Posted: October 31, 2011
As a Cincinnati car accident lawyer I have been asked by clients, "What kind of doctor should I get to treat my car accident neck injury in Cincinnati?" As a car accident lawyer for over 30 years I have seen many clients with serious neck injury. It is important that you get the right doctor for you injury. I usually advise my clients to see their family doctor to start with. They should be able to assess your injury and advise you what kind of doctor to see.
A Critical Mistake for Car Accident Victims
Some times I have seen the family doctor treat a car accident neck injury with benign neglect. They pigeon hole your case as a "whiplash" injury and let you go about your business since they feel it should heal up in due time. Some do, but unfortunately many do not and require intervention.
Additionally, if you go 4-8 weeks without seeing any medical provider and you do not heal up, you have now jeopardized your chance for a fair recovery of money damages. The insurance company adjustor will be suspicious that if you really were hurt you would have gotten earlier intervention.
Where You May Start for Your Accident Injury
I advise starting with the family doctor normally an internist. Hopefully they will start you on some physical therapy. Or you could ask your family doctor to refer you to an orthopedic specialist to direct your care. Orthopedics is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention or correction of injuries or disorders of the skeletal system and associated muscles, joints, and ligaments.
Another type of doctor you could see would be an osteopath. Osteopathy is a system of medicine based on the theory that disturbances in the musculoskeletal system affect other bodily parts, causing many disorders that can be corrected by various manipulative techniques in conjunction with conventional medical, surgical, pharmacological, and other therapeutic procedures.
There are also physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists. Also called physiatrists, they deal with the treatment, prevention, and diagnosis of disease by essentially physical means, including manipulation, massage, and exercise, often with mechanical devices, and the application of heat, cold, electricity.
There are other kinds of doctors you may end up with such as neurologists, neurosurgeons, chiropractors. It often depends on what kind of injury you end up with from your car accident. Knowledge is power and it's important that you take control of your medical care and treatment. The range of injuries from car accident neck injuries are vast. From a strain to a herniated disk to paralysis. It is critical to get to the right doctor for your case. An experienced personal injury attorney can guide you in this respect.
For a free case evaluation call me a Cincinnati car accident lawyer. I can help you put your case together so you can present it in the best light and back you up if the insurance company tries a low ball offer.
Resource to find a doctor in Cincinnati at the Cincinnati Academy of Medicine
update 1/2019
