Can Urgent Care Diagnose a Concussion? What to Expect from Your Visit

Concussions remain one of the most frequently encountered injuries in sports, recreational activities, and everyday life. As a form of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), a concussion can disrupt normal brain function in subtle but significant ways—often without any visible signs of trauma. 

Given the need for timely and accurate evaluation, many patients and caregivers turn to urgent care centers for answers. But how well-equipped are these clinics to handle concussion diagnosis and management?

This article offers a detailed look into what urgent care can and cannot provide in the context of concussion care, how it compares to emergency departments and specialty concussion clinics, and what next steps athletes, families, and clinicians should take following the initial visit.

What Is a Concussion and How Is It Diagnosed?

A concussion occurs when a direct or indirect force causes the brain to move rapidly within the skull, leading to metabolic and functional disruptions. The diagnosis of concussion remains clinical—based on reported symptoms, mechanism of injury, and functional assessments—rather than imaging or lab results.

Common symptoms include:

  • Headache
  • Dizziness or balance issues
  • Visual disturbance
  • Confusion or disorientation
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Memory loss
  • Sensitivity to light or noise
  • Sleep disruption
  • Fatigue

The Amsterdam 2022 Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport emphasizes that most concussions do not require imaging unless red flags suggest more serious pathology, such as skull fractures or intracranial bleeding (BJSM, 2023).

Can Urgent Care Diagnose a Concussion?

Yes—urgent care centers can assess, diagnose, and provide initial management for concussions. These clinics are often equipped to evaluate mild head injuries, especially in settings where primary care or sports medicine physicians are unavailable.

At a typical urgent care visit, a provider will take a detailed history of the injury and symptom onset. They will conduct a basic neurological examination and screen for red flag symptoms (e.g., loss of consciousness, vomiting, worsening headache). They will try to determine if imaging is warranted and recommend follow-up with a specialist.

However, while urgent care is a reasonable first stop, it’s not the endpoint in concussion care. These visits often lack comprehensive vestibular-ocular motor screening, baseline comparison tools, or return-to-play planning—elements critical in sports-related concussion management.

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Urgent Care vs. Emergency Room vs. Neurologists

Understanding where to go can significantly affect outcomes. Let’s break down what each setting offers:

Urgent Care

  • Best for: Initial screening of non-emergent head injuries when primary care or team clinicians are unavailable
  • Pros: Quick access, lower cost than ER, appropriate for mild cases
  • Limitations: Limited access to advanced assessments; short visits often lack personalized follow-up plans

Emergency Room

  • Best for: Concussions with red flags—loss of consciousness, seizures, severe headache, vomiting, or suspected cervical spine injury
  • Pros: 24/7 availability, access to imaging and trauma evaluation
  • Limitations: Expensive, focused on ruling out serious pathology rather than providing a detailed concussion plan

Concussion Specialty Clinic

  • Best for: Athletes, children, or individuals with persistent symptoms or complex presentations
  • Pros: Multidisciplinary approach; includes neurocognitive testing, vestibular-ocular assessments, exertional protocols, and individualized recovery plans
  • Limitations: May require referral; limited availability in some regions

Clinical Scenario: A Real-World Example

A high school football player collides helmet-to-helmet with another athlete and complains of headache, dizziness, and feeling "foggy." The team athletic trainer removes him from play and performs an initial sideline screen. Since the injury occurred late Friday, the family opts for urgent care on Saturday morning.

The urgent care provider conducts a neurological screen, determines that imaging is not necessary, and offers standard discharge instructions: rest, no screens, and watch for symptom worsening. However, there is no access to his preseason baseline testing, nor is a vestibular-ocular assessment performed.

By Monday, the school's sports medicine team referred him to a concussion clinic. There, he undergoes a complete assessment—including the VOMS (Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening) and graded exertion testing. Minor impairments are identified, and a gradual return-to-play plan is established, aligning with the Amsterdam Consensus protocol.

This scenario underscores how urgent care can serve as a valuable first stop—but not the full solution. Persistent symptoms such as dizziness, concentration issues, and emotional instability can go undetected without appropriate screening tools. Vestibular dysfunction alone has been shown to affect a large number of youth athletes post-concussion, yet few urgent care centers routinely screen for this.

The Role of Athletic Trainers and School Clinicians

For athletic trainers—particularly those working in high schools without daily access to a physician—the collaboration between urgent care and school-based support becomes critical. Trainers are often the first to recognize concussion symptoms and the primary advocates for appropriate follow-up care.

Key responsibilities include:

  • Immediate removal from play when a concussion is suspected
  • Communication with family and medical providers
  • Coordination of return-to-learn and return-to-play protocols
  • Use of validated tools (e.g., SCAT6, Sway balance assessment) to monitor recovery

Incorporating evidence-based digital tools into the post-injury workflow helps trainers track changes in reaction time, balance, and symptom burden—filling gaps left by brief urgent care encounters.

When to Escalate: Signs That Require Emergency or Specialist Referral

If any of the following symptoms occur, skip urgent care and proceed directly to an emergency department:

  • Loss of consciousness
  • Repeated vomiting
  • Severe or worsening headache
  • One-sided weakness or numbness
  • Slurred speech or confusion
  • Neck pain with suspected cervical injury

Similarly, if symptoms persist beyond 10–14 days in adolescents or 7 days in adults, a referral to a concussion specialist is warranted per Amsterdam guidelines.

Urgent Care as Part of a Concussion Management Ecosystem

Urgent care can be a helpful and appropriate starting point for concussion evaluation, especially outside regular office hours. These centers can screen for red flags, initiate symptom tracking, and provide early education. However, urgent care alone is not enough.

Athletes recovering from a concussion need coordinated, multidisciplinary care—especially when symptoms persist. Athletic trainers, physical therapists, sports medicine physicians, and neuropsychologists each play a role in ensuring safe, evidence-based recovery.