How Long Should You Wait to See a Chiropractor after a Motor Vehicle Accident?

Should You Seek Care Immediately?

If you’ve been injured in any type of accident, whether at work or on the road, you may be experiencing stiffness, pain and discomfort, even if it was a relatively minor mishap. A simple fall or a low impact collision can significantly affect your muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints, which can make you miserable. It may, however, take a few days or even a couple weeks before you start to feel the full effect of your injuries. Should you wait until you start to feel pain before you visit a chiropractor? The simple answer—no.

Why It’s Important to Get Chiropractic Care as Soon as Possible

As a general rule, you want to schedule an appointment with a chiropractor within 48 hours of any type of injury. Even though you may not experience much pain or discomfort—adrenalin can mask some of that and it can take some time for inflammation to cause significant pain—the sooner you seek and start treatment, the faster and more fully you’ll likely recover. When you wait too long without effective treatment, your injury can not only worsen, but can start to affect other parts of your body, as you compensate for the injuries you’ve suffered.

In addition, if you plan to file a workers’ compensation claim or other legal action based on your injury, there are benefits to seeking immediate treatment. First, it reduces the likelihood that your employer or the at-fault party will allege some other cause of your injury. Furthermore, if you wait to seek care, it could be argued that your injury was not that serious.

It’s important to understand that you don’t need to feel pain at the time you seek treatment. An experienced chiropractor can gather information about your accident and initiate a course of treatment that will proactively treat potential injuries.

Schedule an Appointment with Premier Health Center

Contact our office online or call us at 817-261-6100 to set up an appointment with Dr. Gittiban. We are available Monday through Thursday, from 9 am to 6 pm, and Fridays from 9 am to noon. We also see patients on the first Saturday of each month. Our offices are conveniently located on South Bowen, just off Highway 20 near the Parks Mall.