Question
Long story short-  Rear ended while stopped on highway, 9k worth of damage to car.  My wife, myself, and two kids, 4 and 9 years old.  Didnt feel any pain until a day later.  My wife, pain in right shoulder, neck and upper back and numbing in right arm.  My self, mild-moderate soreness, stiffness in neck and upper back between shoulder blades.  My kids didnt complain.  Told my wife to see a doctor two days later (easter weekeend)  She called our HMO doc, he told us no due to billing and referred to a collision specialist.  They told her to have us all looked at, which we did later that day.  They did x rays on all of us, 7 for her, 5 for me and 2-3 for the kids.  Next day they didnt show us anything dramatic except curvitures in the neck, the DC said my wife was moderate whiplash, me minor-moderate and kids minor.  Did adjustment on all, with traction bed for me and wife.  Followed up two more times that week with traction and adjustment for me and wife, just one adjustment for kids.  They now want to see us 3x week for my wife, 2x week for me and one or two more times for my kids.  Is this normal?  I feel like were being overtreated and/or taken advantage of.  I have no desire to defraud anyones insurnace or otherwise but it feels a little fishy?  Some say chiro is the way, others tell me risk of stroke, scam and otherwise?  I just want to do the right thing and treat our injuries the right way.  Im scared the insurance adjustor will tell me to get lost when he gets billed for the chiro.   I dont want to get a lawyer....dont know what to do?

Answer
Charles,

First, it is quite common to treat 3x/week when your in the new and acute stages of care in a chiropractic or physical therapy facility after being acutely injured.  What I don't like about your story is the excessive use of x-rays on everyone, especially your kids.  There is absolutely no reason to xray kids when they have no pain complaints.   I challenge any doctor to provide a valid reason.  'Looking for bones out of place? Measuring neck curve angles?  Not valid!  Severe pain, rigid muscle spasms, or signs of something really bad?  Yes. Fractures or dislocations? That's valid! What evidence was there that you or your kids had a fracture or dislocation or something really bad?  

The doctor should be using an Oswestry questionnaire or Neck Disability Index questionnaire (or others) to track outcomes. You can download these from my web site.  This is the current standard of care, to use these patient-generated questionnaires to monitor progress and measure outcomes. If you feel like you are being over-treated, then you must discuss this with the DC. "'Taken advantage of" is another story.  If you are not comfortable knowing exactly what your injuries are, exactly how and for what reasons it is being treated, and exactly what outcomes are expected over reasonable periods of time, then you must re-address this with the DC or find another DC.  

Regarding the stroke issue, please see previous questions I've answered on this on AllExperts.com.  I've covered this a few times already.  The bottom line is that there is a lot of media hype about this very rare (though serious) event from neck joint manipulation.  Nevertheless, the DC should have mentioned it in doing informed consent with you prior to treatment.  If you download forms from my website (www.drgillman.com), you will see an informed consent form that discusses this. Did your DC do this?  

Charles, relax, and take the next step which is to have a sit-down with your DC and review these things.  If he/she is unwilling to discuss these items, or if you simply do not feel comfortable with him/her, then find a DC you like and are more comfortable with.  Please communicate to your PCP about your experiences and urge your PCP to network with chiropractors so that they can learn who best to work with.  

I hope this was helpful.

Dr G
www.drgillman.com