Short North Accident Injury Care

Archive for the ‘Car Accident’ Category

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

In my  Short North, Columbus, the scientific literature indicates the vast majority of healing will take place during the first three weeks following the traumatic event. In addition, the majority of the injuries seen are limited to muscular injuries and treatment of patients over 90 days, in our experience, often hinders the solving of the legal matters.

This is not to say that all soft tissue injuries need 90 days of care. Care, like the patient’s injuries, are individual. But, if treatment is longer than 90 days, it should be stressed that the clinical necessity for care should be justified even more.

It is the doctors responsibility to prove the care is needed, not the insurance company’s responsibility to prove it’s not needed.

In our experience and opinion, documenting only the patient’s subjective complaints, is insufficient criteria for the continuation of care.

To support the need for continued care, the documentation within the file should show timely re-examinations which demonstrate objective physical examination findings.

In addition, these objective signs would need to be reasonably “weighed” against the clinical potential for further healing.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment

A Personal injury case and offer what we consider are reasonable points of view which are supportable in the literature when possible.

In our experience, failure to follow a reasonable approach often leads to close scrutiny of the claim. It is our hope this discussion will bring the two different levels of expectation a bit closer and result in a higher level of cooperation between the two sides.

Additionally, if the case you manage as the treating practitioner can pass through the medical/legal system, your relationship with the plaintiff attorney can only flourish. However, if the attorney representing the patient loses a potential award as a result of many of the topics mentioned in this article, how likely could an expanding relationship be?

Scope of Care

Obviously, the correct diagnosis is paramount in treating any patient following trauma. We will assume, for the purposes of this discussion, the case being treated represents an uncomplicated soft tissue injury. Specifically, injuries that are absent fractures neurological deficits, dislocations, disc herniations or vascular complications.

Treatment rendered for these injuries should represent the standard of care for the geographic area serviced.

The “scope of practice” or treatment rendered should be designed to make passage through the medical/legal system easier.

For example, performing reflexology on a patient’s feet for cervical spine injuries will draw more attention than the well accepted treatment course of manipulation, moist heat, ice, ultrasound, and other therapies.

This is not to say that payment will be denied, but the road to reimbursement and settlement would be much easier if a more traditional approach to care is rendered.

Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

A Chiropractor treats injuries from a car accident.

When were you in a car accident?

Did a chiropractor assess you? If not, you should have this done. It’s always still possible to pursue this treatment.

Quite a few persons have been treated by my Columbus Chiropractic Office for back pain, headaches, and neck pain caused by car accidents. It may surprise you that we not only treat patients with recent injuries from auto accidents, but also those that had accidents that were dismissed as mild and not previously treated.

It has always seemed strange to me that people usually don’t look after themselves as well as they look after their cars. I’m not sure why so many people hold onto these types of thoughts. Slight neck pain, headaches and lower back pain are all too often minimized, overlooked, or brushed off as not something to worry about after an auto collision injury. This shouldn’t be the case. Can you imagine if other health concerns were treated so recklessly?

The injury triggers in whiplash related accidents are complicated. Discs can become herniated, fractures of the spine can occur, muscles stretch and tear and ligaments can often partially tear or even burst. There are numerous various symptoms that can cause pain in the neck or back, ranging in severity from an irritation that is small to a disability that is severe as a result of these injuries. Short-term back and neck pain is very distressing, but chronic back and neck problems are even more difficult to cope with.

While whiplash is a complex injury, the spinal injuries that result often show a common pattern. Muscles and ligaments at the injury location start feeling irritated. Inflammation results from the irritation. The inflammatory process is the cause of the majority of symptoms at the onset, and it also causes the development of scar tissue that can cause these symptoms to become permanent or chronic.

One quarter of auto accident victims develop chronic problems from their injuries. I frequently witness this statistic in reality in my Columbus, Ohio chiropractic office.

Car accidents often result in neck and back pain along with headaches, areas that chiropractors excel in caring for. To make sure that you are not part of the one-fourth of those people who do not recover completely from a car crash injury, see a chiropractor as soon as possible for examination and treatment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio

Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

In my Short North, Columbus, based Chiropractic Clinic we provide treatment for those patients involved in auto accidents on a regular basis. The most common injury resulting from car accidents is whiplash.

Whiplash is most frequently associated with rear-end auto accidents in which the heads of those in the front car are suddenly snapped backward and forward by the acceleration caused by the impact.

The more descriptive medical phrase used to convey this type of injury is cervical acceleration/deceleration (CAD) trauma or syndrome. CAD accurately describes the rapid movements that can injure the vertebrae of the neck and the muscles and ligaments that support them.

Anyone can be subjected to whiplash at almost any speed, even in a minimal-force auto accident at speeds as low as 5mph. Incidents that cause whiplash can also be related to other incidents or mishaps in which the head is pushed or jerked beyond its normal range of motion. Whiplash commonly causes serious and chronic neck pain, as well as back pain, headaches blurred vision, ringing in the ears, nausea, numbness and dizziness. More serious injuries such as bruising of the brain can sometimes occur in auto accidents.

The sudden accident that caused the initial whiplash injury may fade into memory, but the physical and psychological damage of whiplash can become chronic, severely eroding the victim’s quality of life. Chiropractic techniques are particularly well-suited to relieving the neck pain and other debilitating effects of whiplash because they can
• restore movement lost after the accident,
• overcome muscle weakness and enhance muscle tone,
• speed recovery, and
• diminish chronic symptoms that can persist or recur over many years.

Chiropractic adjustments and supportive treatment have proved successful for many thousands of patients. Chiropractic care significantly reduce patients’ distress and allow them to return to their normal activities.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio

Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.
In my  Short North, Columbus, Our experience with these cases comes from clinical practice, file reviews, and contributions to the scientific literature on the subject. With this said, we are in a unique position to see cases at the request of both the plaintiff and defense.

There is, despite the apparent contradiction in party philosophy, one area of commonality. Both sides utilize our opinion and both desires to know what, in our opinion, constitutes a well managed soft tissue case. Both sides, it seem, have a strong desire to be reasonable, but the different levels of expectations mentioned earlier make each party feel the other is often being unreasonable.

Legal Issues in a Personal Injury Suit

The plaintiff side of the issue is represented by the patient’s attorney and we have discovered they are often placed in a position of “pressure” when attempting to justify some of the patient care issues common to the handling of soft tissue cases by the doctor or therapist.

We believe anything which allows the claim to pass through the “legal” process easier, will be greatly appreciated by the attorney and will often result in a better long-term working relationship with the attorney. This better relationship often results in greater utilization of the doctor’s services by the attorney.

If, on the other hand, the clinical treatment of the doctor or therapist causes the case to lose value, the possibility of a long-term relationship decreases dramatically.

For example, the case we mentioned earlier in which the doctor treated the patient 454 times for an uncomplicated soft tissue injury, makes the case very difficult for the attorney to move the case through the “system” and do justice to their client’s interests. This type of behavior makes the claim lose value and results in protracted litigation before settlement.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio

Call

614 299 9797

to make an appointment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio

Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

Safe Driving and Auto Accidents In Ohio

In my Columbus Ohio Chiropractic, my office provides treatment for many whiplash accident victims.

Auto accidents are serious! You may not be aware that approximately 25% of all auto accident victims never make a full recovery. That could mean a lifetime of neck pain, low back pain, headaches, etc.

The best defense for accident prevention in wet weather is defensive driving. The following paragraphs were found on the National Safety Council website and specifically target safe wet weather driving techniques.

“Losing control of your car on wet pavement is a frightening experience. You can prevent skids by driving slowly and carefully, especially on curves. Steer and brake with a light touch. When you need to stop or slow, do not brake hard or lock the wheels and risk a skid. Maintain mild pressure on the brake pedal.

If you do find yourself in a skid, remain calm, ease your foot off the gas, and carefully steer in the direction you want the front of the car to go. For cars without anti-lock brakes, avoid using your brakes. This procedure, known as “steering into the skid,” will bring the back end of your car in line with the front. If your car has ABS, brake firmly as you steer into the skid.

While skids on wet pavement may be frightening, hydroplaning is completely nerve-wracking. Hydroplaning happens when the water in front of your tires builds up faster than your car’s weight can push it out of the way. The water pressure causes your car to rise up and slide on a thin layer of water between your tires and the road. At this point, your car can be completely out of contact with the road, and you are in danger of skidding or drifting out of your lane, or even off the road.

To avoid hydroplaning, keep your tires properly inflated, maintain good tread on your tires and replace them when necessary, slow down when roads are wet, and stay away from puddles. Try to drive in the tire tracks left by the cars in front of you.

If you find yourself hydroplaning, do not brake or turn suddenly. This could throw your car into a skid. Ease your foot off the gas until the car slows and you can feel the road again. If you need to brake, do it gently with light pumping actions. If your car has anti-lock brakes, then brake normally; the car’s computer will mimic a pumping action, when necessary.

A defensive driver adjusts his or her speed to the wet road conditions in time to avoid having to use any of these measures. Reprinted with permission from the National Safety Council”

If you do happen to get into a fender bender, get to the chiropractor ASAP.

From a statistical standpoint, the best way to avoid becoming one of the 25% of auto injury patients that never fully recover is to undergo an examination with a licensed chiropractor and follow up with any recommended treatment as soon as possible

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus,

Ohio Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

In my  Short North, Columbus,this discussion is designed to address the soft tissue personal injury case and to offer what we consider are reasonable points of view which are supportable in the literature when possible.
In our experience, failure to follow a reasonable approach often leads to close scrutiny of the claim. It is our hope this discussion will bring the two different levels of expectation a bit closer and result in a higher level of cooperation between the two sides.
Additionally, if the case you manage as the treating practitioner can pass through the medical/legal system, your relationship with the plaintiff attorney can only flourish.
However, if the attorney representing the patient loses a potential award as a result of many of the topics mentioned in this article, how likely could an expanding relationship be?

Scope of Care in Personal Injury Cases
Obviously, the correct diagnosis is paramount in treating any patient following trauma. We will assume, for the purposes of this discussion, the case being treated represents an uncomplicated soft tissue injury. Specifically, injuries that are absent fractures neurological deficits, dislocations, disc herniations or vascular complications.
Treatment rendered for these injuries should represent the standard of care for the geographic area serviced.
The “scope of practice” or treatment rendered should be designed to make passage through the medical/legal system easier. For example, performing reflexology on a patient’s feet for cervical spine injuries will draw more attention than the well accepted treatment course of manipulation, moist heat, ice, ultrasound, and other therapies.
This is not to say that payment will be denied, but the road to reimbursement and settlement would be much easier if a more traditional approach to care is rendered.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio

Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated,  Short North, Columbus, Ohio Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

In my  Short North, Columbus,it is reasonable to assume the injured tissues will necessitate a higher frequency of care during the initial stages of injury. This is due to the fact that the patient’s subjective complaints are often at or near their zenith during the first week after the accident.

The injured tissues swell to their greatest degree during this time; thus, the level of the patient’s complaints. As the injuries enter the subacute and chronic stages, it is reasonable to assume the treatment frequency would decrease and correlate with the clinical gains being made.

Since the goal of all treatment is to return the patient to their pre-injury status, a well managed case will include decreased treatment frequency while occupational and daily activities are slowly reintroduced.

In our experience, we have found a constant treatment frequency maintained from the onset of care can lead to problems for the plaintiff attorney as they have to explain this apparent inconsistency.

Consider how they will attempt to explain the following questions: First, how can an accurate prognosis of the patient’s future medical/chiropractic condition be measured if the treatment has remained the same?

Secondly, how could the patient reach their preinjury status if the normal occupational and daily stressors were not introduced while under treatment? An unreasonable approach to treatment frequency complicates settlement.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio

Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

There are approximately 3 million whiplash injuries sustained in the U.S. every year. Many cases of whiplash are unreported or go untreated due to the seemingly minor low speed collision or minimal, or any, amount of damage to the involved vehicles. It is also estimated that 45% of people who suffer from chronic neck pain do so as a result of a previous whiplash injury.

Although whiplash is the most commonly thought of injury with auto accidents, it is very common for people to receive injuries to the hips, knees, shoulders, back, and ribs to name a few.
It is very common, especially with low speed collisions, for there to be no pain immediately after the accident. Often it takes several days or longer for any pain to appear. Most people believe that if they do not have pain immediately following the accident, or if it’s a week or two after the accident before they start having pain, then they can’t receive treatment for it, or have any treatment included in the insurance claim. This is completely false.
It is routine for auto accident patients to begin care weeks or months after the accident, despite what your insurance company may lead you to believe.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.