5 min read
What Happens at Your First Chiropractic Visit After a Car Accident?
Your first chiropractic visit after a car accident is mostly an evaluation: a detailed history of the crash, a physical examination, and a conversation about what was injured and how to treat it. At Heaps of Relief in Liberty Lake, that first visit typically takes about an hour, and nothing happens to your spine before you understand what's going on and why.
If you've never seen a chiropractor before — and a lot of our accident patients haven't — here's the whole thing, start to finish, so there are no surprises.
Before You Arrive
Bring what you have: your insurance information, any PIP or claim number if one's been opened, and notes or records from any ER or urgent care visit related to the crash. If you don't have all of that, come anyway — none of it is a barrier to being seen, and our front desk helps accident patients sort out the insurance side every day.
The History: Telling Us About the Crash
The visit starts with a conversation, and the details matter more than people expect. Which direction were you hit from? Were you the driver or a passenger? Did you see it coming or were you caught off guard? Was your head turned? Did your symptoms start immediately or show up days later?
Each of those answers changes what kind of injury the crash likely produced. A rear-end impact with your head turned strains different structures than a side impact you braced for. Dr. Heaps uses this history to know exactly where to look during the exam.
The Examination
Next comes a hands-on physical exam: range of motion in your neck and back, orthopedic and neurological tests, palpation to find areas of restriction, muscle guarding, and tenderness. The goal is a clear map of what the crash did — which joints aren't moving the way they should, which muscles are compensating, and whether anything needs imaging or referral to another provider before chiropractic treatment begins.
That last part is worth underlining. If the exam turns up anything outside the scope of chiropractic care, the plan is a referral, not a workaround.
The Plan — and Your First Treatment
Once the exam is done, Dr. Heaps walks you through the findings in plain language: what's injured, what the treatment approach is, roughly how long recovery typically takes for injuries like yours, and what you can do at home between visits. If treatment is appropriate on day one, your first adjustment often happens at this same visit. If your body needs a gentler starting point — some acute injuries do — treatment starts conservatively and builds from there.
Because massage therapy is offered in our clinic as well, your plan may coordinate both: chiropractic for the joint-level injury, massage for the muscle guarding around it.
The Part People Worry About Most: Cost
For qualifying car accident cases, Heaps of Relief provides care on a lien basis — no upfront cost, with treatment billed through your accident claim. If you have PIP coverage on your auto policy, that can pay for accident-related care as well. Either way, the first visit is where we sort that out with you, so cost questions get answered before treatment starts, not after.
We serve Liberty Lake, Spokane Valley, and the greater Spokane area, with evening and Saturday appointments so your evaluation doesn't have to wait for a day off.
FAQ
How long does the first visit take?
Plan for about an hour. The first visit includes a full crash history, physical examination, and a walkthrough of your treatment plan — and often your first treatment as well.
Will I get adjusted on the first visit?
Often, yes — if the examination shows adjustment is appropriate for your injury on day one. Some acute injuries start with gentler care first. Nothing happens before the findings and plan are explained to you.
What should I bring to my first appointment?
Your insurance information, any claim or PIP number if one exists, and records from any ER or urgent care visit related to the accident. If you don't have these yet, you can still be seen — the clinic helps patients sort out the claim side.
This article is for general information and isn't medical advice or a guarantee of any particular course of treatment. Every patient's evaluation and plan are individualized.
Related Reading
Get to know us before your visit:
