Questions readers ask, answered plainly.

The Journal gets the same dozen questions in different handwriting. Here they are with the plainest answers the desk can give. Where an answer depends on something only the clinic can tell you, the answer is to call the clinic. Where it depends on something only an emergency room can handle, the answer is the emergency room.

• Distance

  How far is the clinic from downtown Kirkwood?

  The Tesson Ferry room is roughly fifteen minutes away via Lindbergh south or I-270, depending on traffic. The address is 11144 Tesson Ferry Road, Suite 200, Saint Louis, MO 63123, and the phone is (314) 530-5480. It is the near room for Kirkwood, Glendale, Des Peres, Webster Groves, and Oakland.

• The lag

  My neck was fine yesterday and hurts today. The crash was three days ago. Related?

  Very possibly. Delayed onset over one to three days is the classic pattern after a crash, because inflammation and muscle guarding take time to build. The Journal's essay Three days later explains the mechanism. The practical answer is to get examined rather than guess.

• The desk

  Is this journal affiliated with the clinic?

  Yes. The Kirkwood Health Journal is advertising material published for Missouri Injury Clinic, and every page says so. The desk is not the clinic, not a law office, and not a party to anyone's insurance claim. It publishes only what the clinic publishes on moinjuryclinic.com.

• Kids and sports

  Does the clinic see kids injured in sports?

  Sports injuries are one of the clinic's three published lanes, alongside auto injuries and TBI and concussion rehab. Call the Tesson Ferry room, describe the injury and the age of the athlete when you schedule, and let the desk tell you yes or no before you drive.

• Heads

  What happens if the exam finds a concussion?

  The clinic treats it in its own TBI and concussion rehab lane. The tools it names on moinjuryclinic.com are vagus nerve stimulation at the tragus, neurofeedback, Alpha Stim, sensory motor integration, exercise with oxygen, oculomotor rehabilitation, and cognitive rehabilitation with computerized brain-exercise software. A head injury with vomiting or worsening confusion is an emergency room trip first, not a clinic call.

• Handoffs

  I am helping someone who was hurt. How do I get them in?

  Call the nearest room directly, identify the visit as a crash exam, and give the person's name, a number that reaches them, one sentence on what happened and when, and where it hurts today. Then tell them what you told the clinic. The clinic schedules the visit; you are getting someone an exam, not managing their care.

• Hours

  Is the midday closure real?

  Yes. All three rooms close from 12 to 2 every day. Call in the morning or after 2. Tesson Ferry and Hazelwood run Monday to Thursday 9 to 6 and Friday 9 to 12. O'Fallon runs Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 9 to 6, with Wednesday and Friday by appointment.

• The visit

  What actually happens at the first visit?

  A history of the crash, a hands-on exam with an exam of how the neck and back move, the findings explained in plain terms, and a diagnosis if the findings support one, followed by a treatment plan in writing. If the findings point outside the clinic's lanes, expect to be told so. The getting seen entry walks through it.

• Claims

  Do I need to have decided anything about a claim before I get examined?

  No. The exam is a care visit and the record it produces is a care document first. If a claim is ever part of your story, the dated record from the first exam is what everyone will ask for, but nothing about that has to be settled before you are seen. If you already have an attorney, bring their contact so records can be sent where they need to go.

• Timing

  It has been two weeks. Is it too late?

  No. A later exam is still a real exam, and being honest about the timeline is part of the record. Go anyway. The Journal's advice is simply that sooner is more useful than later, because a dated starting point makes every later change measurable.

• Billing

  What does a visit cost and what insurance does the clinic take?

  The Journal does not publish payment terms for a clinic it does not own, and it will not describe an arrangement it cannot verify. Ask the desk directly when you call and take the answer from them.

• The ER

  When should I skip the clinic and go to the emergency room?

  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. The Journal's ER or clinic entry spells the line out.

• The roads

  Which roads around Kirkwood produce the most crashes the Journal hears about?

  Lindbergh through downtown and near the I-44 ramps, Manchester at rush hour through Des Peres and Glendale, and the school roads on Big Bend and Geyer at drop-off and pickup. Most are low-speed, which is exactly the recipe for delayed neck and back pain.

• Who runs it

  Who is the doctor?

  Joseph L. Hollingsworth, DC. He is a chiropractor and he runs Missouri Injury Clinic's three rooms under the motto Putting the CARE back in Healthcare. He is not a lawyer and this desk is not a law office.

The emergency line, first. 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.

Advertising disclosure. This page is advertising. This desk is compensated for featuring Missouri Injury Clinic, and it is not the clinic, not a law office, and not a party to anyone's insurance claim. We publish only the lanes, rooms, and hours the clinic publishes on moinjuryclinic.com. We do not write reviews, rank providers, or give medical or legal advice.

Educational reading. Not medical advice, not a diagnosis. The Journal cannot examine anyone.