That twinge in your back just won’t go away. It’s not that bad right now but it’s definitely there and it’s not getting any better. Several thoughts are running through your head: “Will it just go away?” “Can I afford treatment?” “Didn’t my deductible just start over since it’s the beginning of the year?” “Who do I even go see about something like this?” 

If these are the types of questions running through your head we’re here to help. Here are the top three misconceptions when it comes to waiting to seek treatment for an injury, even if it doesn’t seem “that bad” right now. 

TWEAKS AND TWINGES AREN’T REAL INJURIES  

Let’s start with something simple. Maybe you aren’t sure how you hurt your back or your neck or your knee or whatever it bugging you. You weren’t involved in any serious accidents, like an auto accident or work-related accident. Even though these types of events can produce serious injuries, that should be treated immediately, they are not the only cause of injury. Even if there isn’t a specific event that you can think of that caused your pain, that doesn’t mean your injury isn’t serious and shouldn’t be considered so. Our doctors commonly hear from patients who say that they didn’t think they were justified in seeking treatment since they didn’t know where their injury came from. But we’re here to assure you that your pain is real and left untreated, can lead to worsening issues. 

YOU THINK IT WILL GET BETTER ON ITS OWN 

Here is the biggest misconception we hear. If you aren’t sure where your injury came from or maybe you know exactly what happened, you think with time it will just heal on its own, especially if it started out as just an ache or slight pain. Well, unfortunately, you are probably wrong and even worse, waiting can cause new issues to develop.  

If you leave an injury untreated, your body will naturally start to compensate or make up for the weakness, which can lead to a secondary injury, imbalances, and faulty movement patterns that put you at risk. The musculoskeletal system requires your bones, muscles and tissues to work together, so when one part starts to underperform, the surrounding parts will overperform to make up for it. What might start out as one small issue, can eventually lead to multiple issues. 

Consequentially, the longer you wait to start treating something, the longer it will take to get it feeling better and repair the underlying cause. The muscles, tissues or bones affected will continue to deteriorate the longer you don’t seek help and will require more care and treatment to properly heal. In addition, treatment for multiple issues will take longer than treatment for the one initial injury.  

So, if you are currently trying to “tough it out” and even possibly masking your symptoms with over the counter or prescription drugs, you might actually be doing your body more harm than good. You don’t want to let what started out as a little tweak or twinge turn into a serious injury that will be hard to treat. Seeking care for an injury early on, or even receiving maintenance or routine treatment, can help save you time, money, and suffering in the long run.  

YOU CAN’T AFFORD IT 

Last but not least, another one of the most common things we hear for reasons why people wait or don’t seek treatment is because they fear they can’t afford it. We aren’t going to lie; we know healthcare and life in general can be expensive, but you shouldn’t have to suffer because of the fear that proper care is too expensive.  

As we know, waiting to seek care for an injury or pain can actually lead to more issues. This in turn causes the price of treatment to go up because you will require more care for multiple injuries. By being proactive in seeking care, you can ensure that you receive just the right amount of treatment to heal your injury. We also never discourage our patients from seeking routine or maintenance care after they are discharged from their treatment plan. This type of care allows a doctor to check that everything is working properly and that they don’t suspect any issues to arise. We give our cars routine maintenance, why not our bodies? Think of it like this. Isn’t it better to pay a lower price for a routine oil change than have to pay the hefty bill for an entire engine swap if you let the engine run without any oil for too long? Proactively investing in your health can have so many benefits and can actually be cost saving in the long run.  

Next, you might be wondering how this would even be possible without insurance. At Kaizo Health, we accept a variety of insurance plans and our team is happy to help assist you in checking your coverage and benefits. If you’ve been in an auto accident or work-related accident, we are also happy to help provide you with a recommendation for an attorney and/or bill your car insurance which can help you receive treatment for as little to no cost to you.  

However, if you do not have insurance, don’t fret! At Kaizo Health, we are proud to offer affordable selfpay options, like Medical Discount Plans and interest-free payment plans with no minimum requirements. Great offices and Doctors, who really care about the right things, will always work with you to make sure you can afford to bet back to doing what you love!  We want you to seek the care you need and deserve and we strive to make that as accessible to everyone as we can!  

Get Treated at Kaizo Health  

Our goal at Kaizo Health is to always get you back to feeling 100%. Not only will our doctors provide treatment to help you be pain-free, but we also have a dedicated team that will work with you and your insurance to make sure you get the most from your benefits so that you can experience relief for as little cost to you as possible. If you are ready to experience relief from the pain, make an appointment to see us now.  

At Kaizo Health, our world-class team of chiropractors in Rockville, MD; Landover, MD; Fort Washington, MD; and Fairfax, VA, practices an evidence-based approach combining chiropractic care and guided, individualized rehabilitative exercises prescription. We provide the treatment and resources you need to recover your health and strength as best-in-class, state-of-the-art chiropractors. We are here to help! In the meantime, make sure that you check out our blog for more information on the chiropractic field, as well as our free virtual self-assessment chiropractic web app here.