Auto Accident Chiropractor Centennial, CO
- Whiplash & Injury Care
- Personalized Treatment Plans
- Documentation of Your Injuries
Our auto accident chiropractor, Dr. Tony Nicholas, has been providing auto accident care at Axis Health and Wellness in Centennial since 1997. Even if you delay seeing our chiropractor, it is still worth your time, as most symptoms show up three days after the accident.
It is common to walk away from the crash. This is especially true if you feel fine at the scene. Without proper treatment, however, you may experience symptoms like your neck not turning far enough to check a blind spot or your upper back feeling like concrete. You may also experience a headache that sits behind one eye that can’t be treated with an over-the-counter pain reliever.
When you visit Dr. Nicholas, you will undergo extensive examination, including motion X-rays that many chiropractic offices skip. After the exam, our chiropractor studies and builds a treatment plan for your case. Billing will also be handled directly with your car insurance or attorney so you won’t be chasing paperwork while you’re still recovering.
What a Car Accident Does to Your Spine
During a collision, whether it’s a violent or a slow one, a sudden force causes your neck, low back, and the rest of your spine to be thrown out of alignment. During this high-speed acceleration, your muscles won’t have any chance to brace.
After the crash, your muscles strain to hold a spine that’s no longer sitting where it should. It causes pinched nerves, whiplash, and herniated discs. These are all real possibilities after a crash.
To keep those issues from settling in, you should get your spine back into its normal alignment as quickly as possible. If you leave it alone, it can turn acute injury into a chronic one. This is the reason our chiropractor doesn’t want you to wait until symptoms show up.
What Symptoms of a Car Accident You Should Not Wait Out
Soft tissue injury is the most common injury that we treat after an auto accident. If any of these symptoms show up in the days after the crash, you should immediately seek a chiropractor.
- Whiplash and stiff neck
- Low back pain
- Radiating pain into hands or feet
- Numbness and tingling
- Neck pain and lost range of motion
- Headaches behind the eye
- Herniated or bulging discs
- Concussion symptoms
If your neck won’t rotate and you’re getting headaches that start at the base of the skull and wrap around your head, then this is a classic whiplash picture that can be treated with auto accident care. The National Library of Medicine’s Medline Plus describes whiplash as a soft tissue injury to the neck. Dr. Tony isn’t just a chiropractor who treats auto accident injuries, but he also holds an IMPACT certification for concussion protocol. This certification matters more than you realize after a head strike. To learn more about injuries after an accident, please read our guide to hidden injuries after a car accident.
Why Motion X-Rays are Vital in Auto Accident Care?
Motion X-rays can show ligament damage, and a standard X-ray can’t. This is one of the reasons many crash injuries get missed. The doctor will just tell the patient that nothing is wrong when something clearly is.
This is the piece that separates a thorough auto accident chiropractor from an office that only adjusts you a bit and sends you home. Motion X-rays get a picture of your spine through movement and watch how your vertebrae travel. When a segment moves more than it should, then it is an indication that the ligaments holding it are damaged, even though we don’t see the ligament itself.
“Motion x-rays do not necessarily change how I treat you. What they do is document the case. They let us show what injuries were actually sustained in the accident and whether anything permanent came out of it. Without that, it is your word against an adjuster’s opinion.”
Dr. Tony Nicholas, D.C.This documentation can make a difference when you file a claim. We work regularly with personal injury attorneys across the Denver metro, and they will tell you that a file with evidence in it can significantly affect your chances of receiving compensation.
What an Auto Accident Chiropractor Will Do During Your First Visit
- Our auto accident chiropractor will welcome you and treat you like a person, not a case number.
- You’ll tell him what happened, including your medical history, the accident, and what’s hurting you now. Before or after the consultation, you’ll get a quick tour of what’s in the building.
- Dr. Tony will listen to all of your complaints before he makes a plan.
- A thorough examination will follow. Then, you will undergo extensive X-rays, including motion views so our chiropractor can see what happened inside your spine.
- He builds a treatment plan around what the exam and imaging show. Your auto accident care may include adjustments, spinal decompression for disc involvement, dry needling of the neck, or SoftWave therapy for your stubborn soft tissue.
- Before you leave, you will schedule your follow-up. Dr. Nicholas’ team will start the insurance paperwork.
How Long Can You Recover After a Car Accident
Car accident recovery is slow. You might have endured a lot of damage to your spine during the crash, and the tissue around it heals on its own.
The First Month
You will only notice significant improvement after 12 visits. You will feel better. This can happen in four to six weeks. But it all depends on how you respond to the plan.
Getting Back to 100 percent
It can take between 20 and 26 treatments before you can say that you’re fully recovered. This number can move up or down depending on your pre-existing conditions, your age, and the impact of the collision. Younger patients are quicker to bounce back than older patients.
After every session, you’ll get re-evaluated to know if your condition is improving. If you have completed at least 8 visits and your condition has not improved, Dr. Tony will refer you out.
When You Should Go to the Hospital First
Auto accident care is not the first stop for everything. Our chiropractor will tell you directly. You should get medical evaluation first if you experience the following:
- A fracture or dislocation is suspected
- Shortness of breath, balance problems, slurred speech, or losing consciousness
- Losing bowel or bladder control
- The pain level is too extreme for you to handle
- Numbness that spreads into your face (it requires ruling out a stroke)
If your symptoms are not serious, you can come and see our chiropractor. This is the moment an auto accident chiropractor becomes the right call. Remember that the ER treats emergencies, while the alignment and tissue problems can linger after the crash.
Who Pays for Your Auto Accident Care
In every accident consultation, our patients usually ask who will pay for treatment, whether they need a lawyer, and how long care will last.
No Attorney
If you don’t have a lawyer, we bill the insurance directly. Many Colorado car policies carry medical payments coverage that can go toward treatment, no matter who caused the crash. You should bring your policy information, and our staff will look into it.
With Attorney
We send all bills and records to your attorney’s office, and they’ll handle it from there. Your attorney needs your motion X-rays and other documents that support your claim.
At Axis Health and Wellness, we accept all insurance except Medicaid. We also take HSA and FSA cards, CareCredit, Cherry, cash, and credit cards. If you don’t have any of these, you can avail of our payment plans that include no interest options. Dr. Tony offers flexible payment options because he doesn’t want to turn any patient away for money. Thus, if the cost of the care is standing in your way, you must be honest about it. You may also read our payment plans page here to learn more.
Auto Accident Chiropractor FAQs
Should I see a chiropractor after a car accident if I feel fine?
Yes, you should get evaluated by a chiropractor after a car accident even if you feel fine. Adrenaline can easily mask your symptoms. Your car injury symptoms, such as stiff neck, headaches, or pain that radiates into an arm or a leg, may only show up later. An exam and X-rays can tell whether there’s misalignment in your spine.
How soon after an accident should I see an auto accident chiropractor?
As soon as serious injuries have been ruled out, you can see an auto accident chiropractor. Getting your spine back into normal alignment must be your biggest priority. This is to prevent an acute injury from turning into a long-term health issue. You should not wait weeks before you seek chiropractic care. The longer it takes for you to seek care, the longer it takes to treat the injuries.
Will my auto insurance pay for chiropractic care?
In most cases, we bill the insurance directly so you don’t have to pay out of pocket and wait for a reimbursement. Many Colorado car policies include medical payments coverage that can be used to pay for your treatment regardless of who was at fault.
Before coming to the office, make sure to bring your policy details. Or you may call us today at (303) 221-1185 so we can go through your coverage before your care starts.
Do I need a lawyer for my car accident case?
It depends on your situation. Having an attorney changes the billing as we send all bills and records to your lawyer’s office. Your attorney will handle the financial side. But if you don’t have an attorney, we will bill your insurance directly.
We work with personal injury attorneys throughout the Denver metro. We can also recommend a lawyer if you wish to have one.
How many chiropractic visits will I need after a car accident?
It takes between 20 and 26 treatments to get back to 100 percent. But you will notice significant improvement by 12 visits (four to six weeks range). However, pre-existing conditions, age, and the speed of the collision must also be taken into account.
After every session, you will undergo re-evaluation. If your case isn’t improving after 12 visits, you will be referred to another specialist.
Why do you take motion X-rays instead of regular X-rays after an accident?
Ligaments don’t show on a standard X-ray. Only motion X-rays can take an image of your ligaments. This type of X-ray will tell us how the vertebrae move. If your movement is beyond the normal range, it tells us that your ligaments were damaged from the collision.
However, this won’t change the treatment plan. It only documents the case.
Do you treat whiplash and headaches from a crash?
Whiplash and headaches are the most common injuries after a car crash. Whiplash shows up as a stiff neck, tight upper back and traps, sharply reduce your range of motion. The pain radiates into your hands or feet. Around 90 percent of headaches start in the upper neck. Then, they slowly wrap around your head or settle behind an eye. This means that they are coming from misalignments in the cervical spine pressing on nerves.
These two conditions can respond well to chiropractic care. You can learn more about them through our whiplash and headaches and migraines pages.
What if I was in an accident months ago and still hurt?
You should still visit our chiropractic clinic. Problems that have been there longer can also take longer to fix. Thus, the plan looks different than when you come in days after the crash. However, old crash injuries still respond to auto chiropractic care. Many of our patients tried everything else first before showing up to our clinic as their last resort.
Hurt in a Crash? Get Examined This Week.
Dr. Tony will listen to everything that is bothering you, examine you properly, take the x-rays that document your injuries, and tell you honestly what it will take to get you back. Axis Health and Wellness has served Centennial, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Aurora, Parker, Castle Rock, and the south Denver metro since 1997.