Back and neck pain after a car crash · Georgia
There's a better path after a crash. You deserve to be on it.
A focused, physician-directed plan from the first visit — so nothing gets missed, and nothing drags on longer than it should.
Get care first. Don't delay over who pays.
Physician-directed
A physician sets the plan and is responsible for it — not a protocol, and not whoever is on the schedule.
A course with an end
Treatment that is meant to finish. If something isn't helping you, it stops.
The right care, in the right place
The ER for emergencies, always. A physician evaluation for everything after.
If it's an emergency, always go to the ER. If you're not sure whether you need to, you can call us — and we may decide, after talking with you, that you do.
Go to the ER or call 911 right away if you have any of these after a crash — or if it feels like an emergency:
- New or worsening weakness in an arm or leg
- Numbness that is spreading
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- New difficulty walking or keeping your balance
- Severe or worsening headache, confusion, repeated vomiting, or loss of consciousness
- Chest pain or difficulty breathing
- Severe abdominal, neck, or back pain
- Severe or uncontrolled bleeding
We are not an emergency room.
The treatment trap
The appointments keep coming. Nobody says when it ends.
You get in an accident. Then you're going to appointments — and no one has told you what finished looks like. Nothing is coordinated. Nobody is in charge. Weeks pass, and the only thing that's clear is that you're expected back.
That's the trap. It isn't anyone's fault in particular, and it's why so many people are still going somewhere months later without knowing whether it's helping.
How the care works
A course of care with a goal, not an open tab.
The worst part of being hurt in a crash is finding out what you're doing one appointment at a time. This works the other way round.
A physician examines you and orders the imaging that actually answers the question. Not a protocol. A look at what happened to you.
You're told what was found, what happens next, and what to expect. In plain language, before anything starts.
You come back and it's measured against the plan. What's working continues. What isn't, changes.
No therapy continues because it's on a schedule. If something isn't helping you, it stops.
Before you decide anything
After a crash, everyone has an opinion about where you should go.
Four things worth knowing before you let someone else decide for you.
You choose who treats you
Not the person who reached you first, and not whoever someone else recommends. It's your decision, and you can change it.
Your care should be MD-directed
A physician deciding what you need, and answerable for it.
You don't need an attorney to be seen
You can be treated here whether or not you ever speak to one.
Be wary of anyone who approaches you
After a crash, people will contact you about your case. Nobody doing that is doing it for your health.
Common questions
What people ask before they call.
I already went to the ER. Do I still need this?
Often, yes. The ER's job is to rule out what is life-threatening, and it does that well. It generally isn't set up to direct the weeks of recovery that follow. A physician picks up from there and directs the rest of your care.
What if I feel fine after the crash?
It's still worth being looked at. Adrenaline can mask pain for hours or days, and soft-tissue injuries often surface later. An early evaluation is how those get found before they settle in.
Isn't more treatment better for my recovery?
No. What makes the difference is the right treatment, directed at your actual injuries, by a physician who is watching whether it is working. An open-ended schedule of visits is not the same thing as care.
How is this different from going somewhere on my own?
A physician sets the course of care and reviews whether it is helping, and changes it when it isn't. Treatment continues because it is making a difference, not because it was on a calendar.
What should I bring to my first visit?
Any records from the ER or another provider, your insurance information, what you remember about the crash, and a list of what hurts now.
When should I go to the ER instead of calling you?
Any time it could be an emergency — severe pain, a head injury, loss of consciousness, chest pain, trouble breathing, heavy bleeding. Call 911 or go to the ER. We handle the recovery after you're stable.
Guides
If something hurts after a crash.
What it usually means, when it is worth being examined, and what a physician-directed plan for it looks like.
All guides- Car crash injuries: what to watch forWhat needs the ER now, what tends to show up over the next few days, and what is worth having examined.Read the guide
- Back pain after a car crashWhy it often starts later, what usually causes it, and the signs a nerve is involved.Read the guide
- Whiplash and neck pain after a car crashWhat whiplash actually is, why neck pain often arrives late, and the pattern that shouldn't wait.Read the guide
- Headaches after a car crashWhy a headache after a crash often comes from the neck, and how it differs from a concussion.Read the guide
Paying for it
Get care first. Don't delay over who pays.
Worry about how it gets paid for later — get the care you need now. Billing comes from the practice, myOrthoSpineMD, not from this name. For crash injuries we don't bill regular health insurance. There are two routes, and which one fits you is a short phone conversation, not a form.
- Self-pay
- You pay for your care directly.
- Treatment on a lien
- For patients who qualify, you're treated now and the cost is settled later. Whether it applies to you is a conversation — call and ask.
You don't need an attorney to be seen here, and you never have to have one to ask.
Where you'll be seen
Three Georgia offices
All by appointment only
Telehealth visits are available where they suit your care.
Who directs the care
Every plan is set by a physician, and every visit is with them.
Miguel Jimenez, MD
Orthopedic Spine Surgery- Residency
- Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic
- Fellowship
- Spine, Hospital for Special Surgery
- In practice
- 23+ years in Georgia
- Languages
- English and Spanish
Examines, images, injects and operates — which is what makes it worth something when the answer is that you don't need surgery. Full background
Start here
Tell us how to reach you.
Whether you want care, you're calling on behalf of someone else, or you'd like to understand how the model works — leave your details and we'll get back to you.