Florida PIP: Auto Accidents – Chiropractor Personal Injury Care – Fort Pierce
It does not matter if the accident is your fault or someone else’s. Florida mandates PIP (personal injury protection) coverage as an insurance requirement. You must purchase the ability to cover your medical bills in order to insure your vehicle. If you are injured, then you should use the coverage you are entitled to. Everyone who maintains auto insurance has PIP to cover their own injuries, whether you sue or not. You deserve to get back to your pre-accident health.
Conservative Care:
This term describes care which does not rely on invasive treatments such as prescription drugs and surgery. our goal with conservative care is to help you to avoid prescriptions and surgery if at all possible. Hospitals are for emergency care. If your pain is so severe that you need to seek treatment in a hospital, then seek that treatment first and then seek conservative care to get you back on your feet.
Chiropractic care is the leading form of conservative care. We mobilize areas through both chiropractic adjustments to joints and rehabilitative exercises.
Chiropractors are gateway Doctors. If you require both conservative care and more intensive care, then we monitor your healing, document it, and refer you to other treating physicians in the medical field as necessary.
Seat belts:
The simple truth is that seat belts damage the shoulders and breast region during an accident. Frequently we see shoulder muscle tears result from seat belt injuries. These tears are painful and take longer to heal than a sprain/strain type of injury. Maintaining the region of the tear is done with mobilization and, if appropriate, light exercise.
Whiplash:
Did your head whip forward and backward or from side to side? If you are experiencing headache, ringing in the ears, vertigo (room spins), aches, pains, stiff neck…these can be indications that you have whiplash and have sprained your neck. These are treatable injuries but they will not restore function well on their own. In this type of injury, if you do not seek treatment you may experience early onset of arthritis.
Radiculopathy:
Do you have shooting pain from your neck down your arms? Or from your low back and down into one or both legs? This too is treatable with conservative Chiropractic care which helps restore your function while reducing the inflammation causing your extreme pain. (Please note: if you are also experiencing a loss of your urinary bladder or bowel function then go to the hospital immediately. Losing the ability to control your urinary bladder and bowel function is a sign of a true emergency. Call 911 and seek immediate medical attention.)
Sprain/Strain:
Most people experience some sort of sprain or strain to one or more regions of the spine. If left untreated, this less complex injury can degenerate over time causing chronic spasms to muscles and early degeneration to joints. It is always best to take care of the spine with simple and conservative care like what we provide in our office. Some sprain/strains do require medicine. We will always provide a referral for those who require medications. Much of the public is aware of the dangers of over medicating. We are a perfect choice. We help you function at a higher level so your body can heal your from within.
Numbness and Tingling:
Most of our patients experience a full recovery with our conservative Chiropractic care. By mobilizing the area of injury, we help the body reduce the sensation of numbness and tingling so it may heal properly and not create residual issues after your accident. We also strengthen the area of injury with light rehabilitative exercises which improve your flexibility and support of the region.
Medical Bills:
Unless you are in a serious accident, you don’t need to utilize your treatment dollars solely at the hospital. In cases of bleeding or head trauma, or other serious trauma, yes, the Emergency Room is the place to go first. In cases of lesser injury, going to the hospital will get you a prescription, a lot of radiology at hospital rates and a referral to a specialist who will see you in 2-3 months. This is not treatment to get you back on your feet and feeling better. You need help now. You most likely need conservative care first, instead of the hospital. Conservative care is best through a Chiropractor instead of a Physical Therapist and here is why. A Chiropractor can do far more than a Physical Therapist. We can order your x-rays, MRIs and get you scheduled with specialists when necessary, provide physical therapy for getting you back on your feet long term, but mostly because we can treat your pain caused by inflammation at the nerve and joint origin. Light treatments which mobilize your spine and get you back to feeling like your normal self sooner and more effectively than other professions. We take notes for your attorney if you already have one. If you need an attorney we can point you in the direction of several attorneys. We are lucky in our area that we have several local attorneys who are excellent, but not everyone needs an attorney.
Who does not need an attorney?
If you are the cause of the accident, then chances are likely that you will not be suing your own insurance company and thus you will not be needing an attorney. You still have medical benefits from your accident if you have Medpay or PIP insurance (in Florida, everyone has a 10K policy of Personal Injury Protection aka PIP). Your rates do not go up for using PIP. They go up because you were in an accident which at this point, your insurance will already be involved and you will have to meet your deductible for physical damage to your vehicle. You are better off seeking Chiropractic care even for fender benders. If you get sore after even a fender bender, then you have an injury that should be evaluated and potentially treated for.
The force of an impact may not be a direct indication of the amount of trauma sustained. People have been injured in low level impacts because of head and body placement, or a lack of a seatbelt, or even wearing a seat belt. You may not even notice pain immediately. Your pain may be a few hours to a few weeks after the accident, maybe in the form of headaches, tight muscles, numbness and tingling into your arms and legs, or worsening of previous injuries. Today’s small issues, if left untreated, will become tomorrow’s early onset arthritis and if you do need a specialist for consult, we can arrange that too.
Spend your money on better treatments. In our office you spend time with the Doctor. You get hands on therapy from staff who treats you as if you are family. Your care plan is explained to you and we listen and alter care plans based on your needs and improvements. Our goal is to help you get back to 100%.
Slip and Falls:
Did you slip and fall somewhere and you need help getting back on your feet? Slip and Falls are bothersome and painful. Let us help you return to your pre-injury status. If you do or don’t have a litigation case, that is no issue. We will help you get back to where you need to be so you can continue your life. We will work with your insurance company or your Attorney. The goal is to get you back to health.
