rear ended

[suncentaur]

I always thought a chiropractor was trained to spot if further medical attention was necessary, still...it couldn't hurt to see a regular MD too. Right now it is still a cloudy soup of red tape...

[Shadow Shack]

Chiropractors are not part of the American Medical Association. Not that it's a strike against them, as they aren't part of all the associated bureaucratic baloney that goes with it...but as I said earlier they treat rather than heal. You can go to a chiropractor for six months and feel great, but when you stop going you'll feel about like you did before starting with him/her.

Sadly it's also the "quick fix" a personal injury attorney will start you off with...so it behooves you to get a second opinion.
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[Duke]

[amckenzie4]

I've got to chime in here... a lot depends on the chiropractor. I've been to one who I just wasn't comfortable with, and left. He claimed everything could be resolved with chiropractic, which is blatantly untrue. On the other hand, I've seen a couple of other chiropractors for specific issues that my "real" doctor told me didn't exist. One of those was my knees: I beat them up pretty badly skiing, to the point that I could barely walk, and needed a cane to get around. A couple years after I started seeing the chiro (which started 8 years of no improvement after the injury) I was skiing again. I later decided that I'd had my warning and I wasn't going to ski anymore, but the point is that my knees are essentially healed.

So yes; for some things, they may treat rather than heal. And some of them are definitely quacks. But please don't dismiss the entire profession because there are a few idiots. There are a lot of idiots in every field, when you get right down to it.

[suncentaur]

This is morphing into a pretty interesting discussion. My experience with chiropractors is that I prefer to use them in times of crisis. I don't think it's real healthy to get those adjustments all the time, and it is also expensive. The best chiropractors are the ones who realize that ultimately the bones are dumb and it is when the soft tissue around them is released, only will there adjustments stay in place, otherwise the tight muscles and connective tissue pull right back out of wack, sometimes as soon as you get out to the parking lot. So a good chiro will integrate soft tissue release into his treatment plan. Of course then the patients would all get better and not have a good reason to come back!
But in a crisis I always get better attention from a good chiropractor. An MD is too good at just handing over a bottle of Vicadin. Don't get me wrong...if I've got a bone sticking out of my skin or blood spurting everywhere, then get me to an MD now for some awesome stitches and surgery! They are good with that stuff.

[Detour]

Aw man, suncentaur, sorry to hear about this! It sounds like you're mostly okay, despite the concussion, and I'm grateful for that. I too am glad there was a car behind you to absorb the initial shock.

Hopefully one of these days they'll invent self-driving cars that don't get distracted and rear-end people.

-Detour

[barbarian_rat]

suncentaur sorry to hear about your accident.

I go to a chiropractor regularly, and he helps a lot.
But chiropractors are not substitute for a MD, and it sounds as if you need to be checked out by one.

Although some MDs are addicted to writing scripts, not all are. Maybe try getting a referral to one that will give you information about your injury. Be upfront with the doc that you are not interested in taking any meds.
_________________
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USAF Sgt. S.B.

[bB2NER]

You could also look into a sports medicine type MD.
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86' Limited 250 - 1 of 600 made
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[Fridgitator]

I hope you filed an accident report with the local P.D. Around here you have a couple days to do that, but if you don't, it's much harder to collect if the other party or parties decline to pay.
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[jake_iv]

I am a retired Chiropractor and believe me, in-office x-rays will NOT show the soft tissue injuries. Insurance companies like to group sprains (ligaments) and strains (muscles) as if they were the same. They aren't! Injuries to the small ligaments of the spine can lead to early degeneration and at the least will takes months, if not years, to heal completely, and that is if you get the proper care. See a good Orthopaedist or Neurologist with access to the sophisticated imaging equipment to make a proper differential diagnosis. Don't try to save anyone a few bucks! Untreated or improperly treated back injuries have a bad habit of coming back on you years later.