These are the questions that come in at odd hours from people who walked away from a crash and then could not walk comfortably to the kitchen. The answers are blunt because blunt is what 3 a.m. needs. None of them are a diagnosis. All of them end the same way: get examined this week.
Chest pain, a sudden severe headache, weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking, a loss of bowel or bladder control, or a head injury with vomiting or worsening confusion is an emergency room trip right now, not a call to a clinic.
I refused the ambulance and felt fine. Was that a mistake?
It was a normal decision made under adrenaline, and it is not too late to correct for it. Whiplash routinely surfaces one to three days after impact. Get examined this week and the timeline still works in your favor. Say on the call that you declined transport at the scene; it is part of the history, not a mark against you.
How do I know it is whiplash and not something worse?
You do not, and this page cannot tell you. That is the entire argument for an exam. Red flags tonight, spreading numbness or weakness, chest pain, severe or worsening head symptoms, trouble speaking, mean an emergency room trip now. Everything else means a clinic exam this week, where a clinician can tell the difference and write it down.
My head hit the headrest and I have felt foggy since. Who do I see?
If the fog is worsening or severe, an emergency room first. Once you are stable, Missouri Injury Clinic publishes TBI and concussion rehab after acute injury as one of its lanes, with vagus nerve stimulation, neurofeedback, Alpha Stim, oculomotor rehab, sensory motor integration, exercise with oxygen, and cognitive rehab software among its named tools. Say the word head when you call.
What happens at the first visit?
A history of the crash, a physical exam of the neck and upper back, the head if the head was involved, findings written down, and a treatment plan you take home. That is the deliverable, every time, for every auto-injury patient. Ask what they found, what the plan is, and what would make them send you somewhere else.
It has been three weeks. Is it too late to be examined?
No. A later exam is still a real exam, and being honest about the timeline is part of the record. The advantage of going in week one is a cleaner baseline and an earlier start on treatment. The advantage of going in week three is that it is better than week six. Call today.
The car barely has a scratch. Can I really have whiplash?
Yes. Bumpers are built to absorb and hide low-speed hits; necks are not. The seat accelerates your torso before your head regardless of what the paint looks like, and a head that was turned or unbraced at impact can be strained at speeds that leave the car fine. Let the exam decide, not the photo.
Do I need a lawyer or a claim number before I can be seen?
No. You do not need to have decided anything about a claim before you get examined. If you already have an attorney, bring their contact so records can be sent where they need to go. If you do not, you do not need one to be seen.
Will the clinic deal with the insurance company or a lawyer for me?
The clinic is a chiropractic clinic. It examines you, treats you, and documents your care. What you do with those records, and who helps you do it, is your call. This guide does not give claims advice. Ask the clinic directly what it can and cannot help with.
What should I bring?
The crash date, any emergency room or urgent care paperwork, your insurance card, and a short honest list of what hurts and when it started. If you have an attorney, their contact. Ask the clinic directly how a visit is billed and what they accept; this desk does not publish payment terms for a clinic it does not own.
Which room should I call?
The one you can drive to this week. South County at 11144 Tesson Ferry Road, Suite 200, (314) 530-5480, for the south metro. Hazelwood at 14 Village Square Shop Ctr, (314) 627-1411, for north county. O'Fallon at 2163 West Terra Lane, (636) 280-0990, for St. Charles County. Every room is closed 12 to 2.
What are the hours?
Hazelwood and Tesson Ferry: Monday through Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 12. O'Fallon: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 9 to 6, Wednesday and Friday by appointment. Every room closes 12 to 2 daily. Hours are as published on moinjuryclinic.com; confirm on the call.
I am helping someone who was just in a wreck. What is the fastest way to get them seen?
Call the nearest of the three rooms, say auto injury and the crash date, and take the earliest opening. Give the clinic a number that actually reaches the injured person, then tell that person what you told the clinic. The exam and written plan from that first visit is what their care needs. Do not promise anyone an outcome, a schedule, or a dollar figure.
Should I keep moving my neck or rest it completely?
Neither extreme, and not on the advice of a webpage. Do not test it to see how far it turns, and do not stop moving it entirely either. Keep a two-line daily log of what hurts and bring it to the exam, where a clinician who has actually looked at your neck can tell you what to do with it.
Who runs Missouri Injury Clinic?
Joseph L. Hollingsworth, DC. He is a chiropractor with three rooms in the St. Louis metro, and the clinic's motto is putting the CARE back in healthcare. Details at moinjuryclinic.com, reached from this site through the buttons on every page.
Is this site the clinic?
No. This is an advertising-supported reading desk. It is compensated for featuring Missouri Injury Clinic and publishes only the lanes, rooms, and hours the clinic publishes itself. It does not examine anyone, hold anyone's records, or give medical or legal advice.
The only answer that matters
Still reading at 3 a.m.? Make the call at 9.
Say it was a car crash, give the date, say where it hurts, and take the earliest opening at the room you can drive to. Every room opens at 9 and closes 12 to 2.
Missouri Injury Clinic, Joseph L. Hollingsworth, DC. Hazelwood, Tesson Ferry, and O'Fallon. Every room is closed 12 to 2.
Educational content, not medical advice. Every answer above is general. The specific answer for your neck lives in an exam room, and there are three of them in the metro. Pick the one you can drive to.