A car accident can be a frightening and confusing time, and often there is a lot for a person to deal with—from police reports and insurance to injury treatment. In many cases people are also in shock and may not realize that they have an injury if it’s not visible, so they don’t immediately think about being treated. Unfortunately this can hurt you later if your injuries go untreated or get worse with time. Assuming you don’t have any life-threatening injuries, or something that would require hospitalization, here are four reasons a chiropractor should be one of your first appointments after your accident.
1: Unidentified Injuries
Not all injuries from car accidents are visible, and many people who are in accidents go into a “survival” mode, where the body releases endorphins and your pain may not be immediately evident. Sometimes the force of an accident can cause harm to your ligaments, joints, and other areas inside your body. While these won’t bleed or leave bruises on the outside, they can certainly lead to significant pain, reduced range of motion, and other limitations later.
2: Insurance Reasons
One of the key priorities for someone who has been involved in an accident—after getting proper medical attention—is to file a claim with your insurance provider. Treatment for injuries sustained in an accident should be covered by your insurance (or the insurance of another driver who was at fault), but if you don’t seek treatment right away you may have trouble proving later that the injury was caused by the accident.
3: Effective Treatment
Chiropractors are trained to provide a variety of treatment for a range of different injuries. Since the injuries sustained in a car accident can vary pretty widely, from neck pain and whiplash to headaches, back injuries, and problems with joints like your wrist, knees, elbows, ankles, and more. Chiropractors are uniquely qualified to manipulate these areas and help treat damage to bones, muscles, ligaments, joints, and tendons.
4: Legal Reasons
When the insurance provider is trying to avoid paying for injuries and other costs associated with an accident, having a skilled chiropractor who provided or is continuing to provide care for injuries you sustained, it can help provide you with evidence of the injury should you decide to pursue the case legally. They may also find injuries you were not aware that you had, and can help you get those things covered by insurance if needed.
Getting proper treatment for injuries following an accident can help reduce the chance that major or minor injuries will persist, becoming chronic pain or other health problems later down the road. Reach out to us and learn more of our treatments especially if you are in Salt Lake City, Murray, Holladay or Midvale.