When I was hit by a drunk driver, the last thing I wanted was to mess with insurance. The other guy’s insurance company was willing to pay for the massage therapy. But I didn’t have time. And as a result, he was not fully protected.
Massage therapy is one of the most effective healing tools available. Calms the muscles and mind after a traumatic incident. Increases blood flow to the muscles, which increases healing. A great massage therapist will ask you about the accident and learn which muscles were strained and damaged during the accident. As a result, your body will heal. Massage therapy is the science of muscle healing. It is the only industry focused exclusively on curing muscle tension and pain. Seek a massage therapist immediately if you are in a car accident to prevent those muscles from remaining tight due to whiplash or injury.
I’ve outlined the steps outlining how to get massage therapy for a car accident (or any accident) with the other person’s insurance company paying for it. These steps are the first 4 steps you need to take right away. Within 24 hours of the accident, take these steps to protect yourself. You must act quickly, or you may lose your attention to the insurance company’s policies. To make sure it’s okay, follow these 4 steps below.
1. VISIT a doctor or chiropractor to get a doctor’s note
You need a doctor’s recommendation for a massage. It is a medical recommendation, like any other activity or prescription. Schedule just one doctor visit and ask your doctor to recommend massage therapy as a treatment. If you are injured over the weekend, visit a 24-hour clinic. Any doctor can prescribe massage therapy upon request. But you must ask for it.
2. TREAT YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY
Insurance companies have a policy called having a “gap in care.” It means that if you are not receiving your treatments consistently and immediately after the accident, then you are not really hurt. If you are going to have massage therapy for pain relief from an accident, start right away. And don’t stop getting regular treatments until you’re better. Changes in your treatment plan or providers are fine, but DO NOT stop receiving any type of treatment, or insurance companies will claim you have a “gap in care.” And they will not accept your claim.
3. BEWARE of delayed pain
Whiplash can appear several weeks after the accident. What happens is that the body goes into hyperprotection mode, as a security measure. It will pour adrenaline and other chemicals into your body for several weeks to protect you from pain (so you can escape the dangerous land of other cave dwellers, you know, with deadly mountain lions and other creatures). Then your body begins to repair itself weeks later. That repair period is when the pain really starts.
Often, you won’t seek treatment right away because you feel fine, then start feeling really bad weeks later. Continue your massage therapy treatments for at least a month to ensure that serious whiplash does not affect your productivity. Insurance companies understand this too. So continue the treatment for at least a month. And longer if you really feel pain.
4. ASK Insurance Company Questions
Some insurance companies pay as you go. Other insurance companies want to pay the claim at the end of treatment. Ask them lots of questions about their process. The adjuster simply follows a set of rules. If you can learn the rules, you can get the most out of your claim (and save yourself a lot of headaches). Work within the system, not against it. Some good questions include: “How does the claim process work?” “Can I receive the checks as I send the receipts, or do you pay all at once towards the end?”
Regardless of what has happened, everyone involved wants to see you get better quickly. So act fast. And start a constant treatment, and continue with it, until you are better. Good luck and feel better!
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