MOUNT PROSPECT Auto Accident Injuries

After 45 years in practice as a chiropractic physician in Mount Prospect Illinois, I  have treated literally thousands of auto accident victims with excellent long  lasting results. I am always amazed at all the mistakes the average patient makes  after they are hit so I will now try and educate the general public on exactly what  to do. It’s not your fault if you are not sure what to do because auto accidents  are usually rare in one person’s lifetime so please follow along so you can avoid any errors in judgment.

• There is no real difference as to who hits who in an auto accident other
  than liability because either way you can be severely injured. Your first
  concern is what is your first step on this journey? Most think going to the hospital is the best choice and I would strongly disagree. Unless your injuries are so severe you require emergency care I would tell you that my office should be your first choice. Hospital care is VERY expensive so cost is a huge factor. I can order the same x-rays or an MRI for $295.00 at a local (not a hospital) outpatient facility when your local hospital can be thousands for the exact same MRI so choose wisely. Plus as you should realize, medication does nothing to restore the damage you may have suffered. Don’t confuse less pain through drugs with wellness. Feeling better and being better can be two different worlds.

   

•  By my experience I have found that the local hospital or your medical
  provider rarely if ever x-ray the injured auto variety patient because they think it’s always a simple sprain/strain. That is another critical error. Then there are several local chiropractic chains that offer very low fees and DO NOT X-RAY the patient. Good luck trying to settle your care without proof of injury. That is a critical mistake because not only does an x-ray reveal damage that the average physical examination can’t, but you are not able to prove to the insurance company that there was an objective basis for treatment. So who you pick for treatment can make all the difference.

   

• In my office the first auto accident new patient visit will take at least an
  hour and that is due to the paperwork in documenting your injuries BEFORE we start treatment. Once you are healed and your case is closed, you may want to seek compensation for your injuries. This is where records and office notes make all the difference. If you hire an attorney and your treatment notes are either non-existent or of a poor quality you or your attorney will have nothing to fight with. I see it all the time. I have had many attorneys remark that my office notes are the best they have ever seen so I do everything for a reason.

   

• After the consultation, examination, x-rays and maybe an MRI, treatment begins and this is where the public gets confused. There is so much diversity between chiropractors doing radically different treatment who would ever know what would be the best choice? I attended Palmer College in lovely Davenport, Iowa and graduated in 1977. That is the world’s FIRST chiropractic college. That would be like going to the first medical school. The ONLY real distinction between a physical therapist and a chiropractor is spinal manipulation. The problem is some chiropractors do NOT perform spinal manipulation or the “adjustment” and will do everything but that. Experience matters so would you rather be treated by a chiropractor that has utilized spinal manipulation on over 11,000 patients (that being me) or someone that acts more like a physical therapist/massage therapist that provides basically massage services because it feels good to the patient. I am all about finding the cause of your pain via diagnostic measures and then restoring your spine to the best of my abilities without drugs or surgery. In short who you choose matters not just in the short term but for the rest of your life. 
  
  
• All patients want to know just two things. Can you help me and how much? Can I help an injured auto accident patient? The answer is almost always yes unless there injuries require surgery and that is VERY rare. Now let’s talk about cost. Most auto accident patients have MEDICAL PAYMENT coverage on their auto insurance that will almost always cover 100% of my services up to the limit of your particular plan. Most patients don’t even know they have it and are surprised when they find out. If the patient has no medical payment coverage I find that most patients have some form of health insurance that will cover my services. Last but not least if I decide to take your case I will take a lien (a contract) and file it with the opposing insurance carrier and will get paid when the case is settled. The old days of needing an attorney with small cases like these is long gone. Why give an attorney 1/3 of your settlement to write a few letters and make a few calls. My office has great success in having the patient negotiate their own settlement. We do this all the time. If you prefer to hire an attorney that is fine as well.

   

• WHEN you seek treatment also matters. I have had a career full of patients that had an auto accident years before and thought they were fine when it turns out they were badly damaged and the medication they took just “kicked the can down the road” until they walked into my office. Being patient and waiting for things to just “go away” may be the worst decision you will ever make. MOST of my patients with chronic neck pain had an auto accident when they were younger, never got it treated or even discovered and now is effects them on a daily basis. My suggestion at least let me document your case so it’s on the records, let me examine you so it’s on the record and let me x-ray you so again, it’s on the record. Maybe you won’t need treatment but it’s better to be safe than sorry as they say.

   

• My last offer is if you have been involved in an auto accident and need
  some advice, feel free to call my cell at 847-867-8698. Like I said before;
  after 45 years in practice and treating thousands of auto accident cases
  just like yours, I know EXACTLY how to treat your injuries and document your case so you have something to fight with to prove to any insurance company you had a reason for treatment at my office.