What we check
- Neck and upper spine range of motion, and reluctance to turn one direction
- Signs a young child cannot verbally describe: clinginess, appetite change, new sleep disruption
- Car seat, booster, or seatbelt fit and tolerance since the accident
- Headache patterns, which young children often describe as a stomachache
- INSiGHT nervous-system scan findings compared to typical readings for the child's age
- Whether findings point toward a referral beyond chiropractic care
What to expect
Call our office at 214-997-1220 or book online; there is no window you have missed, whether it has been a day or a month. The first visit includes a consultation about the accident, a functional and chiropractic exam, an INSiGHT scan, and a personalized plan built from what we find. Full pricing detail for the initial visit is on our what to expect page.
Book a first visitRight Now: What the ER Rules Out First
Before anything else, some signs mean the emergency room, not a phone call to us.
- Head signs — any loss of consciousness, vomiting, confusion, a worsening headache, unequal pupils, or unusual drowsiness needs evaluation immediately
- Nerve signs — numbness, tingling, or weakness in an arm or leg
- Neck — any inability or refusal to move the neck
- Chest pain or trouble breathing
- Damaged restraint or a high-speed collision — if the car seat or booster shows visible damage, or the crash involved significant speed, err toward the ER even if your child seems fine sitting in front of you
- We would rather you go and it turn out to be nothing than skip it.
The First 72 Hours: The Delayed-Onset Window
Once the emergency question is settled, the next stretch is harder to read. Children, especially young ones, are not reliable narrators of their own pain.
- A toddler cannot tell you her neck feels stiff — she gets clingier, refuses her car seat, or sleeps worse than usual
- An eight-year-old might insist he’s fine an hour after the crash because everyone is fussing over him, then wake up the next morning not wanting to turn his head
- Whiplash-type strain shows up late. Stiffness, irritability, appetite changes, or a new dislike of a specific riding position commonly appear a day or two after the accident rather than at the scene
- None of that is a reason to panic — it is a reason to keep watching, and to mention every one of these small changes at a first visit rather than assuming they will pass
One to Two Weeks Out: What Parents Call About
By the second week, families tend to notice a shorter, more specific list.
- A child who still turns their head reluctantly to one side
- Headaches a young child describes as a stomachache instead
- Disrupted sleep that has not settled back down
- New resistance to routine activities — including getting into the car at all
- Kids who seem fine in the moment and then become noticeably more clingy or short-tempered, which is its own signal in a child too young to describe pain directly
- There is no deadline you have missed if it has already been a few weeks — we see children days, weeks, and occasionally months after a crash, and the first visit follows the same process regardless of timing
What the First Visit Includes
We start with the accident itself, then examine.
- History of the crash — what kind of collision, where your child was seated, what restraint system was in use
- Everything you have noticed since, even details that feel minor or unrelated
- Functional and chiropractic exam
- INSiGHT nervous-system scan, for an objective look at how your child’s nervous system is holding tension
- A specific plan built from what we find
- Referral when it’s warranted — if anything in the exam points toward a finding outside chiropractic care, we refer to our network of pediatric providers rather than trying to manage it ourselves
No Attorney Required to Be Seen
Plenty of families call us before deciding anything about legal representation, and that is fine.
- Your child can be seen without an attorney involved
- For families working with one, we accept Letters of Protection from patients represented by attorneys
- That lets care begin now with the financial side handled through the claim process
- Full details are on our pediatric personal injury page
See a medical provider right away if you notice
- Loss of consciousness at any point during or after the accident — go to the emergency room immediately
- Vomiting, confusion, unusual drowsiness, or a headache that keeps getting worse — emergency evaluation now
- Numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms or legs — seek emergency care
- Inability to move the neck, visible deformity, or a child refusing to move a limb — call 911 or go to the ER
- Any breathing difficulty or chest pain — always an emergency, call 911
- New symptoms appearing days after the crash — worth a call to your pediatrician, not something to wait out
Common questions
My child seemed fine right after the crash. Why would I still bring them in?
Because a lot of what we see doesn't show up at the scene. Stiffness, sleep changes, clinginess, and headaches a young child describes as a stomachache commonly appear over the first few days rather than immediately.
How long after the accident is too late to be seen?
There isn't a deadline. We see children days, weeks, and occasionally months after a crash, and the first visit follows the same process regardless of when the accident happened.
Do you replace an ER visit or a pediatrician?
No. Anything on our emergency list above means the ER first, always. We come in after that question is answered, not instead of it.
Do I need a lawyer before scheduling?
No. Your child can be seen without an attorney involved. If you do have one, we accept Letters of Protection — more detail is on our pediatric personal injury page.
This page is educational and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Chiropractic care does not treat or cure disease; it supports the function of the nervous system and spine. Please speak with your pediatrician or a licensed clinician about your family's specific situation, and seek immediate care for any urgent symptom.