Maintaining a Course of Medical Treatment After a Florida Car Accident

The Importance of Maintaining a Course of Medical Treatment After a Florida Car Accident

It’s important to both your personal injury case and overall health that you consistently maintain a course of medical treatment following a Florida car accident. Your physical and financial health could depend on it.

The attorneys of Allen & Abaray can help guide you through this process, but your cooperation and willingness to both get a medically prescribed treatment plan and to then follow through on it are critical.

Oftentimes following a collision, injuries do not become apparent until days later. Neck pain from whiplash, muscle pain or stiffness and lower back pain can all be delayed in their presentation. Left untreated, they can make it difficult to function normally. It’s important that you seek medical treatment soon after a car accident and again if any new symptoms develop.

Remember that Florida state law requires that you see a medical professional within 14 days of a car accident in order to qualify for Personal Injury Protection (PIP) from your insurance provider. We can help you with the required paperwork. Do not wait to seek medical treatment.

Whenever you do seek medical treatment, be sure to provide all applicable insurance information.

It’s also important that you don’t miss any appointments. If you’re unable to keep an appointment, call the doctor’s office to reschedule.

The Types of Treatment You May Need to Seek

It’s fairly common for the impact of an auto accident to result in some spine misalignment. What you might brush off as insignificant could lead to scar tissue that causes pain for the rest of your life. If you have any pain or discomfort whatsoever, seek treatment.

Chiropractic care can provide relief for common post-accident symptoms like neck, back or muscle pain. Treatment options include:

• An overall medical examination. You need a thorough examination to diagnose any issues with things like range of motion, strength or any neurological abnormalities.
• It’s not only common but quite likely that you’ve suffered some misalignments that need to be readjusted.
• X-rays. A chiropractor should be able to take x-rays that will help to diagnose the extent of your injuries.
• Therapeutic ultrasound. Using high-frequency sound waves, your chiropractor can stimulate tissue beneath the skin, creating a massage effect on injured areas.
• Spinal decompression therapy. This is a traction method whereby the spine is stretched to relieve pressure on compressed or herniated discs.
• Hot/cold therapy. Heat is effective at loosening tight muscles and tissues while cold can reduce inflammation in injured tissues.
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators (TENS). With TENS treatment, electrodes are placed on the skin, allowing light electric pulses that can reduce inflammation and relieve spasms and back pain.

If chiropractic care does not adequately alleviate pain or discomfort, you may need to visit a specialist or orthopedic doctor, who might prescribe an MRI.

How Maintaining a Course of Medical Treatment Can Affect Your Claim

If you’ve been injured in a Florida car accident due to the recklessness or negligence of another person, you have the right to be compensated and reimbursed for the injuries you’ve suffered and the alterations to your life that those injuries may have caused. Even when you’re at fault, filing a successful insurance claim depends on you maintaining a course of medical treatment. Seeing a doctor or chiropractor following your accident helps to validate and document your injuries.

Our attorneys know how to work with your medical professional to be sure that all of the documentation and reports that will support your case are in place. We can help to be sure that all necessary information is collected, allowing you to focus on your health. If you’ve collected any information on your own, including receipts, prescriptions or reports, be sure to share them with us.

Remember, maintaining a course of medical treatment after a Florida car accident is critically important. When in doubt, seek medical attention and then follow through on the treatment plan.

Contact Allen & Abaray today to be sure you’re not leaving anything to chance.