If you have ever been in a car accident, you understand that injuries can often take hours to days to show up. This is why our attorneys at LA Century Law suggest that you might want to visit a chiropractor to learn the extent of your injuries, as well as to know how long and what types of treatments you need.
We can then work with you to make chiropractic care part of your car accident settlement. Learn from our San Bernardino car accident attorneys what you should know about the process of seeking chiropractic care after a crash.
What Sorts of Car Accident Injuries Benefit From Chiropractic Care?
Did you know that a chiropractor can often help you more than a physician or surgeon when it comes to hidden injuries to your neck and back after a car accident? With this kind of trauma, you could tear muscles and ligaments that may not show up on X-rays. Chiropractic care after a car accident can align your spine using spinal manipulation, intended to release inflammation, increase mobility, reduce scar tissue, and decrease pain.
Common injuries that chiropractors treat include whiplash, strains and sprains, back and spinal cord injuries, herniated discs, inflammation, and pain in the chest, neck, joints, extremities, and shoulders. These injuries often limit mobility in damaged tissues and bones because your body feels stiff and sore. Through drug-free, natural treatments, such as spinal adjustments, your chiropractor stimulates your natural healing process and releases pain-reducing hormones.
What Can You Expect When a Lawyer Sends You to a Chiropractor?
Traditional medicine may miss or may not effectively treat some injuries and their symptoms. During your initial consultation, your chiropractor will ask about your symptoms and injuries from the accident as well as your medical history. The goal is to find the source of pain and diagnose the problem.
These medical professionals will ask you to take a few tests, including a physical examination of your back, neck, joints, and anywhere you feel pain or have swelling or inflammation. Your blood pressure, pulse, and breathing rate are important, and the chiropractor will test your range of motion, reflexes, and flexibility.
After locating the source of your injuries and their associated symptoms, the chiropractor will sit down with you to develop a personalized treatment plan that may include acupuncture, dry needling, physical therapy, massage, spinal decompression, and spinal adjustments. You will likely receive exercises that you need to complete at home as well.
Is Chiropractic Care Covered by Insurance or a Lawsuit Award?
Only a slight majority of Americans view chiropractic care positively. You may feel concerned about your car accident chiropractor settlements, especially since insurance companies do not place chiropractic care on the same level as care you receive from a medical doctor.
If you go to a chiropractor after a car accident, the insurance company or your settlement should cover your care.
However, prepare to fight for your payment. First, ask your doctor for a referral to a chiropractor. Then, see the chiropractor as soon as possible after the accident and start your treatments immediately.
Make sure your tests, charts, reports, updates, and referrals are well documented by both your doctor and chiropractor. Keep a journal about your injury, pain levels, and treatments, as well as your physical limitations. Follow your care plan exactly, and do not miss treatments.
How and Why Do Insurance Companies Try To Dismiss This Care?
Insurance adjusters tend to challenge chiropractor bills more than doctor bills, such as by stating that you do not need two to three treatments per week or suspecting that your chiropractor will not ever find you healed enough to stop your treatments. If you received chiropractic care before the accident, insurance adjusters may state that your injury existed prior to the accident.
An insurance company’s job is to limit financial outlays or liabilities. Because chiropractor care is not as widely accepted as other medical treatments, they are more likely to fight against paying for it, suggesting that it is a way to bill the insurance company for needless procedures. If they undervalue this treatment and your claim, it can impact your car accident chiropractor settlements.
How Many Visits Might You Have To Make to a Chiropractor?
If you have ever received an injury, you understand that it takes time to heal. Major injuries, such as those you often get during car accidents, also require consistent care, especially if you want to see a quicker recovery. However, your treatment period depends entirely on your injuries. More severe injuries will take much longer to heal than minor injuries. Your pain levels and soft tissue damage will guide your treatment plan.
In most cases, chiropractor professionals suggest that you attend at least one follow-up visit to ensure that you did not receive any long-term injuries during the accident. If you just have a little soreness, you may only need to visit the chiropractor a few times over the next three or four weeks.
More serious injuries may need extensive treatment for much longer periods. The goal is to get your body functioning at an optimal level, so some chiropractors also suggest regular wellness checkups even after you heal.
Contact Our Car Accident Attorneys Today
Your primary concern after a car accident should be healing your body. Then, as you recover from your injuries, our personal injury attorneys at LA Century Law in San Bernardino can help you fight for a car accident settlement that includes your chiropractor treatment expenses. Contact us today for your consultation.