What Will My Car Accident Treatment Cost?
This depends on several factors, including your health insurance coverage, what treatments you need, how many visits will be required, and also the car accident itself. In many cases, the at-fault driver or their insurance company will be responsible for your medical costs. However, fault can be disputed, and some people mistakenly believe an accident was their fault when it wasn’t.
Proving your case can also be difficult if you put off getting treatment for your injuries, so we urge you to come in for an evaluation as soon as possible. Our specialists thoroughly document patient injuries, so a personal injury lawyer has the evidence they need to argue your case in court or with an insurance company.
If you have concerns about the cost of your treatment, please speak with an attorney before you decide that you are to blame for the accident or that you don’t have options for seeking coverage for your medical bills. We’ve met many people who incorrectly believed these things, but after looking into the matter, an attorney was able to help them get their costs covered. A good personal injury lawyer will help you sort out who was at fault and look for appropriate car insurance policies. In some cases, you may even be able to make a claim on your own auto insurance policy. If you have more questions about your treatment cost, please contact us online or call 877-704-1761 to speak to one of our staff members about your case.
A Dependable Car Accident Chiropractor in Georgia
It’s easy to think of car accident injuries as acute problems that may be painful at first but eventually heal. However, research shows that about 1 in 5 people who visit emergency rooms for car accident injuries develop chronic pain. That number rises to 1 in 4 for older adults who experience car accidents, according to another study that found 26 percent of adults 65 and older reported persistent pain six months after a car accident. The same study showed that those who developed chronic pain were most likely to experience head, neck, jaw, lower back, or leg pain.
Getting Treatment for Car Accident Injury Pain
Finding a successful treatment for pain after a car accident can be difficult. Many doctors are good at treating acute injuries but have fewer resources for addressing chronic pain. Problems that don’t show up on an X-ray may be missed or incorrectly diagnosed. The opioid crisis has also complicated pain management for many patients, as doctors are reluctant to prescribe these potentially addictive drugs – and with good reason. But for many people, the side effects of opioids, such as drowsiness and nausea, are prohibitive anyway.
As a result, a doctor whose patient has persistent pain after a car accident will usually turn to one of these options:
- Over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen or aspirin. These may not provide enough pain relief, or you may need to keep taking them to achieve this effect. Although we consider over-the-counter medication very safe, long-term use of these pain relievers can still have serious side effects. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, or NSAIDs, like ibuprofen and aspirin, can reduce blood clotting or cause ulcers or other gastrointestinal problems. Some patients have even suffered bleeding ulcers while taking them. In general, NSAIDs are fine for short-term pain, like a headache, but not ideal for chronic pain.
- Muscle relaxers. These prescription medications are helpful for some patients, but many people report these drugs have little to no effect on their pain.
- Anticonvulsants. Some patients do find relief with these drugs that act on the brain and are thought to interfere with pain signals. However, they can also have serious side effects, including neurological issues.
- Antidepressants. These can also be useful for chronic pain following a car accident, but again, they have many potential side effects, including nausea, dry mouth, sexual side effects, and extreme mood changes or mood swings.
- Surgery. Depending on the type of injury, in some cases, doctors may recommend surgery to relieve the pain. While certain patients do feel better afterward, every operation has risks, and some people end up feeling worse in the long run. Often people tell us that they want to explore other options before taking the risk of having surgery.
How Can a Georgia Car Accident Chiropractor Help?
At Optimum Health Rehab, we offer safe, alternative treatments for your pain. Additionally, we spend a lot of time using our full diagnostic suite to ensure you’ve been correctly diagnosed. Tests may include MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, and nerve conduction studies. Some people have more than one cause of their pain, so a thorough approach allows us to treat all issues that may be contributing to your condition.
Here are some of the treatments we may include in a comprehensive treatment plan, depending on the results of our diagnostic process:
Chiropractic Adjustments
Back, neck, or shoulder pain is extremely common after a car accident. Whiplash, for example, occurs when the head snaps forward and back due to a vehicle slowing suddenly. The impact strains neck muscles, sometimes causing small tears in the muscle. But that may not be all the damage that occurs. At the same time, cervical vertebrae in the neck can easily be pulled out of alignment, leading to chronic neck pain.
Most doctors will attempt to treat whiplash with some of the treatment options listed above, but as we’ve discussed, these don’t work well for many patients. A chiropractor will run imaging tests and perform a physical exam to look for misaligned vertebrae in the spine. If we locate one, we’ll quickly maneuver it back into place using spinal manipulation. What this means is that we use a sudden, controlled force to press a bone or joint back into alignment. The process is quick and should not cause you any pain, although some patients may hear a popping sound – this is the sound of gas escaping from the bones, and it’s completely harmless.
Neck pain is not the only possible complication of a car accident, although it is very prevalent. Spinal manipulation can also help patients with back, shoulder, hip, and other musculoskeletal pain. It’s helpful to know that misalignment of the spine doesn’t always cause pain solely in the area of the misaligned bone. Some patients may experience referred pain far from the misaligned vertebrae, so don’t assume your pain originates where you feel it. Again, this is why getting a proper diagnosis is a cornerstone of effectively treating your pain.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is often used in conjunction with other treatments prescribed by a Georgia car accident chiropractor. It is very effective in promoting the healing process and helping reduce stress and pain for the patient. Here are some of the different types of massage therapy that may be useful for people recovering from a car accident:
Trigger Point Therapy or Myofascial Release
Muscle injuries and misaligned bones are only two possible causes of post-car accident pain. Most of our patients have never heard of myofascial tissue before they come to see us, but this protective layer covers all our bones, muscles, joints, organs, and other tissues. Normally soft and flexible, this myofascial tissue can develop areas of stiffness or rigidity, which are sometimes called knots. Once a knot forms, it can restrict movement in nearby areas, often causing referred pain.
Myofascial release is a massage technique where the therapist feels for knots, then gently works on them until they soften and the stiffness is relieved. It’s often used for people with whiplash, which may be related to myofascial trauma for some patients, as well as chronic widespread pain after an accident. Some patients with back, shoulder, hip, or other joint pain may also benefit.
Schedule an Appointment with a Georgia Car Accident Chiropractor Today
At Optimum Health Rehab, we know how difficult recovering from a car accident can be, and we want to do everything we can to help. Our office staff will answer your questions and help you set up an initial appointment for a diagnostic session. Please contact us today to learn more or schedule your first visit so we can get to work helping you feel better.