Who Pays For Chiropractor After Accident?

From vehicle repairs to medical treatment, anyone involved in an accident will face a number of obstacles in the aftermath. If you need chiropractic care after an accident, you will need to know who is responsible for paying for any treatments.

Who Pays For Chiropractic Care After An Accident?

Typically, either the patient or the insurance company is responsible for paying for chiropractic care following an accident. In order to have the expenses covered by insurance, drivers will need to prove that both the care and costs are necessary and directly related to the accident.

Necessary medical care is crucial for a full recovery, but proving this can depend on documenting everything related to the treatments. This includes the following:

• Initial reporting of the symptoms.
• Recording of all chiropractic treatments.
• Recording of all expenses related to the chiropractic care.

Injured drivers may require this treatment before and after a settlement with the insurance company is even reached. Ultimately, this can make the determination of fair compensation quite difficult.

Types Of Auto Injuries Chiropractors Treat

Whiplash caused by impact is one of the most common injuries treated by chiropractors, along with back and neck injuries. Chiropractors can also help treat the soft tissue pain and other injuries sustained during an auto accident. Stiffness and muscle pain are common after an accident and in some cases can be so severe that patients cannot function normally in their lives. Treating the pain and stiffness is a big part of overcoming the injury and healing.

Clearly recovering from an auto accident can many times take the expertise of a chiropractor. The first step in overcoming your injuries after an auto accident is making the appointment. During that first visit many times x-rays will be taken to check for serious damage to the spine or neck. We cannot always feel the damage we have sustained and the only way to check for it is through x-ray imagery.

Talking about your condition and symptoms is an important part of your relationship with your chiropractor. While you might think something as simple as general discomfort, pain, or headaches are minor symptoms, they can be signs that something more serious is going on. Whiplash injuries can cause some of these symptoms and people usually assume these types of injuries are only possible at high speed, when in fact they can happen with as little as 2 or 3 miles per hour sudden change in speed.

Many people who get whiplash immediately experience indicators like shoulder pain, blurred vision, headaches, arm pain, reduced range of motion, and dizziness. Other people have the damage but do not experience such clear indicators that they have been injured, or the symptoms might develop more slowly. Disc damage, muscle injuries, ligament problems, and minor back injuries are also possible types of damage associated with auto accidents.

It may even take months for headaches or discomfort to become noticeable. Taking your symptoms serious helps catch disorders and damage before it can degrade your body and cause more severe disorders. If you have been in a auto accident seeing a chiropractor to check to make sure everything is sound in your neck and spine can put your mind at ease and help put the accident completely in the past.

What Are The Benefits Of Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractic care and spinal manipulation is often considered to be safe, and an effective treatment with acute lower back pain, types of rapid injury which results from getting tackled or moving furniture. It is more common to have acute back pain than chronic back pain, as it often improves on its own and only lasts up to six weeks.

Additionally, research has indicated that chiropractic methods have benefits in treating headaches and neck pain. Also, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis could respond to moderate pressure that is used by practitioners and chiropractors using deep tissue massage.

Although, studies have not confirmed the effectiveness of sclerotherapy or prolotherapy for relieving pain that is used by some osteopaths, medical doctors, and chiropractors for treating chronic back pain. This kind of pain can occur quickly or slowly, and lasts longer than three months. Therapy for this includes getting injections like anesthetic or sugar water to assist in strengthening ligaments within the back.

Those that have spinal cord compression, inflammatory arthritis, osteoporosis, or those that take medications or blood thinning, should avoid spinal manipulation. Additionally, those with a history of cancer should also get clearance form their medical doctor prior to getting spinal manipulation.

Treatments will be based around your back pain diagnosis. You should inform the chiropractor of your medical history, including your current medications, any ongoing medical conditions, lifestyle factors and traumatic or surgical history. Even though rare, there are cases where treatment worsened a slipped or herniated disc, or spinal cord injury occurred from neck manipulation. To ensure safety, you should always verify with your medical doctor to ensure your health conditions will allow you to benefit from using a chiropractor or another alternative to pain relief.

How Much Does Chiropractic Care Cost?

Normally, chiropractic services will range between $30 – $200 per session. Each type of treatment will have a different cost. For instance, your initial consultation that is done by a chiropractor may be free, while a normal therapy session is about $65. The more intensive or advanced care will add to the amount that is charged for your treatment, as will the frequency that you have to have chiropractic therapy.

Chiropractic treatments will need to be repeated regularly for a certain amount of time in order to become and even remain effective. If you have decided that you want to pursue chiropractic treatment, your chiropractor will give you more information about expected costs at your first appointment.