What type of doctor should I see?

MARK THUSH: Hey, this is attorney Mark Thush where we ask attorneys and doctors from around central Florida legal and medical questions that can help you.

‘What type of doctor should I see?’ featuring special Guest Dr. Nicole Ingrando

MARK THUSH: Hi everyone! Today’s guest is Dr. Nicole Ingrando, a chiropractor with offices in Longwood and Orlando, Florida.

Today’s question is from Kelly and she asks, “I was driving home last night when I was hit by another vehicle. Today I’m very stiff and sore and I want to get checked out by a doctor. What type of doctor should I see?”

Let me ask you this, Dr. Nicole, is going to an emergency room an option?

DR. NICOLE INGRANDO: Well sure, and it’s a great question. The emergency room is absolutely an option and I think the most important thing you can do following an accident is to be evaluated by a physician so red flags and serious injuries can be ruled out. Being seen in a timely manner is crucial in this way.

Patients often tell me that they didn’t feel much pain immediately following the accident and then days later their pain levels increased. This is normal, but in the moments following the accident the emergency room can perform diagnostic tests to rule out injuries as a result of the trauma.

Pain or no pain, it is important to be evaluated by a professional and the emergency room can certainly accomplish this when you don’t know where else to go.

MARK THUSH: Ok, well is going to my family doctor an option?

DR. NICOLE INGRANDO: Sure and this depends heavily on the family doctor. Some family doctors avoid working with car insurance companies and therefore will not see their regular patients for complaints associated with a car accident. So many patients come into my office complaining that their family doctor turned them away. This is simply a business decision on their part.

Some family doctors simply do not feel confident treating patients in auto accidents and this is fine. The key for those family doctors is to have a trusted referral partnership with spine specialists to refer their patients to.

When working with your regular family doctor, it’s important to communicate the incident and to make sure the doctor treating your symptoms is conveying your vital information and progress to your family doctor. Co-management is very common and communication amongst all practitioners yields the best results for patients as a whole.

MARK THUSH: Ok, well let me ask you this, is going to a chiropractor an option?

DR. NICOLE INGRANDO: Sure! A chiropractor is absolutely an option. Whether you see a chiropractor, your family doctor or you go to the emergency room, the most important factor is that a diagnosis is made. Too often, patients present to a doctor only to be given the treatment that the doctor prefers rather than what the patients truly needs. Too many patients present to my office and convery to me that they underwent treatments or took medications without a proper exam even occuring. The first step any doctor seeing a patient involved in an auto accident should be to perform an exam and rule out a serious injury. The second step is to properly dianose where the pain is coming from and then treatment recommendations can be made based on that dianosis.

MARK THUSH: Thank you Dr. Nicole Ingrano with offices in Longwood and Orlando, Florida. Thanks for coming on the show today.

DR. NICOLE INGRANDO: Oh, it’s my pleasure, Mark. Thank you for having me.

MARK THUSH: I hope you’ve enjoyed our show today, and remember, I’m a personal injury attorney so if you or someone you know could use my help, give me a call, I’m glad to help.

And don’t forget to go to Facebook and LIKE my page — that’s Mark Thush, PA — so you can receive free updates from my video posts. I’ll see you soon!

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