I think chiropractor is taking sis for a ride

[WIChookchick]

I was seeing a chiro and was adjusted alot at first but going in daily is NOT reccommended from what another Chiro told me. I was being over adjusted and it can cause more problems than it helps, according to another chiro I saw a bit later.

I think you should have her seen by another chiro, have her BF talk her into it...
Or just stay out of it, you can be her friend, and her confidant.. but let her deal with this..

 

[justafewchickens]

If she was going to the chiropractor before, who knows what problems she might have from the wreck. I was T-boned earlier this year ( my fault dang it) and I was in a lot of pain. Watch a crash test ( available on youtube) and see what happens to a human body in a wreck. Not pretty. Insurance has the money and man power to check on claims that seem outlandish. Like was said before, be there for her.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

It's between your sister and HER Dr.

Unless she's a minor, and you're her guardian, it's really none of your business

 

[SourRoses]

I agree with Gypsy on this.

I suffered a strain on the job, and some duties at work were making it worse. I went to the chiro... she was a lovely lady and she explained it to me... once something gets out of alignment, the muscles in that area shift and brace up to compensate. A chiro only needs a few minutes to move the bones back into alignment, but the muscles take a lot longer to be re-trained on what they are supposed to do. As soon as you leave the office and go back to moving around again, those muscles push the bones back out of alignment. Frequent re-adjustment is necessary to train the muscles to cooperate as well and keep the bones in alignment.

I sprained my.. something or other, BIG name, LOL! Down where or near where the spine attaches to the hips or something like that. Every time I sat down or tried to lay on my side in my sleep, it moved back out of position. The chiro had me in 3 times the first week, twice a week the next 2 weeks, and when my body finally remembered where things were supposed to be, she only had me come in once a month to check it... after two visits with no change she told me just to come back if something happened.

So going to a chiro isen't like a pill from an M.d that solves the problem... it's more like Physical Therapy that takes time and work to be effective.
Unless you've been in the postion of needing someone to shove your bones back in place for you, you don't know how uncomfortable it can be when they aren't. And the longer things are left out of alignment, the more stubborn those muscles can be about being fixed.

Some people, like my father, put off getting care for so long, that their once fairly minor problem couldn't ever be fixed. The muscles just get rigid or something, and the only thing the chiro can do is help with pain relief.

 

[HHandbasket]

If you think $1,000 is a lot of money for several chiro visits a week, you oughtta see what the bill would look like if she went to an orthopedic M.D. for the same treatments... would probably be closer to $7000 a week. And just the x-rays alone at a regular hospital or radiology group would probably be close to the $1,000 right off the get-go. Radiology services can be ungodly expensive (having worked for a major northern California radiology group for 2 years, I can tell you it's WAY expensive.... not just the x-rays, but then the subsequent bill from the radiologist who interprets those x-rays).

If she was already seeing the chiropractor, obviously she already had spinal alignment issues and heaven only knows what else going on. If a patient is already having issues and is then even in a minor accident, which can include even small twisting injuries in the home, it can (and usually does) exacerbate whatever else a patient may have going on in their musculoskeletal system. Unless you are an M.D. and/or have first-hand knowledge of any on-going medical conditions she had prior to hitting said deer, I would not be so quick to judge this chiropractor. I am guessing that the insurance company is trying to get out of paying the bill, which is why they are questioning it. I don't know if you know this or not, but healthcare costs are through the roof, and insurance companies do everything they can to get out of paying a patient's medical bills nowadays.

In regard to your comment about "new to us as she still works".... if she is injured and in pain, her visits to said chiro may be the ONLY reason she's even still able to work without eating handfuls of pain killers every day, which is what a traditional M.D. would prescribe. Be grateful she's getting this kind of treatment and not gorked out on Vicodin.

In any case, I send your sis my best wishes for a smooth and uneventful recovery. And tell her to keep seeing that chiro if the treatments are working for her keeping her functioning!

ETA: If anything, I would report the insurance company for discussing her medical condition with a 3rd party (the boyfriend), because that's a violation of federal HIPAA laws. They cannot even mention to a 3rd party that she SEES a physician of any kind, chiro or M.D. or otherwise, and certainly cannot legally disclose the name of any provider that is treating your sister and submitting bills to the insurance company for payment. This sort of thing is exactly why HIPAA was enacted, and that insurance company is in gross violation of that law. I'd report 'em to the feds for discussing it with the boyfriend at all if I was your sister.

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
right with you there... I don't know about the OP, but unless I'm completely flattened or contagious, I work. if I stayed home every time I had pain, I'd be home most of the time. I wasn't granted a pain-free body in this life, far from it, so I work when injured if it's possible to do so. the chiro makes it possible.

Quote:
excellent point. HIPAA is not to be taken lightly, and if they disclosed to her BF without her permission it's the insurance company who's butt should be in a sling. what's more, insurance companies KNOW this, all their employees know this, because there can be HUGE fines for the company if someone breaches confidence. they have special trainings just for HIPAA compliance for that reason. if the company is unethical enough to disclose personal information, I'd be very suspicious that this is a maneuver to avoid paying a legit claim... companies that don't care about the law in one area often don't care about it in others.

 

[Peaches Lee]

I agree with Gypsy among others. I had a horse riding accident and ended up getting adjustments done. It isn't a one time deal at all. I think to if your an athlete, the strain on your body can mis-align you as well since we tend to favor sides of our body. My chiropractor also did horses and there were a few people that didn't think he was worth the money but I could see and feel the improvements. But as others have said, I wouldn't get involed.

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

I agree with Squishy! I wish I could afford to go see my old Chiropractor again

He explained exactly like Squishy's did. Retraining the muscles. He had a sense of humor too

First time he looked at my exrays he commented "Well..you are an old wreck arn't you!" I was a little insulted until he said "A car wreck! I would say about 10 years ago..yes?" He was right

Then first time he had me on the table, his hands poised to do an adjustment...after a minute or 2 he says
" I can hold this position WAY longer than you can hold your breath"

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

I go to my chiro regularly, and for a time was having to go DAILY to get joint function back due to major trauma. That went on for literally 7 months of daily adjustments before I could go to every other day for another year.

It was that or I could start popping pain pills like candy, and given my family history, I try to not take Advil, never mind narcotics.

Insurance company violated HIPAA big time, major violation and need to be reported as such.

 

[ChickenScratchin]

Ditto Gypsy and HH

He may be a bad apple (there are plenty out there, just as there are bad MD's, dentists, car mechanics, etc etc ad nauseum)... But there is NO way to know that just by the number of visits.

MOST chiro's will recommend frequent (3-4 x per week) for the first week or two after an accident - and for good reason. It's necessary to prevent long term damage due to muscle spasm and edema (swelling/fluid retention) that can cause joint issues, particularly in the neck (in a car accident). Chiropractors do much more than just adjust the spine - they'll take x-rays and apply physical therapy as well.

And as mentioned, the bill would likely be FAR higher from an orthopedist or physical therapist.

*I have an Assoc degree in Chiropractic Technology (like a medical asst for a chiro)