Having Car Accident Pain? How You Can Get Your Treatments Covered

7 April 2017
 Categories: Law, Blog

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After a car accident, it's common for people to suffer through resulting neck and back pain caused by whiplash. However, this isn't necessary in many cases; insurance companies may cover massage therapy if it's for a legitimate medical cause. Here is what you need to know about chiropractic massage.

What It's Used For

Massage therapy for car accident pain has a few goals. One is to correct musculoskeletal problems that affect the way your body supports your spine. For example, if muscles are too tight in your back, or one side is uneven, it could push your spine out of alignment. This can be bad news for many body systems, as your blood circulation is reduced and nerves possibly pinched.

Massage also effectively reduces residual pain from an accident. Ongoing pain could be caused by muscle injury to your back, neck, and shoulders; tendon or ligament injury in the neck; or possibly spinal injury. A chiropractor is trained to recognize the differences and prescribe ongoing care that preserves each system.

The Techniques

Hands-on massage is one component of chiropractic sessions for car accident pain, but it's not the only part. Your massage sessions may be a separate visit in addition to weekly rehabilitation sessions. During the weekly exercises, a chiropractor may do spinal adjustments and have you use contoured braces for the neck and back to gradually push the spine back into alignment. Roller tables are another common component of treatment that is used to relax the neck and back for an easier chiropractic appointment.

Getting it Covered By Insurance

Having your massage appointments covered by insurance will require advance approval. The first thing a chiropractor would do is a full body assessment to see what damage was caused by a car accident. From there, they will probably need to write you a referral giving the reasons that chiropractic massage treatments are a necessary part of your chiropractic experience.

Your insurance company will have to approve the reasons as medically viable, which may take a few days to complete. A co-pay might be necessary for your massage appointments, but it's often more reasonable than paying for massage therapy visits out of pocket at a salon. And, you have the added benefit of being seen by a trained medical professional who can check on the health of your spine at the same time.

Getting Further Help

If it turns out that your injury is actually more serious than whiplash, then you start to get into the territory of an auto accident lawsuit. Many of the same steps as above apply for documenting your injury, but then you should take your claim to an auto accident attorney who can get you higher compensation for medical bills, pain, and vehicle damage. To find an attorney, check out a site like http://brittattorney.com/.