Accident Related Massage
MORE INFORMATION ON INSURANCE-COVERED MEDICAL MASSAGE
Car Accident Claims - Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
If you own a car and have car insurance, you may have Personal Injury Protection coverage, also known as "PIP" coverage (unless you waived this provision on your policy).
If you have an accident, and you have PIP, normally your auto insurance company will cover your medical needs whether it is your fault or not. You will need a prescription from your doctor, a claim number, the date the accident happened, and the name and telephone number of the adjuster from your personal car insurance company.
If the accident was the fault of the other car, the other driver's insurance is called "third party coverage." We do not bill the other driver's insurance for third-party coverage. We will only bill your own insurance. Please call your car insurance company and ask if they will cover your expenses under your PIP coverage and mediate with the other insurance company for you. In that case, we will bill your auto insurance for your payments. If your insurance company will not do this for you, you can still receive massage by paying when you are in the office for your treatment and seek reimbursement from the other driver's insurance company when you settle with them.
Labor and Industries (L&I) Claims
If you are injured on the job, you are entitled to medical coverage from your employer. You must first fill out forms at work, go to a doctor to get treatment, get a claim number, notify Washington State Department of Labor and Industry and get a prescription from your primary care physician stating diagnosis and length of time required for treatment. If your doctor is unsure how long it will take, a good measure is to request 6 massages and reevaluate.
We are happy to write reports to keep your doctor informed of your progress and communicate with your claims adjuster to authorize further treatment.
REFERRING PATIENTS TO HARMONY MASSAGE
We treat to your plan. When performing Medical Massage, we follow your prescription or referral and are happy to provide progress reports, recommendations, and/or evaluations as requested by your office.
We employ a full staff of therapists and are open seven days a week so that your patients are able to get in for an appointment on their schedule and get the care they need. Many of our therapists are in-network with major health insurance companies and we also work with auto insurance (PIP) and Labor and Industries claims.
We hire only skilled and experienced Licensed Massage Therapists with a strong knowledge of anatomy and medical treatment massage techniques.
Harmony Massage is a professional, therapeutic massage clinic. Our focus is on providing the finest highest-quality treatment-oriented massage. We handle billing in-house and follow professional injury assessment and charting practices.
Common questions about accident related massage:
Can you get a massage after a car accident?
Yes! Massage can be very helpful when the body is healing from an injury. People who get massage as a part of their injury treatment generally get a faster and more complete recovery.
How long should I wait to get a massage after a car accident?
It’s often recommended that you wait a couple days before getting a massage after an injury. Talk to your doctor to find out what is best for your body.
Does PIP cover massage therapy?
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is an optional insurance that you can add to your automobile insurance policy. The purpose of PIP insurance is to cover medical expenses due to an injury received in an automobile accident. If you have PIP coverage it will cover your medical needs no matter who is found to be “at fault” in the accident.
When massage therapy is prescribed by a doctor, we can bill your massage therapy treatment to your PIP insurance. Massage therapy is recognized in Washington State as a valid treatment for many injuries and conditions, including those caused by automobile injuries. To find out if massage therapy can help you recover, talk to your doctor and request a prescription for massage.
What whiplash means:
Whiplash is an injury that happens when a person’s neck is suddenly whipped backward and forward. This action injures the muscles and ligaments in the neck.
It can take several hours or even several days before a person begins to feel pain after the whiplash occurs. Common symptoms of whiplash include pain in the neck, shoulders and back; neck stiffness; headaches; and pain and spasms in the shoulders and arms. Whiplash is a common injury from the impact of automobile accidents.
Will massage help whiplash?
Massage helps you recover from whiplash as well as other types of injuries. First it helps relieve the pain from the injury so you feel better while healing. Secondly, massage speeds the healing process. It helps you to improve function and return more quickly to doing the things that you love.
Some ways that massage helps the healing process are:
It reduces inflammation.
Increases circulation bringing more oxygen and nutrients to the injured tissues and carrying away waste products from the tissue.
Increases range of motion
Breaks the pain-spasm-pain cycle.
Basically, when there’s pain in the body, the muscles in the surrounding area tense up and spasm. When the muscles go into spasm it creates more pain in the area. Massage works similarly to pain relievers or muscles relaxers in this way, but without the side effects.
For injury treatment, massage is usually recommended at least once per week. It’s not unusual to need more frequent massages than that in the first weeks after your injury and as your condition improves, one time per week is often ideal to keep you improving.
What type of massage is best for whiplash?
The best massage technique to use for whiplash depends on how recent and how severe the injury is. The best way to find out what massage is best for you is to give the massage therapist all the information about your injury. Your communication to the massage therapist is important throughout the massage session so the therapist can adjust the pressure and technique being used to your individual needs.
A well trained and experienced massage therapist will know what the best techniques are to effectively treat your individual injury.
A variety of techniques may be used in any injury treatment session, including Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue, Trigger Point Therapy and others.