Readers send the desk the same dozen questions in rotation. We answer them the same way each time, which is either consistency or stubbornness depending on who is reading. Here they are, in the order they usually arrive.
Is chiropractic care legitimate for crash injuries?
For musculoskeletal injuries, examination and documented treatment is exactly the right category of response, and that is the lane Missouri Injury Clinic works: auto injuries, sports injuries, concussion rehab after acute injury. This desk stays skeptical of grander claims, and so should you. A Doctor of Chiropractic is a licensed clinician; what that license is for is muscles, joints, and the nervous system's relationship to them, not everything under the sun.
I feel fine after my crash. Why does this publication keep telling me to get examined?
Because crash injuries to soft tissue surface over one to three days, and because the exam is most useful while the injury is fresh. It is the one piece of advice that survives every editorial meeting. Feeling fine on the day is normal. It is not a finding.
What happens at the first appointment?
A history of the crash, a physical exam, findings written down and dated, a diagnosis if the findings support one, and a treatment plan you take home. Also a straight answer about whether this is the right room or whether you need imaging, a referral, or a different specialty. Nothing is sold from the ceiling.
When should I go to an ER instead?
Chest pain, a sudden severe headache, weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking, a loss of bowel or bladder control, or a head injury with vomiting or worsening confusion is an emergency room trip right now, not a call to a clinic. The clinic is the step after emergencies are ruled out, never the substitute for one. If a clinic sends you to an ER instead of booking you, that is the system working.
I am helping a friend who was just rear-ended. What is the useful thing to do?
Make the call with them or for them: nearest room, auto injury, crash date, earliest opening. South County (314) 530-5480, Hazelwood (314) 627-1411, O'Fallon (636) 280-0990. Tell your friend what you told the clinic. Then step back; you are getting someone an exam, not managing their care.
Does the clinic handle head injuries too?
Concussion rehab after acute injury is one of its stated lanes, with tools it lists publicly: neurofeedback, oculomotor rehab, Alpha Stim, vagus nerve stimulation, sensory motor integration, exercise with oxygen, and cognitive rehab software. Worsening head symptoms go to an ER first. Mention the head on the phone so the exam includes it.
It has been three weeks. Is it too late?
No. A later exam is still a real exam, and being honest about the timeline is part of the record. The desk pushes for this week because a fresh injury is easier to describe, not because a door closes. Call anyway.
Do I need to have talked to insurance or a lawyer before I come in?
No. You do not need to have decided anything about a claim before you get examined. If you already have an attorney, bring their contact so records can be sent where they need to go. The clinic treats patients; it does not manage legal matters, and neither does this desk.
What does it cost and what insurance do they take?
Ask the clinic directly on the phone. This desk does not publish payment terms for a clinic it does not own and will not describe an arrangement it cannot verify.
Why do the rooms close from 12 to 2?
The clinic publishes a daily noon to two closure at all three rooms. We do not know the internal reason beyond what they say, and it does not change the advice: call before noon or after two.
Is this site the clinic?
No. This is an independent, advertising-supported weekly health desk. Missouri Injury Clinic pays to be featured here, which is disclosed on every page. We are not the clinic, not a law office, and not a party to anyone's insurance claim. The clinic's own site is moinjuryclinic.com; the Get seen links on this site go there.
Who is behind Missouri Injury Clinic?
Joseph L. Hollingsworth, DC. Three rooms in the St. Louis metro. Motto: putting the CARE back in healthcare. Details at moinjuryclinic.com. He is a chiropractor, not a lawyer, and nobody on this desk is either.
These answers are educational and are not medical advice. Facts about the clinic are as published on moinjuryclinic.com. This page is advertising, as disclosed below.
Service desk
The short answer to most of these is the same.
Get examined this week. Call the nearest room, say car crash, give the date.