When you’ve sustained car accident injuries, the last thing you want to be worried about is whether or not your doctor can actually help you. Choosing the right doctor to best treat your injuries is such an important part of your healing and recovery process. Whiplash may be the most common car accident injury, but not all doctors have the training and expertise to treat this type of spine injury with the care you need. If you are looking for a chiropractor in Jonesboro to treat your car accident injury, here are a few things you should consider when making sure they are the right fit for you.
Seek Medical Treatment Right Away
If paramedics are called to the scene of the accident, it is important that you allow them to assess you for any major injuries. Often times after a car accident people experience shock and the adrenaline going through your body can mask your symptoms of pain. You may not even realize the extent of your injuries, which is why receiving medical treatment as soon as possible is key.
If you are taken to the emergency room, the ER doctors will treat your immediate injuries from the car accident and refer you out for follow-up care and treatment to fully heal and recover. The paramedics’ and ER doctors’ assessments can help provide the doctor you choose with more thorough information on your injuries. It is also important to pay close attention to your experience after the accident, including what types of symptoms you are experiencing and how long they last.
Look Beyond Your Primary Care Doctor
While you may have an established relationship with your primary care doctor, they are generally not the best type of doctor to treat car accident injuries. When it comes to finding a doctor for car accident injuries, you want someone who is well-versed in identifying and treating injuries like concussions, whiplash, and spinal injuries. Primary care doctors generally practice general and family medicine.
Your primary care doctor may want to prescribe pain medication to help treat your symptoms if your injuries are not as obvious. However, pain medication can mask more serious symptoms and signs that your injury could lead to chronic pain and other issues if not treated soon.
Seek Referrals and Read Reviews
While your primary care doctor may not be the best source for treatment, they may be able to provide you with a solid referral for a chiropractor in Jonesboro who treats car accident injuries like yours. You may also want to follow up on a referral from your emergency room doctor if you had one, or even seek out referrals from close family and friends.
Of course, it is important to check out any referrals yourself to make sure they sound like the right fit for you. This is an opportunity to check out the doctor’s practice and website information to learn more about their specialties and what types of injuries they treat. Many websites also have places where current and previous patients can leave reviews so you can hear firsthand about treatment experiences from others.
Avoid a One-Size-Fits-All Approach
When searching online for car accident doctor options, you will want to avoid any doctors who promise one great treatment option that works for all patients. A one-size-fits-all approach to treatment does not provide you with the comprehensive care you deserve, especially when recovering from a car accident injury. Especially when you have a car accident injury that affects your spine, it is extra important that you find someone who will evaluate how the injury has affected your body and develop a treatment plan for your needs.
Find a Doctor Who Specializes in Your Injury
The common thread throughout all these recommendations is to find a doctor who specializes in your specific type of car accident injury. Orthopedists, neurologists, physical therapists, and chiropractors in Jonesboro who specialize in car accident injuries will list these specialties, including the common types of injuries from car accidents they treat, on their website. You can also call to confirm this before scheduling an appointment.
At your initial appointment with a chiropractor in Jonesboro who specializes in your car accident injury, it is your turn to ask questions about their diagnosis and treatment styles to make sure it is a good fit. Additionally, you will want to share as much information as possible about the accident, how the injury occurred, and the symptoms you experienced in the hours and days after the accident. This type of information will provide them with a clear picture of your injuries so they can begin their diagnostic, assessment, and treatment process.