Should You See a Chiropractor After a Car Accident?

Call 911 or go to an emergency department for severe or worsening headache, repeated vomiting, loss of consciousness, seizure, marked confusion, weakness, significant numbness, slurred speech, breathing difficulty, severe chest or abdominal pain, uncontrolled bleeding, or suspected fracture. These symptoms require emergency assessment rather than a routine chiropractic appointment.

If you already received emergency or urgent care, follow the discharge instructions and share them with the chiropractor. An outpatient provider should understand what was evaluated, what was ruled out, and whether any restrictions were given.

NCCIH describes chiropractic as a licensed healthcare profession that commonly addresses musculoskeletal problems. Chiropractors take a health history, perform an examination and tests, develop a working diagnosis, create a management plan, and monitor progress.

After a collision, the first visit should include the crash mechanism, current and delayed symptoms, prior injuries, medications, functional limitations, and a focused neurological and musculoskeletal examination. Treatment should not begin until the clinician has screened for reasons to refer you elsewhere.

Chiropractic care often includes manual therapy, but a responsible plan is broader than an adjustment. Depending on the findings, it may include education, gentle mobility, therapeutic exercise, soft-tissue techniques, activity guidance, and progress checks. The amount of force and the technique should be selected for the patient and stage of recovery.

NCCIH notes that spinal manipulation may provide small or modest improvements in pain and function for some low-back pain patients, and that evidence for neck pain varies. Benefits, alternatives, expected outcomes, and potential risks should be discussed before treatment.

Ask what the working diagnosis is, which findings support it, whether imaging or another referral is needed, what the treatment goals are, and how progress will be measured. Also ask what symptoms should make you stop treatment and seek a different level of care.

Tell the chiropractor about osteoporosis, blood-thinning medications, vascular disorders, cancer, infection, recent surgery, pregnancy, or any new neurological symptom. NCCIH advises patients to share health conditions and medications because underlying problems can change the risk of spinal manipulation.

Look for an Arizona-licensed chiropractor who performs an examination before treatment, explains choices in plain language, documents changes over time, refers when appropriate, and will coordinate records with other treating professionals. Avoid promises of a guaranteed recovery or a guaranteed legal outcome.

The Accident Doctor provides outpatient chiropractic evaluations for auto-accident injuries at its Phoenix and Tolleson clinics. Patients can call or request an appointment online, and represented patients may authorize the clinic to coordinate treatment records with their attorney.