Chiropractic treatment is often recommended after a car accident. Chiropractic care is a non-invasive treatment that brings the spine back into proper alignment after whiplash or other accident-related injuries and reduces inflammation, minimizes pain, restores range of motion, and reduces scar tissue. 80% of chiropractic patients achieve 100% success with chiropractic care alone. In studies, after six weeks of treatment, those assigned to receive chiropractic care experienced less disability and more improvement in function and reported less pain intensity and higher satisfaction with their treatment. According to the Mayo Clinic, you typically show signs of a whiplash injury within hours or days of being involved in a car accident. While it is more common to recognize the signs of whiplash within 24 hours of an accident, symptoms may not appear until after a few days or weeks.
Car accidents are a terrible reality in our modern lives. Millions of accidents happen every year, but not everyone gets the care they need and have the right to receive. Just because you don’t go to the hospital or the ER releases you doesn’t mean you don’t have damage or injuries from the accident. Many people end up with chronic pain because they don’t get the problem taken care of soon after the accident.
Insurance adjusters do this every day. This may be your first accident, so working with doctors and professionals who understand personal injury is important, so you aren’t at a disadvantage. Time is of the essence when it comes to your insurance claim. The sooner you can seek care, the better. Even if you’re experiencing no pain, it’s still a good idea to see a chiropractor after your car accident. Many car accident injuries don’t cause pain or discomfort until weeks or months later.
Seeing a chiropractor as soon as you’re diagnosed with whiplash following a vehicle accident is highly recommended. To wait weeks or months to get a settlement means your injuries could get worse at that period. After a vehicle accident, chiropractic care is usually covered by your insurance policy. People injured in motor vehicle accidents have the right to care and receive treatment with any healthcare professional they choose. Your insurance company is responsible for covering your care until your injury heals.
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How Our Car Accident Care Plan Works
We Will Tell You If We Can Help
A chiropractor will also let you know if we can’t help and advise or refer you to a health care provider that can. We do a thorough complimentary consultation and, if we can help, a comprehensive examination that may include x-rays or other diagnostics.
A Customized Treatment Plan
We use the data collected from our consultation and examination and provide you with a written Report of Findings that your chiropractor explains. We will design a customized care plan that reflects your unique body and situation.
Get Back to Your Life
We initially expect your pain to subside quickly and your overall function and health to undergo correction. A chiropractor works to correct the underlying cause of the problem to fix that “leaky” roof, rather than just place buckets to collect the water.
How We Treat Auto Injuries in Fairhaven, MA
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
You will have a history and consultation with your doctor who will really listen. We do chiropractic, functional, orthopedic, and neurological exams, including high-quality diagnostic x-rays. Our goal is to get to the root cause of the problem and help you heal. We also know it is critical to document your injuries properly for the insurance companies and to protect your right to care. We consider the trust you place in our care very important. Your recovery is our first priority.
Specific Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic manipulations can help your body to release an anti-inflammatory chemical that reduces internal swelling and pain and promotes healing. It is primarily a combination of inflammation and pain that causes the loss of mobility in our back and neck after a car accident. Chiropractic adjustments decrease any pressure on the nerves not allowing the body to communicate with the brain as effectively, and enable your spine to function properly. Neck and low back pain are the most common injuries after a car accident, but chiropractic adjustments can help with many injuries. We use electric stimulation (TENS) to decrease pain, muscle spasms, and inflammation in the first phase of your care. We also use therapeutic ultrasound to help soft tissue healing.
Massage Therapy and Soft Tissue Work
Muscle work is also essential, especially in whiplash cases. A lot of damage can happen to your muscles and soft tissue in a car accident. Loosening up tight muscles, especially in the neck and back, allows the spine to move properly and is an excellent addition to chiropractic adjustments.
Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan
We give you a therapeutic exercise plan to help restore full motion and strengthen any areas weak from the injuries. We provide stretching, strengthening, and stabilization rehabilitation exercises to help you recover as a part of your care.
Nutritional Supplementation
We use nutritional supplementation as a natural way to decrease inflammation in your body, including drinking adequate water, taking magnesium, and applying arnica cream to sore muscles. There are various other supplements we recommend depending on your symptoms.
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Joe was great as usual. I hadn't been to Barley Wellness in a long time. Finally made it back yesterday. My neck and back feel much better already.
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Dr Sheridan is a great chiropractor. He is caring, funny, and always takes his time with me. I had gone to him over 20 years ago for sciatica issues. He took great care of me then and I was able to maintain most of my wellness through what he taught me while I lived in Florida. I have moved back and now being older, he continues to help improve my mobility.
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Common Injuries from Car Accidents
Whiplash
Rear-end and front-end collisions create a whipping motion in your neck. Your neck whips backward and then forward as the car moves around you, damaging the neck muscles, overstretching ligaments, and jamming joints. It is not uncommon to experience stiffness, pain, headaches, vertigo, jaw pain, ear pain, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and shoulder pain following a car accident. You may also experience numbness and tingling in your upper extremities. Your cervical spine can lose its curve and changes your normal posture.
Low Back Pain From Car Accidents
Disc injuries are very common in car accidents, especially because we are driving vehicles that are higher off the ground. Symptoms include back pain, hip pain, sciatica, knee and foot pain, numbness, and tingling. If your spine is affected, the only thing that will help fix it is chiropractic. If problems aren’t corrected it can lead to degeneration.
Shoulder Pain
Seatbelts can cause shoulder pain and even chest pain. It is not uncommon to have joint damage around your shoulder or even rotator cuff injuries. Even a simple sprain in your shoulder can cause pain, muscle injury and spasm along with tendon, ligament, and joint damage that needs help in healing. Your shoulder is the joint in the body with the most movement.
Knee Pain
People hit their knees on the dashboard in car accidents. Knee problems can lead to other problems like lower back pain, foot pain, and hip pain.
Concussion
When there is a concussion, issues are almost always found in the cervical spine. Chiropractic adjustments and soft tissue work are two of the best treatment options for a concussion.
Dizziness
Dizziness or vertigo is a common symptom after an accident and could be a sign of whiplash, concussion, or traumatic brain injury. We can determine the reason for your symptoms by performing a physical exam and paying close attention to your symptoms. If there is any evidence of brain injury, we will make an appropriate referral.
Neck Pain
The most common complaint after an accident, even in low-speed collisions (as low as 7 mph) the neck and cervical spine can be injured. There may not be much damage to your vehicle, but you can still be injured. We always advise our clients not to delay seeking medical attention. Receiving treatment within 72 hours meets the insurance company’s threshold of a reasonable amount of time for those suffering neck injuries to get healthcare care, including chiropractic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I Go To The Chiropractor After A Car Accident?
Seeing a chiropractor as soon as you’re diagnosed with whiplash following a vehicle accident is highly recommended. Waiting weeks or months to get a settlement means your injuries could get worse. After a vehicle accident, chiropractic care is usually covered by your insurance policy.
Does Car Insurance Pay For A Chiropractor After A Car Accident?
It is your right to get care for injuries from a car accident. Insurance companies have an obligation by law to pay for your care according to the terms of your insurance policy.
What Are My Rights To Care After A Car Accident In Massachusetts?
Massachusetts is a “No Fault” insurance state. This means that your personal insurance company is responsible for covering the cost of your care regardless of who is at fault for the accident.
Do I Have To Pay Anything Out Of Pocket After A Car Accident?
Your insurance company is responsible for the first $2,000 dollars of your care. It is called personal injury protection (PIP) and should be part of your insurance policy. Your health insurance typically pays the remaining cost of your care until it reaches $8,000.
How Long Should I Go To A Chiropractor After A Car Accident?
We always advise our clients not to delay seeking medical attention. Receiving treatment within 72 hours meets the insurance company’s threshold of a reasonable amount of time for those suffering injuries to get medical care.
Each person responds differently to chiropractic treatment. The chiropractic plan and time frame are driven mainly by the patient’s age, fitness level, duration of pain, type of injury, and level of discomfort. For chiropractic care to be effective, initial care typically takes 3 to 4 weeks, with visits of three times a week. We re-evaluate you periodically throughout your care to ensure you are progressing in your recovery and that your level of care is appropriate for your specific needs. Usually, care goes from three times per week to two times, then once per week, followed by a discharge from active care. Some people need a shorter care plan, and some need a longer one to experience a complete recovery.