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Going to a chiropractor instead of an MD after a car accident

| Jan 24, 2018 | Blog

Some people enjoy going to personnel such as acupuncturists or chiropractors. Thus, if you are one of these people and have suffered an injury in an accident, you might decide to see your preferred acupuncturist or chiropractor for help with your back pain, neck pain or other injuries.

However, this move could present a problem down the road if you seek compensation for your injuries. Here is what you should ideally do.

Seek help from a medical doctor

First, you should go to a medical doctor, not someone like an acupuncturist or chiropractor, for your exam and diagnosis. Do this even if your pain seems quite minor or even if you do not think you are in pain at all. The reality is that going to anyone other than a medical doctor could send signals that you think your injury is not serious. It could actually be that you view it as not serious or as a mere nuisance, but quite a few such injuries turn out to be major problems later.

Also, medical doctors have the training, credentials and qualifications to carry out exams and make diagnoses that courts are more likely to accept. While people such as chiropractors do often have extensive training, they are not held to the same standard that medical doctors are.

You can still get the care you need

This is not to say you are out of luck. You can likely still get the wonderful treatment you usually receive from your chiropractor. The medical doctor just needs to refer you if he or she thinks a chiropractor is who you need. It certainly can be frustrating to have to see a doctor first when you can just go directly to your chiropractor, but the doctor does want to help you. If a chiropractor is appropriate, you can still get that care. Seeing the doctor first establishes a medical record complete with any necessary X-rays and tests that pass muster in court.