Car Accident & Whiplash Chiropractor in Sioux Falls, SD
If you've been in a car accident in Sioux Falls, the days immediately following the collision are the most important for your recovery. Even if you walked away feeling relatively okay, the soft tissue injuries, spinal misalignments, and nerve irritation caused by the impact often don't produce their full range of symptoms until 24 to 72 hours later — sometimes longer.
At Back Specialists, we specialize in evaluating and treating auto accident injuries. Dr. Bruce Jon Hagen has nearly 50 years of clinical experience treating car accident patients, holds advanced post-graduate certification in whiplash and cervical trauma, and is a graduate of the prestigious Whiplash: The Masters' Program through the Spine Research Institute of San Diego.
When it comes to auto injury care in Sioux Falls, few providers come close to his depth of training and experience.
What Happens to Your Body in a Car Accident?
A car accident — even one at relatively low speed — subjects your body to forces it was never designed to absorb. In a rear-end collision, the vehicle lurches forward while your body is momentarily left behind, then snaps forward. This rapid, uncontrolled motion hyperextends and hyperflexes the cervical spine in a fraction of a second, faster than your muscles can react to protect you.
The result is damage to the muscles, ligaments, tendons, discs, and joints of the neck and upper back — collectively referred to as whiplash or whiplash-associated disorder (WAD). Depending on the speed of impact and your position at the time of the collision, injuries can also extend into the mid and lower back, shoulders, and extremities.
Common Auto Accident Injuries We Treat
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Whiplash and whiplash-associated disorder (WAD)
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Cervical spine strain and sprain
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Herniated or bulging discs in the neck or lower back
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Facet joint injuries
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Lumbar spine sprains and strains
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Shoulder and upper extremity nerve involvement
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Headaches and migraines triggered by cervical trauma
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Concussion-related musculoskeletal symptoms
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Thoracic outlet syndrome
Why Symptoms Often Appear Days After the Accident
One of the most important things to understand about auto accident injuries is that the absence of immediate pain does not mean the absence of injury. The body's adrenaline response in the moments following a collision can mask pain signals for hours or even days. Inflammation and swelling in the soft tissues build gradually, which is why many patients feel significantly worse on day two or three than they did immediately after the crash.
This is also why waiting to see how you feel before seeking care is one of the most common mistakes accident victims make. Untreated whiplash and spinal injuries can progress into chronic pain, reduced range of motion, and long-term neurological symptoms that are far more difficult to resolve the longer they go unaddressed.
Why Dr. Hagen Is Uniquely Qualified to Treat Auto Accident Injuries
Most chiropractors have basic training in whiplash. Dr. Bruce Jon Hagen has spent decades going significantly further.
His post-graduate training specific to auto accident injuries includes:
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Graduate, Whiplash: The Masters' Program — Spine Research Institute of San Diego, 1998
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Advanced Course in Diagnosis and Clinical Management of Cervical Trauma and Whiplash-Related Disorders
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Extensive continuing education in personal injury seminars and accident reconstruction
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AMA Impairment Rating certification — 4th, 5th, and 6th Editions
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Advanced training in acute patient management and trauma-induced injury treatment
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Over 1,700 hours of post-graduate X-ray interpretation and spinal diagnosis
This level of training matters in auto injury cases for two reasons. First, it means Dr. Hagen can accurately identify the full scope of your injuries — including injuries that less experienced providers might miss. Second, it means he can properly document your injuries and functional limitations in a way that supports any insurance or legal process you may be navigating following the accident.
Dr. Hagen particularly enjoys complex and traumatic cases. Patients who have been told their injuries are ambiguous or difficult to treat are exactly the type of cases he has built his post-graduate education around.
How We Treat Auto Accident Injuries at Back Specialists
At Back Specialists, all treatment is delivered exclusively through the Activator Method — a gentle, instrument-assisted chiropractic technique that is especially well-suited for post-accident patients.
Here's why the Activator Method is the right tool for auto injury care.
After a car accident, the muscles and soft tissues surrounding the injured spinal segments are often inflamed, guarded, and highly sensitive. High-velocity manual manipulation — the kind that involves twisting and cracking — can aggravate that tissue and increase discomfort.
The Activator delivers its corrective force so quickly and precisely that muscles don't have time to tense up against it. The targeted joint moves into proper alignment without any additional stress to the surrounding soft tissue.
For a patient who is already in pain and dealing with acute inflammation, this approach is not just more comfortable — it's more clinically appropriate.
Your First Visit After an Accident
Your initial appointment at Back Specialists will include:
A thorough history and consultation. Dr. Hagen will review the details of your accident, your current symptoms, any prior spinal history, and any imaging or reports you've already received. The more information you can bring — including the police report and any emergency room records — the more complete your evaluation will be.
A comprehensive physical examination. You will receive a focused orthopedic and neurological examination designed to identify all areas of spinal dysfunction, nerve involvement, and soft tissue injury resulting from the accident.
Digital X-rays if indicated. Spinal X-rays give Dr. Hagen a clear picture of your structural alignment and help identify fractures, disc involvement, or pre-existing conditions that need to be accounted for in your treatment plan.
A personalized treatment plan. After reviewing your history and exam findings, Dr. Hagen will explain exactly what he found, what it means for your recovery, and what a realistic course of care looks like for your specific injuries.
We Know Auto Accident Claims as Well as We Know Chiropractic.
Dealing with insurance after a car accident is stressful, confusing, and — if you're not careful — easy to get wrong in ways that cost you. At Back Specialists, we've been navigating auto accident claims alongside our patients for decades. This is an area where our experience goes well beyond clinical care.
We understand how auto liability claims work, how Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Medical Payments (MedPay) coverage applies under South Dakota law, and what insurance companies need to process your claim efficiently. We know the paperwork, we know the timelines, and we know how to document your injuries in a way that accurately reflects your condition and supports your case.
Dr. Bruce Jon Hagen's post-graduate training in personal injury, AMA impairment rating, and accident reconstruction isn't just clinical preparation — it directly translates into the quality of documentation he produces. Narrative reports, functional assessments, impairment ratings, and supporting clinical records are areas where precision matters enormously, both for insurance purposes and for any legal proceedings that may follow. Our records are thorough, accurate, and built to hold up to scrutiny.
If you are working with a personal injury attorney, we are experienced in coordinating care and documentation to support your representation. If you are navigating the claims process on your own, we will help guide you through what your coverage likely includes and what information your insurer will need from us.
One thing we tell every accident patient: do not let uncertainty about insurance delay your care. Gaps in treatment — time between your accident and your first appointment, or missed visits during your recovery — can be used by insurance adjusters to minimize the severity of your injuries. Consistent, well-documented care from the outset protects both your health and your claim.
Bring your insurance information, claim number, and any attorney contact information to your first visit and we will take it from there.
FAQs About Auto Accident Treatment in Sioux Falls
Injured in a Car Accident in Sioux Falls? Call Us Today.
Don't wait for the pain to get worse before seeking care. At Back Specialists, Dr. Hagen and his team are ready to evaluate your injuries, build a personalized treatment plan, and help you get back to your life as quickly as possible.
Call or text 605-361-1700 to schedule your post-accident evaluation. Same-week appointments are available.