What should you do after your accident to diagnose any injuries?
Some people thinking about seeing a chiropractor after an accident wonder how long they’ll need to continue their visits to the chiropractor. This is because receiving effective chiropractic care may take more than one visit. Below, we’ll go over how long you may need to see a chiropractor after an accident.
If your accident caused serious harm to you, then you will likely be taken to the emergency room in an ambulance after your accident. If you sustained minor injuries or don’t notice any injuries immediately after the accident, it is always best to go straight to the doctor’s office or hospital to get checked out.
After this step, you’ll want to make an appointment with a chiropractor as soon as possible. Even if you have no symptoms, they will be able to give you a thorough diagnosis and uncover dormant or hidden injuries.
In addition, if you have soreness of muscles, aches, or back pain from the collision, they will be able to treat those problems, manage your pain, and reduce stiffness in your body. You can wait a few days to see if these problems resolve themselves on their own, but a visit to the chiropractor will never hurt.
Why should I see a chiropractor after an accident?
Although you may think that chiropractic care isn’t necessary after an accident, in many cases it is. Chiropractic care can treat chronic pain and eliminate problems before they become chronic. Minor injuries can flare up and become worse over time. Chiropractors are trained to target and treat those injuries. If an injury is left untreated, it can lead to not only stiffness, but a loss of motion. In some cases, conditions like untreated whiplash, can result in vertebrae misalignment.
Furthermore, if you reached a settlement because of the car accident, your chiropractic care might be completely covered and you won’t have to pay money out of your own pocket.
How soon after an accident should I see the chiropractor?
If you sustained serious injuries that require a doctor or hospital treatment, you will have to wait longer. However, if you didn’t require emergency medical care then you should see a chiropractor as soon as possible. This will nip any problems in the bud and prevent you from experiencing more pain and stiffness later on.
Also, if you have insurance coverage for treatment after an accident, you’ll want to wait no longer than two months. After two months the insurance agency may claim that any injuries you’re treating with the chiropractor weren’t sustained from the accident because you waited too long.
Therefore, aim to see a chiropractor within the first few weeks after an accident. This way you’ll have peace of mind and treatment, if necessary, can be started early.
How often do you need to see a chiropractor after an accident?
Some people worry that their chiropractor will continue pushing appointments even after their patients have healed. While we can’t speak for all chiropractic practices, at Accident Care Chiropractic, you don’t have to worry about that. Our aim is to heal our patients as quickly as possible to get them back out into their normal routines as soon as they're ready.
How many times you’ll need to see a chiropractor after an accident depends on the severity and type of injuries you sustained.
For example, if you have minor muscle aches and fatigue after the accident, then you may only need to see the chiropractor a few times.
On the other hand, if you experienced significant whiplash during the accident and have severe pain, you may require many chiropractic treatments before your pain is gone.
How will I know when to stop seeing the chiropractor?
As we mentioned, how long you’ll need to see a chiropractor and how many visits it will take depends entirely on the severity and injuries you sustained from the accident. It could be a handful of visits to many visits if you have severe pain. So you may be wondering how you know when to stop seeing the chiropractor. Luckily, the answer is simple.
Once you feel back to your old self, i.e., once your injuries feel healed, you will be good to go. In addition, your chiropractor will continue to check in with you during your visits to mark the progress you made and gauge your recovery. So, if you go to see a chiropractor to treat your back pain, and after the fourth visit you experience no back pain, for example, then you can likely stop seeing your chiropractor.
