One of the most important aspects of your recovery will be the type of medical treatment you receive for your injury. If the treatment of your injury is beyond the scope of a general practitioner, be aware that for some workers compensation insurance claims, prior authorization may be required before engaging the services of a specialist practitioner. If the injury is within the scope of a registered general practitioner, then who you wish to treat you is totally up to you. There are lots of different types of providers out there, and here are just a few things that may assist you in choosing who treats you.
General Practitioners
General Practitioners are commonly known as general family practice providers or GP's for short. They are state registered doctors, generally with clinics that offer a broad range of overall care and treatment for their clients. For specific needs, they will often refer a patient on to specialists; this can be very beneficial in your recovery especially if the specialist practitioner helping you can offer home care. This can not only speed up the recovery process, but also save you a lot of time and mental anguish.
Physical Therapists
Physical therapists practitioners are people who may not be doctors as such, but practitioners who specialize in rehabilitation. In the case of physical injury, there's a high likelihood that you'll need to seek a physical therapist for your injury and ongoing recovery. They offer ongoing treatment for injuries that require more than just medicine or surgery. They do all kinds of rehabilitation from simply keeping muscles strong, right through to helping people who have suffered an amputated limb. Teaching a patient how to walk again having suffered the trauma of an amputation or say a spinal cord injury would require such a practitioner.
Psychologists and Psychiatrists
Psychologists and Psychiatrists are doctors who primarily deal with mental health issues and other aspects of mental illnesses. Common problems like depression or anxiety are treated by these kinds of doctors. Seeking help from these professions can be an important part of the holistic healing process, if it's something you decide you may need.
Chiropractors
Chiropractors are physicians that rehabilitate and treat their patients using methods not used by, and in some cases, not widely excepted by general practitioner. Again, it may be prudent of you to check to see if prior authorization is required in the case of your claim. The types of injuries that Chiropractors attend to and treat include, spinal and soft tissue injuries generally confined to the area of the back. Chiropractors generally aim to restore nerve function and proper skeletal alignment; often ongoing treatment from a chiropractor may be necessary in the case of some injuries.
There are lots of different types of carers out there. If you're injured, it's imperative that you understand what's available to you so that your recovery can be as smooth and quick as possible. Getting yourself back to your optimum health as quickly as possible is paramount; however, again, always check to see if prior authorization is required in the case of your claim, you do not want to accumulate huge medical bills that you won't be able to claim for later down the track.