’t there before the injury happened
  • Bruising that spreads along the whole limb, not just around the joint
  • Pain that started right after a fall, collision or sports injury, rather than building up gradually over days

Urgent Care or the ER? Where to Go for a Suspected Break

Most suspected breaks can be evaluated and treated at urgent care, but some need a hospital’s resources right away. The difference usually comes down to how severe the injury looks and whether there are signs of a bigger problem, like blood flow being cut off to the area. Here’s how to tell which one you’re dealing with.

If you think you may have a life-threatening injury, do not go to an urgent care center or walk-in clinic. Call 911 or go immediately to your nearest hospital emergency department.

When Walk-In Care Is the Right Call

Most suspected breaks fall into this category, and it’s usually safe to walk in rather than head for the ER. Look for:

  • Pain, swelling or bruising after a fall, sports injury or minor accident
  • You can still move the area, even if it hurts to do so
  • No visible deformity, open wound or heavy bleeding
  • Circulation and sensation are normal, with no numbness, tingling or color change

When to Go to the ER Instead

Some injuries need a hospital’s imaging, surgical team or specialists right away, not a walk-in visit. Skip urgent care and head straight to the ER, or call 911, if you notice any of the following:

  • The bone is visibly out of place or has come through the skin
  • There’s significant bleeding that won’t stop with steady pressure
  • The area is numb, cold or changing color, a sign of poor circulation
  • The injury came from a serious accident, such as a car crash or a fall from height
Local urgent care provider speaking with a patient

What to Expect When You Come In For an X-Ray

Walk into any OnPoint location, no appointment necessary. Every visit follows the same straightforward process, so you know what to expect from the moment you walk in the door:

  • 1
    Check in at the front desk, or skip the wait by checking in online before you arrive.
  • 2

    A provider examines the injury, asks how it happened and orders an X-ray if one is needed.

  • 3

    Your images are reviewed on site during your visit, so a provider can walk you through an initial read before you leave, no waiting days for a callback.

  • 4

    If it’s a fracture, we’ll place a soft splint for comfort and stability and help you arrange follow-up with your primary care provider or possibly an orthopedist if the fracture requires casting. Casting at the time of injury may not be appropriate because of swelling in the area.

  • 5

    Fractures that are displaced, involve a joint or need surgery get referred to an orthopedic specialist, so your next steps are set before you leave.

  • 6

    Every X-ray is then sent to a board-certified radiologist for a full, formal interpretation, so the final read in your chart is thorough and accurate. If the radiologist’s interpretation differs from ours, we will call you with an update.

Most patients leave with a clear diagnosis and a plan, all from a single stop.

We Accept Most Major Insurance Plans

OnPoint accepts most major insurance plans, including Aetna, Anthem BCBS, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare and Colorado Medicaid, with a few named exceptions. See the full insurance list to confirm your plan before your visit, or bring your insurance card and our front desk team can verify your coverage when you check in.

Find Your Nearest OnPoint Urgent Care

OnPoint Urgent Care has six walk-in locations across the Denver metro area, all staffed by physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners and open seven days a week. No appointment needed, so whether your injury happens on a Tuesday afternoon or a Sunday evening, there’s a location nearby ready to see you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Every OnPoint location has digital X-ray equipment on site, so you can walk in without an appointment and get imaged during your visit. There’s no need to be referred out to a separate imaging center.

Yes. Digital X-rays use a low dose of radiation, and our providers only order imaging when it’s needed to evaluate an injury. The amount of radiation involved is small and well within standard safety guidelines.

In many cases, yes. OnPoint’s on-site X-ray imaging allows providers to diagnose and splint many fractures during your visit. Severe breaks, especially ones with visible bone, heavy bleeding or loss of circulation, need the ER instead.

The X-ray itself only takes a few minutes. Your total visit time depends on how busy your location is and whether you need additional treatment, like a splint, but most patients leave the same day with a clear answer instead of waiting on results.