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Auto Accident: Should You Visit a Chiropractor Or MD First?

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Since I’m an Orlando personal injury lawyer & Florida semi-truck attorney, someone called my office recently after they were injured in a semi-truck accident. This person had significant neck and back pain. He also hit his head hard enough on his windshield to have cracked the window, and had ongoing head pain. Results from scans taken during their ER visit after the accident showed that he had bulging and possibly herniated discs. He wanted to go to a chiropractor, because he felt the most comfortable with that type of care.

Auto Accident Injury: Why You Should Visit An MD Before A Chiropractor

car accident chiropractor or doctor

There are several reasons why visiting a chiropractor, before an MD, would be a bad idea.

The most important is safety. Chiropractic care can be very helpful. But chiropractic care can also worsen someone’s injuries. (If I had a herniated disc, I wouldn’t want a chiro manipulating my neck or back unless and until I had received clearance from an orthopedic surgeon, for example. And I definitely would want a doctor to evaluate ANY head pain after a blow to the head.) Good chiros will tell their patients that they should first be checked by an MD (doctor) before treating certain types of symptoms and conditions.

Unfortunately, some chiros are motivated more by money than they should be, particularly after an auto accident, when some would like to collect all of the available auto insurance money. (In Florida, drivers are only required to have personal injury protection, or “PIP,” auto insurance. PIP pays 80% of medical bills, up to either $2500 or 10K, depending on the designation of the severity of the accident by the initial treating providers. Some, but not all, chiropractors are more interested in that 10K payday than your safety.)

Even worse, some Orlando personal injury lawyers will encourage their clients to visit chiros first, because they work closely with these chiros. So they focus on settling cases without lawsuits, after their client has received ongoing chiro care, rather than fighting in lawsuits to get more money for their clients.

Chiropractic Care, Without First Visiting An MD, Will Lower Florida Auto Accident Case Value

In addition to safety concerns, visiting a chiropractor FIRST & ONLY, before getting an opinion from the best doctors, can dramatically lower the value of your Florida personal injury, semi-truck, or auto accident case. The reason is that insurance companies and juries put more weight on the opinion of a testifying doctor, than a chiropractor. Insurance companies believe that those who receive chiropractic care are less seriously injured, and offer to pay settlements correspondingly lower. On the other hand, juries and insurance companies are more likely to trust the opinion of an MD that someone has a more significant injury, and needed more serious treatment or care.

The Wrong Doctor Can Also Lower Your Orlando Car Wreck Case Value

Injury victims also need to be treated by particular types of doctors. Physicians from different specialties are often needed — and the wrong doctors will lower your case value. So the decision regarding WHICH doctor you should visit after any accident is extremely important to your ultimate case value (assuming you suffered moderate to serious injuries, and the at fault driver has sufficient insurance coverage to pay your claim).

Should You Ever Receive Chiropractic Care After An Auto Accident Case?

If you have already been fully evaluated & treated by physicians in relevant specialties (e.g., orthopedic surgeon for herniated or bulging discs, or joint problems, neurologist for potential brain injuries, etc), then there is nothing wrong with visiting a chiropractor. You just should not only receive treatment from a chiropractor.

Medical Records Are A HUGE Part Of The Evidence Needed To Increase Truck or Care Accident Case Value

Most injury victims simply do not realize, when they call us, just how important their ongoing medical treatment is to their case. But medical records, and the extent of care, are the among the most important and valuable types of evidence in any personal injury case.

If the person visits the right kind of doctor, and the doctor gives them clearance to visit a chiro, then there is no problem with starting chiro care. But the first stop for any injury victim should always be the right doctor — both for safety and case value. This is why we spend a lot of time making sure our clients understand the type of care that will result in the most money in their pockets at the end of their case.

If you have questions about your auto accident case, we provide free consultations for those with moderate to serious injuries, if we think we can help. Please text or call (407) 803-2139 to discuss your potential case.

More About How To Get A Higher Settlement or Verdict After Any Auto Accident

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About the Author:

Tina Willis is a serious injury, accident & death lawyer, based in Orlando, Florida, although she accepts cases throughout the states of Florida and Georgia. Ms. Willis has won many prestigious industry awards, best personal injury & car accident lawyer awards, and recovered multi-millions for her clients. She was formerly a law professor, and graduated second in her law school class back in 1997. She formerly worked for some of the largest defense firms in the country, often on multi-million dollar cases. She used to represent large corporations & insurance companies, so she knows their playbook. We are very focused on the highest quality client service, and maximizing the value of every case we handle. We vigorously prosecute serious injury and death cases caused by auto accidents, semi-truck accidents, slip and fall accidents, products & premises liability cases, as well as medical malpractice.
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