Car accidents are shocking. Even if you can compartmentalize the trauma while you’re taking care of business, the physical and emotional scars often stay with you for a long time afterward. You may not begin to notice symptoms, in fact, until several days or even weeks after an injury. If that happens, even if it has been a while since your accident, it’s critical you see a treatment specialist.
Why See an Auto Injury Treatment Specialist Today?
Your body has been through a lot, and unfortunately, it can’t always heal itself from the forces of an auto accident. Don’t count on your pain simply disappearing “in time,” and don’t assume that heat and ice can provide all the therapeutic power you need. Whether your pain is mild or agonizing, it’s time to see a holistic health provider to get help right away.
What Is Whiplash?
Many people mistakenly categorize whiplash as a minor injury, but that’s far from the truth. Whiplash occurs when your body is traveling at a certain speed within the car and then comes to a slamming halt. The forces placed on your neck and spine cause it to whip back and forth rapidly, tearing muscles, ligaments and other bodily structures. The result is pain and inflammation, which may take a while to present themselves.
What Other Common Side Effects Accompany Car Accidents?
Whiplash may be accompanied by a variety of other symptoms. These include:
- Headaches
- Pins and needles
- Pain or soreness in the arms
- Lower back pain
- Insomnia
- Anxiety or depression
While such symptoms might seem totally unrelated, we frequently see a great deal of emotional distress accompanying car wrecks. If you are feeling any of these symptoms following an accident, seek help right away.
How Should You Treat Car Accident Injuries
While your family physician can help with acute treatment, they often can’t provide the long-term healing a chiropractor can. Moreover, a number of studies show that when the body is in pain, it cannot heal itself nearly as effectively. Car accidents can generate the kind of chronic pain that’s with you for life if you don’t do something about it. Fortunately, we can offer relief and healing through treatments such as:
- Manual adjustments
- Traction
- Massage therapy
- Acupuncture
- Heat and ice therapy
- Electrical stimulation
- Ultrasound therapy
… or a combination of all of the above. Your chiropractor will first meet with you, take a health history and note all your symptoms, then create a gentle course of treatment that works for you and your body.
Car Accident Tips
Call 911 to receive medical attention and/or get an officer at the scene to file a police report.
Take pictures at the scene (cars, license plates, road).
Get the other driver’s insurance info and driver’s license.
Don’t Wait!
Insurance companies know that when someone gets hurt, he/she would seek medical care, regardless of who would pay the bill. We’d help you figure that out. Just… don’t wait!
As soon as you can, apply ice to any area of pain.
Call/text 972-424-2225 to make an appointment with Dr. Fulcher to get checked.
We’re Here to Help YOU
Most doctors don’t take auto cases because they don’t bill the insurance directly, we do!
When you come here, you get an exam, x-rays if needed, and physical therapy, in addition to chiropractic care.
We will make all the necessary referrals to any other doctor you may need, such as MRIs, pain management, etc.
There are different types of car insurance coverage, in Texas it is mandatory to have medical coverage in your car insurance (PIP or MedPay), unless you wave it. It’s usually per person, per date of injury, and it covers the driver and each of the passengers in your car. You can use that coverage even if the accident was not your fault.
If the accident was not your fault, and the other driver’s insurance accepts responsibility, they will, most likely, try to offer you a dollar amount to close the case soon after the accident. Don’t accept- this happens because they know that if you go to the doctor, they will end up paying more, and if you need care in the future, and you can’t work or it affects your future function, they’ll be responsible too. Be careful with phone conversations with the insurance, a verbal agreement is the same as a signature.
Not all auto accident cases require legal representation from an attorney, but when needed, we are happy to make a recommendation to some we have worked with, trust, and have had successfully helped our patients in the past.
Did you know our doctors (Dr. Grant and Jaclyn Fulcher) are Personal Injury Auditors? That means they review cases of patients who have seen other doctors and review the records to improve documentation and diagnosis. This helps the patient’s attorney get a better settlement from the insurance company.