San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

 

As a member of the prestigious San Diego Chiropractic Network, and certified in the treatment of Whiplash, Dr. Goldstein is skilled in providing care to those who have experienced auto accidents, applying his experience and specialized training to help facilitate quick healing. If you've been in an auto accident, you should seek prompt medical care and a professional medical evaluation. Skilled chiropractic auto injury care can make the difference between healing and feeling better quickly, or potentially suffering for weeks, months, or even years following your accident.

You could be suffering from whiplash injuries and not even realize it until some time after your accident. Whiplash refers to an injury that is caused by rapid movement of the head resulting in damage to the muscles and connective tissues. This frequently occurs in auto accidents. It is common that whiplash type injuries are not immediately apparent, and while you may feel fine initially, it can take a few days or a few weeks for the full impact of your injury to manifest in your body. Just like bruising can take hours to appear, the results of your car accident might not be immediately visible, but don't assume you didn't get hurt.

 

Most of us want to just forget our car accident ever happened, and in the stress of exchanging insurance paperwork, filing reports, and getting the car taken care of, we often brush aside any concerns for our own body. This can be especially risky, because if you're like most people, you probably just take a few Tylenol and go on about your daily life as if nothing had happened. The problem is that the painkillers could temporarily reduce pain and inflammation and only mask the severity of your injury until days later, when it becomes more apparent that something is really wrong. These painkillers will do absolutely nothing in repairing soft tissue injuries and misalignment damage caused by the car accident.

Auto accidents often cause soft tissue injuries that are not always easily detected. Your outward appearance might be perfectly normal, but you need to be examined by a trained medical professional who can diagnose your condition properly.

 

Injuries Following a Car Collision:

When you are involved in an auto accident, thousands of pounds of force can be exerted on your body, particularly your neck and spine. The resulting whiplash injury to your ligaments, discs, and soft tissues of the back and neck can cause extreme pain and irritation. Whiplash can also irritate and impinge the nerves and spinal cord. Many people never completely recover from a car accident, because they don't get the right treatment that they need to fully heal.

If You've Been in an Auto Accident, What you Need to Know

One of the most stressful things to go through is following up with problems following an auto accident. Also, it doesn't help matters that many health issues and injuries from the accident may not even be immediately detected. In some cases it can take months or even years for the results of the injury to become apparent.

 

It is this reason that it is imperative that you seek medical treatment immediately following your accident to get the proper care. If an injury is not properly taken care of, of if you should happen to settle your case with the insurance company, you could really regret it later once these resulting symptoms appear. Chiropractors are uniquely trained to identify and treat soft tissue injuries, and in providing the right treatment to help you heal.

Settling your Auto Accident Claim

You may be pressured to settle your auto injury accident claim before you are ready to do so. Don't settle too early until you know your medical issues have been properly diagnosed and treated. You could lose the ability to get the medical bills covered by Insurance! You need treatment to help restore your body to where you were before the accident.

 

Always get checked out as soon as possible following an auto accident. Even if you think you didn't get hurt and are only a little bit sore, you need to be properly evaluated for injuries that might not be visible or apparent.

Some common symptoms and resulting problems are:

• Neck pain
• Headaches
• Muscle and joint stiffness
• Lower back pain
• Jaw and face pain
• Pain between shoulder blades
• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Numbness /tingling and burning into extremities
• Difficulty sleeping
• Irritability
• Vertigo
• Ringing in the ears
• Memory loss
• Difficulty concentrating

Worst of all, car accident trauma can actually contribute to post traumatic osteoarthritis. This can not only affect your posture, but also can cause your spinal discs to degenerate. The body forms scar tissue and you can end up with bone spurs, fused joints, and the resulting pain, stiffness, and loss of mobility.

Having a car accident is stressful and distracting, and you may not be thinking clearly. Many people are more worried about their cars getting fixed and returning to work and a normal life, and they easily overlook their own health as the highest priority.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Do I need to get an attorney?

The first priority is to get appropriate medical care and diagnosis. The exam findings will inform you on whether an attorney will be necessary.

What if My Car Only Had Minor Damage?

The visible damage to the car may be small, but that is no reflection on what the accident may have done to injure your body, especially your cervical spine. You need to be properly assessed and diagnosed.

Typically, medical bills are covered. We will work with you to make sure you have the right information and that your insurance is billed properly. Insurance companies realize the benefits of chiropractic treatment, so it is usually covered in full by insurance policies, regardless of who was at fault. Our clinic will assist you in dealing with insurance paperwork and filing claims with your insurance company.

Unfortunately, the goal of the insurance company is to reduce their financial risk, so they may pressure you to settle quickly. Don't settle until your medical problems have been resolved, otherwise you risk having to pay for medical care yourself.

Isn't my Medical Doctor or Hospital Enough?

Hospitals deal with life threatening conditions and will release you once your immediate care is tended to. Unfortunately, Chiropractic care is not given in emergency rooms, and most medical doctors are not trained to diagnose spinal nerve conditions, and underlying musculoskeletal issues hat could lead to future pain. Your doctor is likely to give you pain medication and make sure that obvious visible injuries are treated. However, pain pills and other prescriptions will not help correct structural damage. We can provide the proper treatment for those problems. And, we can work with your other healthcare professionals as needed to ensure you get the full health care treatment that you need.

Does Chiropractic Treatment Hurt and is it Safe?

Chiropractic treatment does NOT hurt. Our care is gentle and effective and makes you feel better. Many patients look forward to the treatment for that very reason. Chiropractic treatment is also very safe. Our skilled chiropractic care will help to restore nervous system function, heal sore muscles, repair damaged ligaments, and ensure quick and complete recovery following your accident.

Here at The Head, Neck and Spine of San Diego, we are dedicated to providing the exceptional quality of medical care that you deserve. We are dedicated to making sure that you have the most positive health care experience possible, so if you need auto injury chiropractic care, you can trust us to help you find the right healing methods for your body.

If you've been in a car accident, whatever you do, don't sign anything that settles your auto insurance claim until you are absolutely certain that you are in need of further medical care. Auto insurance will pay for your chiropractic care and treatment required following an accident. Sometimes they may try to coerce you into settling insurance claims prematurely because that is in their own best interest, financially. So, look out for yourself and get the care that you need.

Take care of your body, and not only your car. Make an appointment today and put your body on the right path to healing, so you can put the stress of your car accident behind you.