New research regarding whiplash injuries….

There is a relatively new study out that shows car bumpers can withstand more than a 5mph collision without showing damage. The new study (email me for details at ortegachiro@aol.com) shows many bumpers can withstand a 12 mph collision before any damage occurs.

This again just disproves the insurance industry’s claim that  no damage can occur to the spine if there is no damage to the car.

Stay healthy!

Chiropractic and Jacksonville Auto Accidents….

I haven’t figured out why driver’s in Jacksonville are so bad. Sometimes it appears that turn signals are an optional addition to cars. Getting on and off of interstates here are always an adventure. The weather reports for this week call for lots of rain..so please slow down and drive carefully. 

The majority of our practice is helping people that have been injured in auto accidents. We get great results with whiplash type injuries, but please wear your seat belt. Such a little thing can save your life.

Be healthy!

I try to keep this blogs positive, but……

When our office submits a claim on our patients behalf to an insurance company, we use code numbers (CPTS), to explain what procedures were performed. For the most part, these codes are universal. That means that all insurance companies and doctors use the same codes. It simplifies the process for everyone involved.

Today we received a letter in the mail, that a MAJOR health insurance company is going to start using their own codes. They will refuse to recognize the universally standard codes and automaticall deny all claims. Just think of the nightmares, if all Hospitals, clinics, doctors had to use different codes for each individual inurance company. Why is it when the federal government talks about making health care affordable, they always blame the doctors, hospitals, patients, drug companies and nursing homes? They never even mention Insurance Companies.

Sorry about my rant today. We will be more postive tomorrow.

Have a healthy day.

Chiropractic and the Pro Golfer….

Since qualifying for the U.S. Open is going on today, I wanted to take a little time and blog about how widely used chiropractic is within the pro golfcommunity. As a middle to high handicapped golfer, clearly I am not referring to myself, but we are fortunate to work with several professional golfers. We work with golfers on the major tours as well as the weekend warriors. They all have a few things in common.

The golf swing is a very unnatural movement.  It places a lot of stress on the back, hips, elbows and wrists. For the professionals who practice hours everyday, we see a lot of upper back problems, lower back problems and wrist pain.

Chiropractic works very well at reducing their pain and increasing their range of motion. We see several pro golfers just on a “tune-up” basis. They will stop by the office on the way to the practice range or they will find the time during an off week.

The only negative about working with professional touring professionals is that I spend too much time on-line checking for their scores every Thursday through Sunday. I am just kidding. It is very rewarding to see one of our guys receiving a check for $125,000.

A new project for us……

In the very new future, we are going to start a new project here. Physician assisted weight loss. We are currently working with a chiropractor who has written a book about losing weight. It is some of the best researched ideas we have seen yet regarding weight loss. We are now putting some of our own staff on it. We want to be able to explain to patients what to expect from first hand standpoint. We will keep you posted.

Have a healthy day!

Our First Blog

This is our first attempt at blogging, please be patient. We will rant about Insurance Companies, State Laws, some in the legal profession, and other health care providers, all with an emphasis on how they affect our patient relationships. We might even talk about some of the cases we are presently seeing.

We have the unique opportunity to treat all types of patients. We treat everyone from professional athletes to month old babies. The majority of our practice is Personal Injury though. That means we get to help people that have been injured in auto-accidents.

Some of the ideas that our state legislatures are throwing around the state capitol now are just mind boggling. One of the ideas is that if you have been involved in an auto accident, you would only have three days to go to a doctor or hospital. If you didn’t present within three days, the insurance company would not be required to pay for your treatment. This is absurd. More than half of the whiplash patients we treat, don’t start developing any symptoms for at least a week. I am affraid that this will cause a huge backlash and everyone involved in even the most minor of accidents will go to the ER just to cover themselves. We will keep you posted. You can learn more about us at www.ortegachiropractic.com.

Have a healthy day!