When I got hit by a drunk driver, the last thing I wanted was to mess with the insurance. The other guy’s insurance company was willing to pay for the massage therapy. But I didn’t have time. And as a result, he was not fully protected.

Massage therapy is one of the most effective healing tools available. Calms the muscles and mind after a traumatic incident. Increases blood flow to the muscles, which increases healing. A great massage therapist will ask you about the accident and learn which muscles were strained and damaged during the accident. As a result, your body will heal. Massage therapy is the science of muscle healing. It is the only industry focused exclusively on curing muscle tension and pain. Seek a massage therapist immediately if you’re in a car accident to prevent those muscles from remaining tight from whiplash or injury.

I have outlined the steps outlining how to get massage therapy for a car accident (or any accident) with the other person’s insurance company paying for it. These steps are the first 4 steps you should take right away. Within 24 hours of the accident, take these steps to protect yourself. You must act quickly, or you may lose your attention to the insurance company’s policies. To make sure you’re okay, follow these 4 steps below.

1. VISIT a doctor or chiropractor to get a doctor’s note

You need a doctor’s recommendation for a massage. It is a medical recommendation, like any other activity or prescription. Schedule a single doctor visit and ask your doctor to recommend massage therapy as a treatment. If you are injured on the weekend, visit a 24-hour clinic. Any doctor can prescribe massage therapy on request. But you must ask.

2. TREAT YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY

Insurance companies have a policy called having a “gap in care.” It means that if you are not receiving your treatments consistently and immediately after the accident, then you are not really hurt. If you are going to receive massage therapy for pain relief from an accident, start immediately. And don’t stop getting regular treatments until you’re better. Changes in your treatment plan or providers are okay, but DO NOT stop receiving any type of treatment, or insurance companies will claim you have a “care gap.” And they won’t accept your claim.

3. BEWARE of delayed pain

Whiplash can appear several weeks after the accident. What happens is that the body goes into hyperprotection mode, as a security measure. It will pour adrenaline and other chemicals into your body for several weeks to protect you from pain (so you can escape the dangerous land of other cave dwellers, you know, with deadly mountain lions and other creatures). His body then begins to repair itself weeks later. That repair period is when the pain really begins.

Often, you won’t seek treatment right away because you feel fine, then start to feel awful weeks later. Continue your massage therapy treatments for at least a month to ensure you avoid serious whiplash affecting your productivity. Insurance companies understand this too. So continue the treatment for at least a month. And longer if you really feel pain.

4. ASK Questions of the Insurance Company

Some insurance companies pay as you go. Other insurance companies want to pay the claim at the end of the treatment. Ask them lots of questions about their process. The adjuster simply follows a set of rules. If you can learn the rules, you can get the most out of the claim (and save yourself a lot of heartache). Work within the system, not against it. Some good questions include: “How does the claims process work?” “Can I get the checks as I send out the receipts, or do you pay all at once towards the end?”

Regardless of what happened, everyone involved wants to see you improve quickly. So act fast. And start a constant treatment, and continue with it, until you are better. Good luck and feel better!

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