We all want to know how much things are going to cost. So it is no surprise that a common question we get is how much will my visit cost? Let's go over a couple of the common payment methods to figure how much things will cost as it may differ depending on the way you pay.

1. Do you take my insurance?

One of the most common ways to pay is using your health insurance to cover the cost of the visit. The great thing about our office is that we accept most major medical insurance that have chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage benefits. You can use your insurance so the cost of your visit will only be the cost of your co-pay and/or co-insurance. A co-pay is a set amount established that you pay for the office visit and a co-insurance is when you pay a percentage of the cost of the visit. Co-pays are usually more common and stay the same for every office visit. Co-insurance can vary on cost depending on the services that you receive.

Here are a list of common insurance plans that we accept at our office
Aetna
Anthem Blue Cross
Blue Shield
Cigna
Health Net
Kaiser-some plans may require a referral from your doctor
Medicare
​Optum health
Sutter health plus
Sutter medical group-plans require a referral from your doctor
​Sutter Select/UMR
United Health Care
Western Health Advantage-through Landmark Health plan

If your insurance is not listed here give us a call as we can let you know if we do take your insurance. Please also note that some of these plans may only cover chiropractic benefits.

2. I don't have insurance. Can I still get treated?

Of course you can still get treated. We offer affordable rates as we believe chiropractic care should be accessible for everyone. Give us a call as we can let you know our cash rates. Please note that our cash rates are only applicable when paying at the time of service.

3. I was in a car accident. What are my options for payment?

Being involved in an auto accident can be very traumatic. It may require several treatments in order for you to get back on your feet and feeling better. There are a couple options that you can choose at our office when in a car accident.

a) Pay at the time of service with your insurance or at the cash rates-This option allows you to not have to worry about payment later that way it is out of mind. 

b) Setting up a lien with an attorney-If you have personal injury attorney we can do a lien agreement which allows you not to have to pay anything until after your case is settled. This allows you not to have to worry about payment until after you are feeling better that way you can just focus on getting treated and finding improvement.

c) Using your medpay from your auto insurance to pay for treatment. Some auto insurances include medical cost coverage after being in an accident. Using this takes the burden off of you as you won't have to worry about the treatment cost. 

We unfortunately do not accept 3rd party payment at our office.

​4. I got injured at work. What should I do?

Work injuries are difficult to get past and can take a while to get better. Make sure to talk with your work about their process so they can file the proper paperwork. Our chiropractors, acupuncturist, and massage therapists can help and we do accept most work comp insurance carriers.  One thing to note is that with work injuries there is usually a primary doctor in charge of your case along with other providers who can help you with treatment. Our chiropractors can be the primary treating doctor helping you with chiropractic treatment and can also help you find treatment with physical therapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, or other types of treatment. We can also help you if you receive a referral for chiropractic, acupuncture, or massage therapy from your primary doctor. For more information on work injuries check out our other blog post below.
what-to-do-when-you-have-a-work-injury.html

If you have any questions on payment you can always call our office and we can help you figure out the costs for our services.

Lower back pain can be debilitating in any form. It can knock you down making it difficult to walk, sit, or even tie your shoes. There are many causes of lower back pain. One part of our lower back anatomy that is often overlooked is our SI joint.

The SI (sacroiliac) joint is often a forgotten joint as we tend to focus on the discs of the lumbar spine as the reason for all of our lower back pain. One reason it is often overlooked is because it behaves very differently from our other joints. Many of the joints that we think of are synovial joints which are more freely movable such as the shoulder and hip joints. The SI joint is different as it is partially a synovial joint as in the anterior part it is synovial and in the posterior portion it is syndesmosis or held together by ligaments. Because of this there is not a lot of movement in the SI joint, however, there is still movement and it is important that we have movement in our SI joints in order to perform daily activities such as walking.

There are many reasons to get pain in the SI joint. One common reason is due to a sprain of the SI ligaments. This could be due to lifting something heavy that causes too much stress on the SI ligaments or even a sudden hit from a car accident. Another common reason for SI joint pain is due to degenerative arthritis. When you get arthritis in your SI joint this can make it difficult to move due to narrowing of the joint space between the sacrum and ilium bones. A less common reason for of SI joint is arthritis due to an inflammatory disease such as ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, or enteropathic arthritis. These can cause pain in the SI joint due to narrowing of the joint space and they may take getting additional treatments from a specialist in order to get proper treatment.

When we experience an injury to the SI joint or the ligaments around the joint, we will have less movement due to tight ligaments and muscles around the joint. When this happens the SI joint won’t properly function which can cause pain when walking, sitting, or any movement that relies on SI joint movement. When the SI joint is the culprit of your lower back pain it can manifest in your lower back and can even go into your legs mimicking sciatica pain. 

Luckily there are things that you can do. Chiropractic adjustment or manipulation have been shown to be effective in decreasing SI joint pain. They have also been shown to be effective in treating SI joint pain caused by arthritis due to helping to improve joint range of motion. Exercises that focus on core stability have also been shown to help with SI joint pain. In our office we use therapeutic modalities such as therapeutic ultrasound and electric muscle stimulation to decrease pain. Acupuncture, massage, and physical therapy are also other great additional treatment options to help with SI joint pain.

For more information regarding chiropractic care and arthritis check out the link below
https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/treatment/complementary-therapies/physical-therapies/chiropractic-care-for-arthritis

McGill Big 3 exercises are 3 exercises to help get rid of your lower back pain. They do this by helping to increase core strength and stability. Today we are going over the first exercise which is the modified curl up.

The modified curl up is not like a normal curl up or sit up. A normal sit up or abdominal work up focuses on flexing the spine to contract the abdominal muscles. To get the best understanding on how to do this work out it is best to watch the video above to see how to perform it. If you would rather here are instructions on how to perform it.

1. Lay on your back with one leg bent with the foot on the ground and the other leg is straight. If you are having leg pain or other symptoms (numbness, tingling, or weakness) bend the leg with the symptoms. If you are only having lower back pain alternate the bent leg per set.

2. Put your hands under your lower back (lumbar spine). It is important to maintain lordosis (natural curve of the lower back) while doing this exercise we don't want to flatten out your lower back as that can cause unwanted stress on the back. When putting the hands under your lumbar spine make sure you aren't arching your back too much but that you are in a good position that is comfortable for you and your back.

3. In this position you are ready to start the exercise. Keeping your hands under your lower back bring your elbows off the ground. Now to do the exercise bring your neck and shoulders off the ground slightly. You are going to hold this position for 8-10 seconds. The goal is to make sure you don't flex the lower back but keep it stable while doing the exercise. After 8-10 seconds you can go back to the ground and start the next repetition. Some common mistakes is bringing too much of your lower back off the ground flexing the spine. It is critical to make sure your spine is not flexing forward when doing this exercise. This will help you get the most benefit out of this exercise along with avoiding pain.

4. When doing the modified curl up exercise it is a good idea to do them in sets. Dr McGill suggests starting with 5 repetitions with each repetition being holding for 8-10 seconds and going back down. Once you have done the first set rest for 20 seconds. For the next set do 3 repetitions and then rest for 20 seconds. The last set do 1 repetition and then rest.

Now assess how you are doing after this. If you were able to do it without pain but it was challenging continue with the same number of repetitions. If it was done easy raise each repetition per set by 1. Instead of 5, 3, 1 do 6, 4, 2. Now if it was painful doing it you need to check your form. Try resting for a while and doing it again later.

This is a great exercise to use when you are suffering from any type of lower back pain whether it debilitating or just an annoyance it will help you. If you have a sprain or a strain, disc bulge, sciatica pain, arthritis, spinal stenosis, or muscle pain in the lower back this exercise will help you. This exercise along with the other McGill Big 3 exercises have the best evidence of helping people get rid of their lower back pain and getting back to normal activity.

For more questions about what to do for lower back pain whatever the cause is ask one of our chiropractors or acupuncturist. They have years of experience in treating lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, or any other type of pain you are experiencing. They will help you feel better.

Work injuries are very common. Depending on what industry you are working in it is possible that you will get injured at work. Work injuries are very complicated with a lot of paperwork, trips to HR, doctor visits, and so much more.

While there are different types of injuries you can get at work it is important to know what to do when you get injured so you can know what you need to do.

1. Make sure to get away from whatever caused the injury. Stop doing the activity that is causing you pain. Get emergency first aid and necessary medical treatment as soon as possible.

2. Report the injury to your supervisor as soon as possible. Whether the injury comes on suddenly or developed over time you must report the injury to your supervisor and manager. Report it as soon as possible that way you can get the necessary help as soon as possible. It is also beneficial to report as quickly as possible since some of your work duties may aggravate your injury. If this is the case it may be necessary to modify your work injuries.

3. File a claim-Filing a claim starts the worker’s compensation process and protects your rights. Usually your employer will give you a claim form to fill out and will have someone to help you through the process. If you don’t know where to find this form you can click on this link for a claim form. https://www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/FileAClaim.htm

4. Get treated-your work has a medical provider network with doctors and other specialists that can help you get out of pain and get you back to working full duty again. They will help you get the treatment that is needed. In most circumstances if you feel like you aren’t getting the best treatment you may get treatment from a different doctor or medical provider.

5. Keep documents-it is important to keep documents received during your treatments. Keep anything given by your work, primary treating doctor, or paperwork received from other treating doctors or medical providers. It may be important in the future.

6. Work as much as you can-in most cases continuing to work is the best option to help you recover quicker. Your doctor will try to find modifications so you can work without experiencing too much pain. By continuing to work you are staying active which has been shown to improve recovery time. In some cases that will cause more harm than benefit to continue working

7. Get an attorney-in some cases if you feel like you aren't getting the help you need you to get better it may may be a good idea to hire an attorney. They know how to help by their expert knowledge of workers compensation laws that can benefit you.

​At Accident and Sports Injury Clinic we want to help you get out of pain and back to working as soon as possible. Our Chiropractors and Acupuncturist have over 30 years of experience and are experts in helping with work related injuries. Our Massage therapists also have lots of experience helping to relax muscles that have been hurt at work. Along with chiropractic care you may also need additional therapies including acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, injections, or surgery. We will make sure to that you are taken care of whatever your need is.

If you have any questions about a work related injury or how chiropractic, acupuncture, or massage therapy can be beneficial to you please feel free to give us a call. We want to help you get relief from your injury.

Right now we are living in a world of uncertainty. The pandemic of the coronavirus has uprooted many of us from our normal lives and routines. Many of us have lost jobs, some of us are required to work very close to the virus, and some of us are going stir crazy from being at home. With so much negativity around us it is hard to keep a positive attitude. The coronavirus is all that is being talked about. The news makes it seems like that things will just keep getting worse. However, I want to talk about some ways that you can change your perspective and how you can be positive and have hope during this time.

1. Keep yourself physically healthy- I'm sure this has been hammered time and time again but this is key for happier life. Make sure you are eating good foods like nutritious fruits and vegetable and other nutrient rich foods. Avoid eating foods with empty calories liked fried foods, fast foods, sweets, etc. Also with so much time at home avoid eating just to eat like snacking on chips. Try instead having nutritious snacks such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc. It is also important to keep yourself active. Do something to work out and keep active each day. Some great ideas are going for a walk (make sure to maintain social distancing), work in your yard, participate in a dance party with your family, find some home workouts you can do with family or by yourself. There is a lot you can do to keep yourself healthy.

2. Find time to explore hobbies- I know it is easy to find a new show to binge watch on TV especially if you are tired but with more time at home it is a good idea to explore a new hobby. There are a lot of great fun things to do that could occupy your mind. Maybe it is picking up an instrument to play. You could start knitting or gardening. It could be as simple as picking up a book, writing a story, or learning about your ancestors. Finding something new to learn will help keep your mind occupied and help you foster continual learning in your life.

3. Be grateful what you have- It is very easy to find something wrong or to say I wish I had this. Instead of doing that think about all the great things you do have. It could be as simple as a place to live or health. It could be a family or a job. It could also be that we have improvement in technologies and knowledge to better combat the virus. Taking to time to think about all the things you do have will help you focus on that rather than on the things you don't have.

4. Remain hopeful and take action- Even if it seems that everything is going wrong you can always have hope. Try to focus and think that things will get better. Be optimistic of things to come. I think the biggest way to keep hope is to take action. If you are hopeful for things to get better do everything you can to make it happen. If you fail that's okay just try again. We all fail but the important thing is getting up after you fail.

5. Don't get overwhelmed- It may seem like there is a million things to do. It is important to not get overwhelmed with everything that is going on. Focus on one task at a time. Once you get one task done go to the next one. If you think of everything you need to do it can bog you down and make it difficult to start. Focusing on one task at a time will help you get everything done.

I hope this can help you through these difficult times. If you do these things I know it can help you to be more positive. If you are feeling depressed or have trouble with persistent negative thoughts make sure to talk to a mental health specialist.