What Type of Doctor Should You See After a Car Accident?

When to Go to the Emergency Room

Depending on your injuries’ severity, it’s advisable to head over straight to the emergency room at a local hospital. This will be essential in the case of serious injuries or anytime that you suspect you may have a more severe injury. It is better to confirm you don’t have significant problems than suffer for a few days and get worse.

Visit the emergency room if you have any of the following:

• Broken bones
• Severe pain
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Shortness of breath
• Deep lacerations
• Excessive bleeding
• A head injury
• An injury to the neck or back
• Or another symptom that is concerning to you or those around you

If at any time your symptoms worsen or you have concerns, you should not hesitate to see an emergency room doctor.

How a Chiropractor Can Help

It is smart to visit a car accident chiropractor following your accident, as this specialist will be able to help you heal in various ways. One of the most significant ways a chiropractor can help is by reducing inflammation in your body. Some of this comes via the natural anti-inflammatories that your body releases during spinal manipulations. There can also be some inflammation reduction via other treatments that chiropractors provide, including massage therapy, cold lasers, traction, heat, cryotherapy, ultrasound, and electronic muscle stimulation.

The reduction in inflammation leads to a decrease in pain and an increase in mobility. Experiencing less pain can reduce your reliance on painkillers. This can help prevent you from developing an addiction and reduce the chemicals you put in your body. The improved mobility can help you get back to your daily life. It can also give you the mobility you need to engage in gentle exercises.

How an Orthopedic Doctor Can Help

More than 30,500 orthopedic surgeons are practicing in the United States. Most have experience treating patients after car accidents. An orthopedic doctor specializes in treating the nerves, joints, and bones.

Orthopedists will treat injuries that can occur in car crashes, including broken hips, disc herniation, and torn ACLs or MCLs. They can also treat shoulder impingements and fractured or broken hands, fingers, ribs, or clavicle.

In addition to treating injuries from the collision, a car accident orthopedic doctor can also help you reduce the risk of developing a degenerative disease. Some of those conditions that they can help alleviate include arthritis, sciatica, spinal stenosis, infections, tendonitis, and hip bursitis.

How Physical Therapy Can Help

Your treating physician may also suggest you visit a physical therapy clinic. They will work with you through various gentle exercises and stretches to help you regain mobility, reduce pain, and heal more quickly.

Other Specialists You May See After a Car Accident

In addition to auto injury doctors mentioned above, there are other specialists you can see, depending on your injuries or medical history. These can include pain management doctors, neurosurgeons or neurologists, plastic surgeons, burn specialists, dentists, podiatrists, and physiatrists.

The right doctor to see after a motor vehicle accident will depend on your injuries and overall health. Some, like chiropractors, orthopedists, and physical therapists, can help in most cases.

It makes sense to seek out a multi-disciplinary medical facility, where you will have multiple specialists practicing in one convenient location. This will save you time traveling to different appointments and help have all of your medical records in one facility for easy access and retrieval.

Injured? Get Help Today

If you were injured in an auto accident in New York and are looking for an experienced doctor near you, call (800) 897-8440 today.