People sometimes find it confusing about their choice of a doctor after a car accident. Should they go to a medical doctor or are they able to choose a doctor of Chiropractic? Simply put, supported by law, a person injured in a car crash has a right to choose their own doctor. There are three main categories to choose from. This could be a medical doctor, a chiropractor, or a naturopathic doctor. Each one has different specialties.
The doctor most informed with the latest car crash injury research would more likely be a chiropractor. Chiropractors spend their entire careers dealing with neuromusculoskeletal injuries. Auto collisions are responsible for the majority of injuries. Many chiropractors also hold advanced certification in car crash trauma. They will have extensive knowledge in injuries from whiplash, brain, and head to spinal compression.
The misconception about having to see a certain doctor is pretty common. It usually arises out of what the insurance claims adjuster has communicated. People are often told to either go to an urgent care clinic or their primary medical doctor. Even worse, the insurance company may recommend their “expert” medical provider. More often than not, these choices are not helpful to a patient’s recovery.
We have learned a lot by listening to our own patients’ experiences. What we hear is that most people get limited help from an urgent care clinic or their primary doctor. It is usually a very brief (if any) physical exam. Prescription for some pharmaceuticals usually follows. Maybe there will be some prescribed physical therapy too. It’s not that these doctors aren’t good at what they do. It is that many aren’t specialized in car crash rehabilitation.
Don’t use a doctor recommended by your insurance company or the 3rd party insurance company. This is a bad idea because the so-called “expert” gets funding from the insurance company. This doctor’s job is to save the insurance company money. They do this by denying that the patient has sustained an injury in the auto collision. Or they minimize the injury, so the patient cannot get the correct settlement to pay for their care.
There are several studies that support the efficacy of chiropractic treatment for car crash injuries. Many patients have seen great benefits from a chiropractor for injury rehab. Chiropractic care can be very effective over the traditional medical approach of drugs and surgery.
A chiropractic doctor is the most equipped to handle auto crash injuries. Many have extra training specifically in auto crash injuries. Going to a chiropractor will result in a very thorough history and physical exam. This is usually followed by a carefully crafted treatment program tailored to the patient’s specific injuries.