could you benefit from chiropractic treatments?

Injuries from an auto accident may take weeks, months, or even years to appear. Your family doctor may take notice of some injuries at some point, and he or she may be able to attribute them to your accident. However, that may not be enough to pursue a lawsuit. You may be wondering if a chiropractor is the answer. Can a chiropractor be an auto injury expert? Well, the answer to that question is "yes" and "no." Here is why both of those answers apply to the same question.

Yes, Because Certain Injuries to the Back and Neck Are Always Caused by Car Accidents

If you see a chiropractor, you generally see him or her after something has caused you intense pain in your neck and back. Certain injuries are almost always telltale signs of a car accident. For example, whiplash is most definitely car accident related. Herniated discs in your back may be the result of a car accident since it takes monumental force to push a vertebral disc out of position. If you did not have pain or signs of a herniated disc prior to your recent car accident, a chiropractor could easily argue that your accident was the cause. The only way your chiropractor would be wrong on this matter is if you were thrown from a horse or took a fall from a height more recently than your car accident. 

No, Because a Chiropractor Is Not a Medical Doctor

Many people are surprised to learn that a chiropractor is not a medical doctor. Despite what a chiropractor knows in regards to the human body, anatomy, physiology, and chiropractic care to treat pain and misalignments of the spine, shoulders, and hips, a chiropractor is not licensed to practice medicine. In fact, chiropractors cannot even write prescriptions for pain medications! However, that does not mean that a chiropractor cannot recognize contributing factors to your injuries, even when you had pre-existing conditions in your neck and spine.

The Chiropractor Can Provide X-rays That a Medical Doctor Can Interpret

While a chiropractor can provide information on what he/she sees in your spinal x-rays, the best person to interpret these x-rays is a medical doctor. In a court of law, the chiropractor can provide the x-rays and professional opinions, but it is your medical doctor that can provide the expert auto injury testimony. The doctor would look at your chiropractic x-rays and interpret them for the court.