What to do after an accident in Panama City FL (Chiropractic or Medicine)

Accidents happen. But finding the right doctor and treatment shouldn’t be an accident. After an accident, you are faced with many challenges, one of which is finding the right doctor to fix your problems.

Typically, people first seek care at the local emergency room, most commonly Bay Medical or Gulf Coast hospitals, and if the injuries sustained are significant, then that is where the person should go. People should remember that these emergency rooms are designed to assess the severity of your problem and determine if the injuries you have sustained are life-threatening. Emergency rooms are not designed to provide treatment for non-life-threatening conditions, such as those commonly seen after an accident. If your condition is not an emergency, most of the time the ER will give you some short-term medications and discharge you with instructions to follow up with another doctor if you continue to have problems. Many times, the patient underestimates soft tissue injuries such as torn ligaments, sprains and strains, as well as concussions. Left untreated and unchecked, these injuries can lead to permanent damage and lifelong consequences.

At this point, patients may become confused about their treatment and get lost in the shuffle of what to do. They are constantly besieged by ads from attorneys telling them to go see them and OPEN a claim and then are called by insurance companies trying to get them to CLOSE the claim (sometimes for a few pennies). The question that must be answered BEFORE making a decision is “AM I INJURED” and will treatment for these injuries be brief, long or permanent? Your insurer cannot answer that question and neither can any attorney you see. The only person who can truly answer these questions is a doctor trained in the evaluation and detection of obvious injuries and more subtle injuries that can occur in car accidents.

So what kind of doctor? This may depend on where you live and what’s available in your area, but typically it should be someone with the following qualifications and services:

1) Experience: The physician must be familiar with trauma cases and how to treat them, as well as be able to articulate the recovery process so that the patient understands their treatment. Look for doctors who have received additional training in this area and have been dealing with these types of cases for some time. Chiropractors are commonly used for the types of trauma associated with neck and back injuries sustained in a car accident, but other doctors may be needed to achieve complete healing, such as neurologists, orthopedists, and doctors who control the pain. Look for offices that not only offer chiropractic treatment, but also have a Board Certified Pain Management Physician on staff to assist in the evaluation and treatment of major injuries. Look for accident reconstruction training and applied spinal biomechanics training on the resume of physicians, as well as certification to perform impairment ratings according to American Medical Association guidelines.

2) Services: Does the office offer the types of services I will need? Many different types of treatment can be helpful in restoring and repairing the types of injuries seen in auto accidents. Does the office have a fully maintained pain management suite with state-of-the-art equipment including a C-arm fluoroscope (video X-ray machine) that allows clinicians to directly see the source of pain and allows for documentation of what procedures are being performed? . Look to a state-of-the-art decompression table, the DRX9000C, which allows clinicians to treat not only cervical spine injuries, but also lumbar spine injuries from herniated discs and degenerative spinal changes. A full line of physical therapy should be offered, from targeted exercises to ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation, and cold laser and interferential current treatments.

3) Does the office accept these types of cases? Many doctors will not accept cases that have the possibility of litigation, including car accident cases. You need to know this before you wait weeks to see a doctor only to find out they won’t even accept auto insurance and just bill your regular insurance or you personally. A good office works with all the carriers in the area and also works with local and out-of-state attorneys if necessary to make sure you get the treatment you need.

4) Will the doctor work with lawyers or go to court? This can be key in many cases. In this area of ​​Bay County, we commonly see doctors get involved in cases initially, but when it looks like the case may go to court, they back off, leaving the patient without a doctor to substantiate their injuries. This leaves the patient and attorney in a real situation and should never be done. Ask if your condition requires you to go to court if the doctor will take time to testify on your behalf.

Choosing a doctor in Panama City or anywhere in the country, as you can see, can be a daunting experience and most people are subjected to so much misinformation that finding the right treatment can sometimes seem impossible, but with a little of time and research, hopefully, you will be able to choose. properly. The choice can change the direction of your life, as poorly treated or neglected joint injuries often become permanent problems that can haunt you for life, but a multidisciplinary treatment program can help you repair and heal to the fullest extent possible and save neck or back. bread life.