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How To Pay for Chiropractic Care

If you don’t have insurance or your insurance plan doesn’t cover your chiropractic care, you will likely have to pay out of pocket. But generally, this is better than using insurance anyway because insurance can be quite expensive!

Many chiropractors, like ours at Impact Medical Sun City Center, choose to use a cash-based model in their practice to keep everyone’s costs down.

Keep reading to learn why paying for your chiropractic treatment with cash is the best option!

The Benefits of Cash Pay Chiropractic Care

There are several great benefits to visiting a cash-pay chiropractic clinic, but one of the best ones is that you don’t have to pay for health insurance that isn’t right for you—especially one where your deductible is high, or chiropractic care isn’t covered! Not only that, but also cash-pay chiropractic services are often much more affordable than those offered through insurance.

Even if you do have health insurance, a visit to a cash-pay chiropractor can often be cheaper than your in-network providers where you may have a high co-pay or be on the hook for a big bill. Cash pay chiropractors set their own rates, and don’t have to go through insurance companies.

Another amazing benefit is that you generally get more time with your chiropractor at a cash-pay clinic since they don’t have to spend so much time creating records for insurance companies. They get to focus on you, their patient, instead.

Other benefits include:

Lower Costs

The best part of paying with cash for chiropractic care is that it keeps everyone’s costs down. Depending on the insurance carrier, fees can be quite high. And medical insurance companies have strict guidelines that also often result in higher fees for chiropractors and their patients. Paying with cash eliminates the middleman and the prices for care reflect that. 

Better Care

An unfortunate truth about our healthcare system is that chiropractors don’t always have the freedom to treat their patients as they would like to.

Cash-only chiropractors have the freedom to treat their patient’s health concerns as they see fit and develop a comprehensive treatment plan instead of just treating one symptom.

More Flexible Appointments

Cash-only chiropractors have fewer patients, which means that they can spend more time talking with and listening to their patient’s concerns. Our chiropractors can also have more flexibility when scheduling appointments with same-day or next-day scheduling often available.

Price Transparency

A cash pay system allows you to see the costs of each chiropractic service, with no wait on billing the insurance company. Transparency is the key at cash-pay chiropractic clinics.

Services Savings

With a cash-pay chiropractic clinic, you can look at saving money on diagnostic procedures such as X-rays and you can also get a better deal on certain kinds of other therapeutic services like physical therapy and manual.

Choose Better Health with Impact Medical

Take your health care into your own hands and visit Impact Medical Sun City Center for comprehensive chiropractic and physical therapy services. We offer cash-pay and accept most insurance providers.

Choose better health and choose how you want to pay at Impact Medical Sun City Center. Call today to schedule an appointment today—(813) 938-5195!

What to Expect During Manual Soft Tissue Therapy

Has a healthcare provider told you that you may benefit from manual soft tissue therapy? This physical therapy treatment involves a wide range of hands-on techniques that can ease pain and improve mobility. It helps patients recover from a wide range of problems, from injuries to conditions related to the natural aging process. Read on to learn what you can expect during manual soft tissue therapy, as well as some of the benefits you can achieve from this treatment option.

What Is Manual Soft Tissue Therapy?

If you’re currently in a physical therapy program, the overall goal is to help you return to your active lifestyle as soon as possible, and manual soft tissue therapy is just one part of your physical therapy journey. It’s a technique that involves gentle manipulation of soft tissue and joints by a trained and experienced physical therapist. Using specific hands-on techniques, your physical therapist improves your joints’ range of motion and flexibility; relaxes stiff muscles; and enhances circulation to injured tissue to speed the healing process.

What Does a Typical Manual Soft Tissue Therapy Session Include?

Manual soft tissue therapy is an ideal treatment for stiff joints and tight muscles, and the type of therapy techniques your physical therapist performs depends on your primary areas of concern. Your physical therapy team will develop a personalized program based on your functional needs, diagnosis, and overall health. A typical manual soft tissue therapy session can include:

• Manual therapy to relax tight muscles
• Manual traction for spinal decompression
• Gentle mobilization of joints
• Manipulation therapy to enhance range of motion
• Passive range of motion therapy to aid joint and body movement

Benefits of Manual Soft Tissue Therapy

Many physical therapy programs include manual soft tissue therapy since it’s so effective at improving health and function. And since treatment plans are customized to each patient’s individual concerns, it’s a personalized form of treatment that gets results. Manual therapy is highly beneficial for patients suffering from chronic pain and those who have musculoskeletal conditions, including:

• Arthritis
• Back pain
• Hip pain
• Knee pain
• Osteoporosis

Others who may benefit from manual therapy include patients experiencing muscle spasms or tension or stiff joints. Manual therapy can also boost your tolerance to therapeutic exercise programs, accelerating your recovery after an injury. Overall, you can expect less pain, swelling, and inflammation, as well as improvements in fitness and wellness when you follow a manual therapy program.

Manual Soft Tissue Therapy at Impact Medical Group of Sarasota

Manual soft tissue therapy can relieve your pain and improve your mobility, but only if you seek treatment from highly trained and certified physical therapists. The team at Impact Medical Group of Sarasota is ready to get you on the road to recovery so that you can live a better life. Call us today at (941) 222-1157 for more information about our treatment options and to schedule your free consultation!

Can a Car Accident Make Scoliosis Worse?

Scoliosis is not as rare of a condition as you might think. Many people struggle to live with their body on a daily basis and getting involved in a car accident can make things even worse. What could you do to help relieve the pain? The professionals at Impact Medical Port Richey will teach you about scoliosis and how to treat it.

Scoliosis Explained

So, what exactly is scoliosis? Although the specific causes are still unknown, many people can experience it right around their growth spurt before they fully reach the stages of puberty. Some doctors have speculated that degeneration in the spinal discs could be related, but the results are all more or less the same.

Basically, scoliosis is when the spine grows in an unnatural way which causes the curve of your back to have a sideways orientation. Misalignment of the spine can cause a domino effect of other body parts moving to areas where they’re not meant to go, thus leading to protrusions that are visible from the outside. While this could affect one’s self-esteem, some of the more concerning symptoms involve pain and numbness along with difficulties standing or walking.

Car Accidents and Scoliosis

For people who already experience scoliosis symptoms, getting into a car accident can greatly exacerbate the problem. This is because the spine is the most common target for an impact during a car crash. Even if the head and neck are the main areas of concern, those parts are directly connected to the spinal cord. It’s entirely possible to not know that you have scoliosis until you experience trauma to your body which will ignite the symptoms. In more extreme cases, the accident itself can be the direct cause of newly-developed scoliosis. Either way, it can take some time to start seeing the results of the accident’s effect on your body so it’s best to get checked immediately.

Treating Scoliosis with Chiropractic Care

The truth is there’s no official cure for scoliosis. However, there are ways to lessen the impact and relieve the pain. Some methods involve medication and surgery, but there are more natural options that are still incredibly effective such as chiropractic care. By regularly visiting a chiropractor, your body can be positioned to decrease some of the pressure that’s placed on your nervous system. Physical therapy can also assist in stretching out your body into a more natural state.

In general, both chiropractic care and physical therapy are recommended after an accident to:

• Reduce inflammation in the tendons, ligaments, and muscles
• Improve range of motion and flexibility
• Regain lost strength in the muscles
• Relieve migraines and headaches
• Assist with trouble sleeping

Visit the Chiropractors at Impact Medical Port Richey

If you’re suffering from scoliosis, our skilled chiropractors and physical therapists can help relieve some of the pain and pressure. The techniques and technology we use are current and state-of-the-art. Call Impact Medical Port Richey at (727) 848-3377 to schedule your first appointment and begin your scoliosis treatment!

Common Airbag Injuries and How We Treat Them

It is true that airbags save lives every day, however, they don’t come without risk and can often lead to secondary injury.

It is important to know what kinds of injuries can be caused by airbags so that you know what to look for after an accident and when to visit a chiropractor for treatment. Our team at Impact Medical Zephyrhills discusses.

How do Airbags Work?

Airbags are made from a light fabric and deploy from the panel on the passenger side of the dashboard or the steering wheel. While the driver’s airbag is about the size of a large beach ball when inflated, the passenger airbag is larger since it is farther away from the passenger. Some vehicles even have airbags located in vehicle doors that are deployed during a side impact crash.

When a car is in a crash, a crash sensor is used to deploy the airbags. This typically occurs in head-on or near head-on crashes at a speed above 10 mph. There are some cases where a crash sensor malfunctions, and the airbag deploys incorrectly or not at all.

If an airbag deploys even a fraction of a second too late, it could lead to serious injury.

Common Airbag Injuries

Many parts of the body are exposed to an airbag during a collision, making secondary injuries more common.

Here are some of the most common airbag injuries that patients see us for:

Face Injuries

Because of the position of airbags, your face is the easiest target for injury during an accident. Though the airbag prevents your face from coming in contact with the windshield, the force of the airbag can strike your eye or even fracture the small fragile bones in your face.

Eye damage, including temporary and permanent blindness, is also possible. A concussion can also occur if the impact is strong enough.

Chest Injuries

Airbags deploy fast and hard, preventing your body from being thrown from the car. But if an airbag collides with your moving body, your chest may be vulnerable to injury.

Broken bones in the chest or damage to soft tissues and muscles in the chest are not uncommon.

Neck & Back Injuries

Your spine is quite vulnerable during an accident. While your body may be prevented from being thrust forward because of an airbag, you can suffer whiplash or other soft tissue injuries to the cervical spine due to an airbag. 

Burns

The speed of an airbag when deployed can often cause surface burns and abrasions on the face and arms. Think about it, the fabric from the airbag is coming in contact with your skin forcefully, so you may suffer something like a rug burn.

Also, the chemicals that are released during deployment can irritate your airways and cause asthma attacks. You may also experience airbag dermatitis.

Internal Injuries

Pressure on the abdomen can cause lacerations and bruises on the organs including the lungs, heart, liver, and spleen. Internal bleeding is also a possibility.

Treating Airbag Injuries

Depending on your injuries, chiropractic care can be greatly beneficial for recovery after a car accident and subsequent airbag injury. Our team at Impact Medical Zephyrhills may be able to treat pain in your arms, shoulders, and back.

But first, before we can treat you, we must accurately diagnose the injury. In some cases, chiropractic care might not be suitable due to inflammation.

Let’s say you have a shoulder injury due to the airbag’s force during your accident. We recommend resting your shoulder to allow the acute inflammation to subside.

Ice packs and heat pads can help reduce inflammation. Use ice first but ask your chiropractor before using heat on any of your injuries.

Visiting a chiropractor can:

• Reduce the amount of scar tissue
• Restore range of motion
• Reduce long-term pain
• Relieve pain without drugs

Preventing Air Bag Injuries

To prevent injuries, your seat should be at least 10 inches from where the airbag deploys. However, some injuries are unavoidable due to the airbag protecting you from more severe injury.

Remember, airbags are designed to work in conjunction with seat belts, and children under the age of 13 should always sit in the back of a vehicle.

Exceptional After-Accident Care

Just like other injuries sustained in a car accident, injuries caused by airbags require expert care. At Impact Medical Zephyrhills our chiropractors can create a comprehensive care plan to relieve pain and restore your mobility after an accident so you can start your journey to healing.

If you have been in an accident where airbags were deployed, contact Impact Medical Zephyrhills for a consultation today; (813) 706-5156!