In the event of a car accident, victims often seek help to relieve their pain. Many turn to the aid of a chiropractor to help obtain pain relief and improve mobility. But why should you go to a chiropractor? How does chiropractic care differ from a doctor or physician? Is chiropractic care covered as part of damages from a case? Can your car accident settlement cover chiropractic care?
The JLF Firm has extensive experience in car accident cases, and we can advise you on getting the right care after a car accident. Contact our Riverside car accident attorneys to assess your case.
Why Should You Go To a Chiropractor After a Crash?
The field of chiropractic care has existed for over 100 years. It’s an alternative medicine involving manipulation of the vertebra, bones and joints into proper alignment. Chiropractic care is noninvasive, and does not require drugs.
Treatment by a chiropractor may help improve mobility, reduce pain, prevent further injuries, and increase a car accident victim’s chances of returning to a more normal life. Chiropractic treatment may also be less costly than medical care in some cases.
In addition, going to a chiropractor may provide benefits to your legal case. Chiropractors may provide some of the same medical documentation that a physician can, such as X-rays. Chiropractors can diagnose and document injuries to the skeleton, muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments. If a patient is under chiropractic treatment, and the treatment is documented, it can help prove a patient’s case of having an injury from an accident.
If You Go To a Chiropractor, Should You Also Go To a Doctor?
A chiropractor is not the same as a medical doctor. Both California law and chiropractic codes prohibit chiropractors from prescribing medications or performing certain medical services.
Medical doctors can provide care for many conditions that a chiropractor cannot treat, such as internal injuries, fractures, burns or wounds. Medical doctors can also provide more urgent care for life-threatening situations.
In addition, a chiropractor is not a physical therapist. While both a chiropractor and a physical therapist deal with proper alignment of the body, a physical therapist is trained to deal with movement and muscular strength, as opposed to a chiropractor, who is trained to focus on the skeletal system.
Is Chiropractic Care Covered in a Car Accident Settlement?
Chiropractic care can be included among the potential damages from the case, regardless of if the care is sought by the patient or suggested by the lawyer. While it is up to the jury to determine damages from the accident, it can and has been included among the damages in many cases, both in California and elsewhere.
Insurance coverage of chiropractic care varies depending on the health insurance provider. It is important that you check with your provider prior to seeking care, to determine if the cost is covered.
Do Juries or Others Have a Bias Against Chiropractic Care?
Over time, the opinion of chiropractic care has improved in the eyes of the public. While the public may have a positive opinion of chiropractic care, insurance adjusters may have a less positive opinion.
In many cases, the insurers tend to challenge charges over chiropractic care, even if the charges are less than those for medical treatment. It is important that you have a lawyer who is familiar with insurance analysts and their arguments, to help ensure that your chiropractic care is paid for in a settlement. If your case happens to go to trial, it will need to be argued before the jury if the chiropractic care you received was a beneficial part of your post-accident treatment.
Note that your own insurance may limit the amount of times you may visit a chiropractor. Both automobile insurance and health insurance may impose a cap on your visits to chiropractors or other specialists. In addition, some chiropractors may not take insurance for any number of reasons.
If I Have Been in an Accident, Should I Go to a Chiropractor First?
If you have been involved in a car accident, it is strongly advised that you visit a doctor first. A doctor may be able to find injuries you may not see. Chiropractors are not trained to provide urgent medical care. In addition, while chiropractors may provide some injury documentation, they may not be viewed as positively as doctors by insurance companies, their adjusters, or juries.
However, if you have been treated by a doctor, and you wish to undergo chiropractic treatment, there is nothing to prevent you from seeking chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic treatment can help relieve your pain, improve your mobility, and assist you in returning to a more normal life.
Contact a Qualified Riverside Accident Lawyer About Your Recovery
If you have been injured in a car accident, contact the Riverside lawyers of The JLF Firm. We can help advise the best course of action for you to take in your case, as well as advising you on various other matters related to your accident. Regardless of if you seek chiropractic care or not, our lawyers can help provide a valuable legal resource in your fight to recover from your car accident. Contact us online or by phone to begin your case.
