If you are in an auto accident you need to be checked by a chiropractor. There are no other healthcare professionals who can get you back in the game faster. If you are in a no fault state such as Florida, here are some solid gold tips for regaining your health in the optimum amount of time, with the most effective use of your available resources.
A couple things you should know before we get started. In a no fault state you pay your car insurance company for personal injury protection. In Florida you have $10000 available to you to get well. Next if you are in an accident it is going to take time for your body and tissues to heal. Even if you are in a little fender bender at 5 mph you need to get yourself checked by a chiropractor to determine the extent of your injuries. The tiny muscles along the spine are what take the majority of the force of impact. Often times people do not realize pain or symptoms until months or years later. My best advice is to get checked right away. If you do not, you essentially waste your $10000 that you already pay for that is available to you just to have peace of mind, and degenerative processes do begin when your body is not in proper alignment.
First thing, do not call an attorney if you are in a wreck if you hit another person, or caused the accident. You are the at fault party and there is no case, nobody to sue, so you are wasting your time and the attorney time.
Next unless you are bleeding or bones are sticking out of your body do not go to the hospital. The ER will not do much for you except waste your time, give you some pain killers and muscle relaxers and tell you to go follow up with your doctor. The average ER visit plus ambulance ride is around $5000. You just spent half of your available resources. It is at this point that many people go see a chiropractor. Unfortunately some go and see a physical therapist which in most cases is premature and only aggravates the condition. The physical therapist is very beneficial a couple months down the road, but not when you are acute.
All chiropractors are also different. Choose wisely. If you have an injury and you do the same therapy every time there may be a problem. If you go there and only do passive therapy there is a problem. When tissue gets damaged, like in an auto accident, the tissue must be rehabilitated and built back up or it remains weak and more susceptible to injury down the road.
A chiropractor is your best choice of health care professional. They examine the whole body and find and correct the problem. Others treat only pain and symptoms. Would you rather correct the problem or just take care of the symptoms that will no doubt come back.
A chiropractor who has the philosophy to let him to all the work in the beginning, involving other healthcare professionals if need be is the right choice. For instance some patients do need meds; you need to get an MD involved for that. Some need surgery; you need a surgeon for that. So you need someone who has some experience in this sort of thing. As your treatment goes on you will begin to feel better and you will have good days and bad days. As you feel better it is a really good idea for your chiropractor to move you to a more active treatment regime. You, yes you will be responsible for your health. You should be given exercises to do at the office, and at home. Those that do them outside of the office always get better results faster and it costs them less time and money in the long run. Face it everyone likes to feel good and save money.
Usually in about two to three months you should feel pretty good. This is a great time to get a physical therapist involved in your care. They can work well with a chiropractor to keep you lined up and put strength back where it is lacking and help prevent future injury.
Unfortunately some folks sustain permanent injuries. Most of these permanent injuries are disc injuries. The disc is the shock absorber in between the bones in your spine. When injured the jelly like material on the inside squirts out and hits a nerve or the spinal cord causing all sorts of crazy symptoms like pains down the leg or arms, numbness, tingling, spasms,etc. Some patients need surgery; some need other treatments, of varying cost like spinal decompression or manipulation under anesthesia. Everyone, yes I said everyone will need some sort of ongoing treatment because even after you are placed at MMI, (maximum medical improvement); your pain will come back. Many of my patients get settlements that work with attorneys; I always tell them to spend their money wisely.
So in a recap, if you hit someone else, go to a chiropractor and get treatment and therapy. They will get you feeling better barring any permanent injuries. Even if permanently injured they will get you back to your full potential. If someone hits you getting an attorney involved is probably a smart thing to do. Your chiropractor will work with other professionals to get you the best possible results for your case and your care.
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