Why Is My Lawyer Sending Me to a Chiropractor?

You just got off the phone with your lawyer. 

Since you were in a wreck last weekend, she wants you to go to the chiropractor. 

You feel a little confused… you don’t have any pain and you weren’t injured, so why would you need to go? 

We get it, understanding why you should go to the chiropractor after a car wreck requires some thought and begs a few questions. 

If you are curious as to why your lawyer wants you to go to the chiropractor — and if you actually need to go — keep reading. 

This guide breaks down the why, what, and when of visiting the chiropractor post-accident. 

We will help you understand why your lawyer wants you to go and why you should take that advice.

Table of Contents

• Why Is Chiropractic Care Important After a Car Accident?
• Why Is Seeing a Chiropractor and a Primary Care Physician Recommended After a Car Accident?
• 5 Reasons Why Your Lawyer May Recommend Seeing a Chiropractor After Your Car Accident
• How Long Should I Receive Chiropractic Care After My Lawyer’s Recommendation?

Why Is Chiropractic Care Important After a Car Accident?

If you are unfortunate enough to have experienced a car accident, you already know that even if you ‘don’t have a scratch’, you can walk away with more injuries than many people think. 

Car accidents are no joke and the pain they can cause to your spine and joints isn’t either. 

The violent tossing and pulling that accompanies wrecks can often leave you experiencing a litany of painful repercussions such as:

• Back pain
• Whiplash 
• Shoulder pain
• Neck pain

Even if you walk out of an accident without any visible injuries, such as cuts or broken bones, you can still be injured. 

Car accidents are a pain in the neck — literally. 

Here at Cascade Spine and Injury Center, we know a thing or two about helping alleviate that pain and correcting the issues at the root of it. 

We treat auto accident injuries that you might not realize you have until they become a huge problem. 

Auto injuries can be painful, confusing, and scary. 

We can help. 

Why Is Seeing a Chiropractor and a Primary Care Physician Recommended After a Car Accident?

Imagine you are renovating your guest bedroom. 

You call in an incredible interior designer who helps you visualize what the room could be, where you should add walls, what walls to take out, and so on. 

He gives you some great design ideas and suggests a good general contractor that can help with the structural remodeling that you need to do. 

You wouldn’t be surprised that the interior designer didn’t just pull out a hard hat and a crowbar and get to work. 

That isn’t his job. 

Tearing down walls and building new ones is your contractor’s job and she is great at it. 

Once she finishes, you can move on to the next step of your remodel. 

This sounds like a pretty typical process, doesn’t it? 

You went to the expert in each field and asked them to do their jobs. 

It is the same thing with a primary care physician and a chiropractor. 

When you are in an accident, it is recommended that you seek the care of both a PCP and a chiropractor because, although they both work in the medical field, they have different jobs. 

Your PCP (or emergency room doctor, if you need urgent care) can help address things like:

• Lacerations
• Bleeding
• Internal organ damage
• Broken bones
• Traditional medical needs

Your chiropractor can help address issues such as:

• Whiplash
• Your inability to move your shoulder without intense pain
• Your crushing headache from your neck being jostled
• Your horrid back pain
• Your wrist pain that just won’t go away

And a chiropractor can start on your first visit. 

That means no waiting for a referral. 

It means not spending weeks in agonizing pain while you wait to get in to see a specialist. 

It means you begin healing as soon as possible. 

You certainly wouldn’t want to have your interior designer altering a weight-bearing wall in your home or your contractor picking your color scheme. You work with two professionals because it is a two-fold job. 

The same principle applies to seeing a PCP and chiropractor after an auto accident. They have different jobs that both need to be done and they are individually equipped to provide you with the care you need. 

You should go to the chiropractor and a PCP if you have been in an auto accident. 

Most Auto-Related Injuries Are Spinal Injuries

Did you know that many auto-related injuries are spinal injuries? 

It’s true. 

One study found that the chances of sustaining a serious spinal injury due to an auto accident are incredibly high. 

While your primary care physician can help refer you to a specialist or surgeon and possibly help you manage the pain, a chiropractor can do much more for your injured spine… they can help it begin to heal. 

Primary care physicians are needed and visiting one after your auto accident is a wise decision, but neglecting to schedule an appointment with your chiropractor after an accident is a terrible mistake. 

Chiropractors specialize in what is called conservative care or conservative therapy. 

These terms refer to the type of care that chiropractors offer. 

Your chiropractor can help you create a treatment plan that you can partially implement at home. It might include:

• Heat and ice therapy
• Physical therapy exercises
• Pain management (medication or stretching techniques)
• Stress management
• Biofeedback  

Chiropractors at Cascade Spine & Injury Center Also Specialize in Extremity Injuries

“Extremity injury” is a fancy way of saying injury to the arm or leg.

Extremity injuries are no fun and can include things like:

• Elbow fractures
• Shoulder fractures
• Dislocation of the humerus (or funny bone, a very non-humorous injury)
• Sprained ankle/wrist
• Broken finger/toe

Here at Cascade Spine and Injury Center, we also specialize in treating extremity injuries. 

This means one less specialist to try to get into. 

It also means your injuries are addressed more quickly and comprehensively.

5 Reasons Why Your Lawyer May Recommend Seeing a Chiropractor After Your Car Accident

So…. why does your lawyer want you to see a chiropractor after you get into a car accident? 

The health reasons are clear… but are there legal reasons, too?

Believe it or not, it is not uncommon for a lawyer to strongly suggest that you visit a chiropractor after an auto accident, even if you don’t have any apparent injuries. 

There are many reasons that they might ask you to do this. Here are five of those reasons. 

#1: Chiropractors Can Provide The Type and Level of Care Needed for Auto-Related Injuries

Chiropractors are a sort of ‘jack-of-all-trades’ and master of many. They can do far more than just pop that spot in your back that has been bothering you for the past three weeks. 

While in school, chiropractors learn all about the human body, how it is connected, what does what, and so much more. 

They have the skills and tools needed to provide tremendous levels of care for auto accident patients. 

Many chiropractic offices offer a wide range of different therapy options such as traction, heat and stim, and roller tables – all designed to help you speed down the road of recovery.

Cascade Spine and Injury Center is no different. We don’t stop at chiropractic adjustments. 

We offer massage therapy, acupuncture, and rehab options. 

#2: Chiropractic Care May Help Strengthen Your Claim

Is there anything worse than fighting for a claim only to receive barely any compensation? 

Visiting a chiropractor soon after your accident can help prevent that sinking feeling you have when the insurance company refuses to pay. 

Your lawyer will probably push you to receive care as soon as possible. 

If you choose to wait – or never go – the other driver’s insurance company might attempt to claim that you weren’t injured or that your injuries weren’t that significant, since you didn’t seek care quickly. 

If you go soon after the accident, the other insurance company is left without a lot of ground to deny the claims. 

Not only that, but your chiropractor can furnish your attorney with documents that verify your injuries and that you got them during the accident. They can also verify that the treatments you received were in response to those injuries and should therefore be covered. 

#3: A Chiropractor Can Officially Examine and Diagnose Hidden Injuries

So, after the accident, you made sure to assess yourself and take inventory of any injuries. 

You decided you were uninjured and could move on with your life. 

But, three weeks into the claim battle, you realize that your neck barely moves these days and you can’t sit for more than a few minutes without pain coursing through your back. 

After finally visiting the chiropractor, you discover that you got whiplash in the accident and injured your spine. 

Now you have to tell your lawyer that you need to change your claim to include personal injuries. 

If this doesn’t sound fun to you, we guarantee that it doesn’t sound fun to your attorney, either. 

They have done this many times and are well aware that injuries often do not present themselves until a few hours, days, or even weeks after the accident. 

Chiropractors can officially examine you and diagnose injuries, offering a two-fold benefit: your claim isn’t held up halfway through, and you are able to begin healing much more quickly. 

#4: Seeing a Chiropractor Can Decrease the Chances of Long-Term Problems Developing After Your Settlement

After the smoke clears and the settlement hits your bank account, if you didn’t go to the chiropractor, you might not be out of the woods yet. 

Untreated musculoskeletal injuries don’t typically just go away — they grow. 

Not only will you be in pain, but you also can’t go back and ask for more money. That case is closed. 

Now you are stuck trying to cover the costs of an injury that you shouldn’t be financially responsible for — and the cost of chiropractic care for a severe injury can be higher than you might like. 

It has progressed far beyond what it once was and you are in severe pain. 

If you had gone to a chiropractor right after your accident, you might not have ended up here. 

#5: Chiropractors at Cascade Spine & Injury Center Are Able to Testify in Court to Any Auto-Accident Related Injuries Sustained

Should your case escalate to the courtroom, you will find yourself incredibly glad that you chose Cascade Spine and Injury Center for your post-accident care. 

As professionals in their field of study, our chiropractors can testify in court regarding any auto accident-related injuries you experienced. 

This is a huge boost to your case because you now have someone siding with you who has years of training and is recognized as a professional. 

This adds incredible value to you, your lawyer, and your case. 

How Long Should I Receive Chiropractic Care After My Lawyer’s Recommendation?

You are sold. You want to seek chiropractic care after your auto accident. But how long will you need the care? 

That is a great question with a not-so-simple answer. 

Everyone is different.

You might attend one appointment and discover that you truly were uninjured. 

Or you might find that you need consistent care for quite a while in order to fully heal and get as close as possible to the state you were in before the accident. 

Everyone — and every case — is different. 

Your Chiropractor Will Develop a Treatment Plan Specifically for You

During your very first visit, your chiropractor will perform an assessment to discover what your injuries are and create a customized chiropractic care plan to help get you back to your old, vibrant self. 

Your comprehensive plan might include other treatment options, such as:

• Acupuncture
• Massage therapy
• Rehabilitation

The amount of times you will need to come into the office for care depends on how severe your injuries are. 

There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ treatment plan.

Cascade Spine & Injury Center Can Help You Recover From Your Injury

Auto accidents are no fun. 

From injuries to paperwork to the mental hassle, dealing with the aftermath of a car accident can be a drain. 

But Cascade Spine and Injury Center is here to help you. 

We know that living with pain can make everything seem 10,000 times worse and we want to help rid you of that pain. 

Our team of skilled professionals is here to help you recover as quickly as possible.

We have the tools needed to help you get back on track.

From acupuncture to massage therapy, we can create a care plan that is tailored to you. 

Take your lawyer’s advice… you really should go to the chiropractor after a car accident.