Conditions we treat
Auto Injury Chiropractor in St. Augustine
Florida is a no-fault state, so your own policy's personal injury protection covers initial treatment regardless of who caused the crash. Under state law that care has to start within 14 days of the accident. We handle PIP cases directly, document what we find for your claim, and treat the injuries that a crash actually produces, most commonly whiplash.
- Florida PIP cases handled directly
- Care documented for your claim
- Digital X-ray on site
Understanding auto injury
An auto injury is any musculoskeletal damage caused by the forces of a collision, most often whiplash, where the neck is thrown beyond its normal range and the muscles, joints and ligaments are overstretched or torn. Sprains, strains, back pain, and numbness or tingling in the arms and legs are the other common patterns, and many of them are not felt on the day.
If you or a loved one has recently been in a car accident, you do not need us to tell you about the aches, pains and injuries that can follow. While some people walk away with just bumps and bruises, many others suffer more significant injuries, and we regularly see patients after accidents dealing with musculoskeletal damage that needs specific treatment and rehabilitation.
No matter the degree of pain you are experiencing, chiropractic care offers a healing, non-invasive approach for anyone injured in a crash. Scheduling an appointment after an accident is a smart step to determine the degree of injury and help prevent future problems.
The two Florida rules worth knowing before you do anything else
Florida is a no-fault state, which means your own policy’s personal injury protection responds first, regardless of who caused the crash. The detail most people learn too late is the deadline attached to it.
Florida Statute 627.736 on required personal injury protection benefits sets both out plainly. PIP provides a limit of $10,000 in combined medical and disability benefits, and reimburses eighty percent of reasonable expenses for medically necessary care. Crucially, those medical benefits are payable only if you receive initial services and care within 14 days of the accident. The same statute names a chiropractic physician licensed under chapter 460 among the providers who may lawfully deliver that initial care.
Your individual policy still governs the specifics, so nothing here replaces reading it or asking us. But the 14-day window is statutory, it applies whoever your insurer is, and a genuine injury treated on day sixteen can lose its medical benefit entirely.
Why time matters clinically as well as legally
Adrenaline and inflammation are why so many people feel fine at the roadside and considerably worse by Thursday. Tissue that has been overstretched begins healing in whatever position the body is guarding in, and a neck that heals short and stiff is a much harder problem than a neck treated while it is still inflamed.
Along with spinal adjustments, we also offer stretching exercises, rehabilitation and physical therapy, trigger point therapy and muscle stimulation, to provide full-spectrum relief from auto injuries. Which of those you get depends on what the examination finds, not on what the claim would pay for.
If an attorney is involved
Many people find us through their attorney, and the practice is set up for that. Records are built as care proceeds rather than assembled at the end, PIP is handled directly, and referrals are taken by phone or through the referral page for personal injury attorneys.
Symptoms people describe
- Neck pain and stiffness, often worse the day after than on the day itself
- Headaches starting at the base of the skull
- Shoulder and upper back pain or tightness
- Reduced range of motion when turning your head to check a blind spot
- Numbness or tingling into the arms or hands
- Low back pain from the seatbelt and the bracing that came with impact
- Dizziness, or difficulty concentrating in the days afterwards
- Disturbed sleep because no position is comfortable
You do not need all of these. If two or three sound like your week, that is enough to be worth examining.
What causes it
Whiplash from rear impact
By far the most common car accident injury we see. When the neck is forcefully thrown out of its normal range of motion, it can lead to neck and shoulder pain from overextended muscles, joints and ligaments, and in some cases muscle tearing. Left uncorrected, this can lead to long-term pain and improper healing.
Sprains and strains
Ligaments overstretched and muscles torn by forces applied faster than the tissue can respond to. These often feel minor for two or three days and then stiffen considerably as inflammation builds.
Disc injury
Compression and shear through the spine at impact can bulge or herniate a disc, which is what produces pain travelling into an arm or a leg rather than staying local.
Bracing before impact
The reflex to grip the wheel and lock the legs loads the low back, shoulders and wrists at the moment of collision. It is a common reason people are surprised to have back pain after being hit from behind.
How we treat auto injury in St. Augustine
We treat auto injuries with spinal manipulation to realign the spine and ease pressure on the surrounding tissue, alongside stretching, rehabilitation, trigger point therapy and muscle stimulation. Treatment is documented as it goes, because a Florida PIP claim needs a record of the findings and the care, not just a bill at the end.
Chiropractic Adjustments
Spinal manipulation to realign the spine, ease pressure on the surrounding tissue and support the body's natural healing process, plus muscle stimulation where the tissue is guarding.
Read about chiropractic adjustmentsSoft Tissue Treatments
Trigger point therapy and myofascial work through the neck, shoulders and upper back, which is where most whiplash pain actually lives.
Read about soft tissue treatmentsNon-Surgical Spinal Decompression
Decompression on the DRX9000 when the crash has produced a disc injury and the pain is travelling into an arm or a leg.
Read about non-surgical spinal decompressionCustomized Rehab
Rehabilitation and stretching to restore the range of motion the injury took away, so the neck does not heal into a stiffer version of itself.
Read about customized rehabYour options, including the ones we do not offer
| Option | Best for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Chiropractic care under PIP | Musculoskeletal injury from a crash, which is most of it | Non-invasive and drug-free, and Florida law names chiropractic physicians as providers of initial services. |
| Emergency department assessment | Any suspected fracture, head injury, or internal injury | The right first call after a serious crash. Come to us afterwards, not instead. |
| Pain medication alone | Short-term symptom control | Pain relievers help manage discomfort, but they do not address the source of the problem. |
| Waiting to see if it settles | Very minor incidents with no symptoms at all | Risky in Florida. Waiting past 14 days can cost you your PIP medical benefit entirely. |
Recovery and how long it takes
Whiplash timelines vary enormously with the severity of the impact and how quickly care starts. Mild cases often settle over several weeks of consistent treatment. More significant injuries, and any involving a disc, run longer and are measured in months. The variable most within your control is how soon you begin, because tissue that heals in a shortened, guarded position takes considerably more work to restore than tissue treated while it is still inflamed.
Results vary. Any timeline is an expectation built from your exam, not a promise.
When it needs more than us
Book with a medical provider, or go to an emergency department, if you have any of these:
- Loss of consciousness at any point, confusion, or a headache that is worsening
- Severe neck pain with midline tenderness, which needs imaging to exclude a fracture
- Weakness, numbness or loss of coordination in an arm or a leg
- Abdominal pain, chest pain or shortness of breath after the crash
- Any loss of bladder or bowel control
Patients with this problem
5.0 from 166 Google reviewsI went to Dr. Derek after my car accident. I was having back and neck pain but it improved so much with treatment. It was always easy to schedule appointments and the adjustments with therapies made a huge improvement in my overall quality of life.
Who you would be seeing
Dr. Derek Sisak and the team are trained in the adjustment and manipulation techniques that realign the spine and target the areas needing hands-on care after a crash. PIP cases are handled directly here, digital X-ray is on site for the cases that need it, and the documentation your claim depends on is built as treatment happens rather than reconstructed later.
Care for this runs through our conditions we treat, so if the exam points somewhere other than where you expected, the right treatment is already in the building.
Book the $47 evaluationWhere to find us
The clinic sits at 276 Paseo Reyes Dr in St. Augustine, Florida, just off U.S. 1 at World Golf Parkway, near the entrance to the Palencia neighborhood. Most people coming in for care after a car accident drive in from across St. Johns County, and the office is a straight run up or down U.S. 1 from either end of it.
- Palencia
- World Golf Village
- Nocatee
- Ponte Vedra
- Julington Creek
- Downtown St. Augustine
Questions we get asked
How soon after a car accident should I see a chiropractor?
It is a good idea to be evaluated as soon as possible, even if you feel fine at first. Some injuries, like whiplash, do not show symptoms right away, and early treatment can help prevent long-term problems. In Florida there is also a legal deadline, covered below.
Does Florida PIP cover chiropractic care?
Florida Statute 627.736 requires personal injury protection coverage, and it names a chiropractic physician licensed under chapter 460 among the providers who may lawfully deliver the initial services and care. The statute sets a limit of $10,000 in combined medical and disability benefits and reimburses 80 percent of reasonable expenses for medically necessary care. Your own policy terms still apply, so we go through the specifics with you rather than assuming.
What is the 14-day rule?
Under the same statute, PIP medical benefits are payable only if you receive initial services and care within 14 days of the motor vehicle accident. Miss that window and the medical benefit can be lost, regardless of how genuine the injury is. It is the single most important thing to know after a Florida crash.
Can chiropractic care help with whiplash?
Yes. Whiplash responds well to chiropractic adjustments, which help restore the neck's range of motion and reduce the muscle and joint strain that leads to lingering pain.
What if I do not feel pain right after the accident?
Delayed pain is common after car accidents due to adrenaline and inflammation that build up over the following days. A chiropractic evaluation soon after the accident can catch issues before they become more serious, and in Florida it also protects your 14-day window.
Will you document things for my claim?
Yes. Findings, imaging where clinically warranted, the treatment plan and your progress are documented as care proceeds. A claim is settled on the record, and a record assembled after the fact is always weaker than one built as it happened.
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not a guess.
Reading on this, from us
Written by the doctors here, on the same treatment this page describes.