Auto Accident and Personal Injury

Recover from Auto Accident or Personal Injury

We can help!

Looking for Chiropractic & Physical Therapy injury care in Tulsa? As a trusted Tulsa Chiropractor, Dr. David Fields and the team at Reactivate are available to help you overcome any injuries you might have sustained during your auto accident or personal injury case. Many people involved in a car accident or personal injury struggle to recover from trauma sustained during the event. It occurs instantly and can create long-term pain and limitations in your life. We encourage you to come in for complete diagnostic testing and for treatment of these accident related injuries as soon as possible.

What is Whiplash?

When you are in a car accident, especially a bad one, your body absorbs the force of that impact. The force causes the body to shift rapidly inside the car. The neck can be thrown back and forth or side to side with a great deal of energy. When this happens, it causes damage to the the joints and soft tissues of the spine. This is much like a strain/sprain, but can also involve the discs, joints, or even nerves. Sometimes you may not feel much of anything right after the accident, but within hours or a day or two later, the pain and stiffness kick in. This is whiplash.

Can whiplash happen outside the neck?

Yes. We typically call whiplash outside the neck and upper back an acceleration-deceleration injury. Often the result is soft tissue damage like strain, sprain, or disc trauma. It’s actually quite common in the lumbopelvic region (low back and hips). It can also occur in the mid back, chest, and ribs. In reality, any part of the body can be injured during a car wreck. Things like rotator cuff injuries, rib sprains, even patellar (knee cap) injuries are more common than you might think. We address all of these complaints during your exam: including possible concussion.

Who treats auto accidents and personal injury cases?

Typically Chiropractors are the most common choice of treatment for these types of injury. Physical therapy and massage are also great options: that’s why we provide all these services. Even if you went to the emergency room and checked out okay (no broken bones or life-threatening condition); pain, stiffness, and weakness can persist until you seek specific treatment. Hospitals are great at saving lives, but they typically don’t treat these types of injuries outside of prescribing muscle relaxers. They may even refer you for Chiropractic or physical therapy for the treatment of your condition. It’s actually quite common for us to receive these types of referrals.

Signs & symptoms of whiplash & acceleration-deceleration injury:

You may not develop symptoms initially. These symptoms may appear soon after the accident, typically within a few days after trauma. The most common symptoms include:

• Pain in the neck and shoulders
• Pain in the low back and hips
• Difficulty turning or moving the affected body part
• A feeling of heaviness of the head
• Migraines and headaches
• Mental fog, fatigue, and confusion (possible concussion)
• Pain or numbness in the arms, hands, legs, or feet
• Sensation of weakness in the neck, back, or extremities

How is Auto Accident & Personal Injury treated?

When you come in to see our team, we will take a full history and conduct a complete examination to determine your diagnosis & treatment options for maximum recovery. We may determine that imaging like X-ray or MRI is necessary. From there, our goal is to restore normal mechanics (movement and alignment) as quickly as possible. First, we may use of one or more modalities to reduce pain and inflammation like E-stim or ultrasound. This helps with any spasm or guarding that might make care more difficult. Sometimes nutrition, supplements, or even injections can be used to further reduce inflammation and promote healing. We typically prescribe targeted therapeutic massage to reduce muscle tension and break up any adhesions or scar tissue which limits the flexibility of muscles and fascia. Gentle Manipulation of joints is essential for proper alignment and movement improving range of motion and mobility. Once your pain, inflammation, and mobility have improved, it is safe to put you into a progressive rehab program. The aim of rehab is to retrain the muscles to work properly again ensuring flexibility, strength, and stability. In some cases, we may need to refer you to another physician such as an orthopedic surgeon or pain management.

How long does it take to treat my auto accident injury?

You may have been told that your injury will resolve in two weeks by an insurance company. Unfortunately that is not true for most patients. Most cases take 1-3 months to get to maximum recovery, but healing can be faster or slower depending on the severity of the trauma. Some more severe cases can take over a year to treat and may have lingering impairments. Factors such as type of tissue damaged, existence of neurological symptoms, occupation, and activities play a big part in determining the road to recovery. No matter the case, we will be with you every step of the way and make sure that you are getting the resources you need whether it be at our clinic or outside of our facilities. The most important thing is to tackle the problem head on as soon as you are injured to arrive at the best prognosis.

How much does it cost to treat my auto accident injury?

Every accident and injury case is different. The cost of treatment depends on how long we have to treat, which treatments are necessary, and if we need to refer out for further testing or care with another specialist. Cases range from several hundred to several thousands of dollars. The good news is that we can postpone payment until you have settled your case. Once your case has settled, we work with the insurance company and lawyer to receive payment for your treatment. It is typically best to work with a lawyer who can guide you through the insurance claims process. If needed, we would be happy to refer you to some great lawyers we know to be trustworthy.

Should I just wait and see how I feel after my car accident?

After a car accident, don’t wait. In the majority of cases, whiplash and auto injuries don’t resolve by themselves. In fact, it’s the opposite. Most people experience steadily increasing pain and disability without proper treatment. If you wait too long, dysfunction caused by your injury can cause even more damage to add up over time making your prognosis worse. The longer you wait, the less likely you will be to make a full recovery. The sooner you address the issue, the better your outcome will be. Our treatments are designed to help you recover as fast and as fully as possible so you can get back to your life.