By Dr. Boris Nektalov, DNM, DC, Chiropractor & Enzyme Nutrition Specialist · Nektalov Chiropractic & Wellness, Forest Hills, Queens NY
Published: July 27, 2026 · Last reviewed: July 27, 2026
The short answer: If you're hurt on the job in New York, your employer cannot legally choose your chiropractor for you. Under New York Workers' Compensation Board rules, injured workers have the right to select their own authorized treating provider — the one exception being employers enrolled in an approved PPO network, where you start with a network provider for the first 30 days before you're free to switch. Most people never hear this, so they end up at whatever high-volume clinic they were referred to.
That decision — where you get treated — has more influence over how well and how fast you recover than almost anything else that happens after your injury.
The Numbers Behind Workplace Injuries
Work injuries are more common, and more costly, than most people realize. U.S. private employers reported roughly 2.5 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) — and overexertion, repetitive motion, and related strain accounted for the single largest share of cases requiring days away from work, at nearly 946,000 incidents nationally.
Back injuries alone account for roughly one in every five workplace injuries, affecting more than a million workers a year, and make up about a quarter of all workers' comp indemnity claims. Separately, Travelers' 2024 Injury Impact Report found overexertion responsible for 29% of workplace injury claims, followed by slips, trips, and falls at 23%.
The takeaway for anyone hurt on the job: back, neck, and shoulder injuries from lifting, repetitive tasks, and falls are the norm, not the exception — and the BLS reports a median of 8 days away from work for these cases. The sooner appropriate, individualized care starts, the shorter that window tends to be.
Yes — You Have a Choice in Where You're Treated
Many injured workers assume whoever their employer or claims adjuster mentions first is the only option. That's not how New York law works.
Unless your employer participates in a Board-approved PPO network for workers' compensation (in which case you begin care with a network provider for the first 30 days), you are entitled to treat with any chiropractor, physician, or other provider authorized by the New York Workers' Compensation Board. After 30 days — or immediately, if no PPO applies — you can switch to a different authorized provider by notifying your insurer or employer in writing.
This is general information, not legal advice. Every claim has its own facts — confirm your specific rights with your claims adjuster, the NY Workers' Compensation Board, or a workers' compensation attorney.
In practice, this means you are not required to accept rushed, assembly-line care. You can choose a provider who will actually spend time with you.
Why the Clinic You Choose Changes Your Recovery
Large, high-volume medical mills built for referral volume operate very differently than an independent practice built around one doctor and one patient at a time.
| High-Volume Referral Clinic | Nektalov Chiropractic & Wellness | |
|---|---|---|
| Time with the doctor | A few minutes per visit | Full consultation and hands-on exam every visit |
| Provider continuity | Often a different provider each visit | Same doctor throughout your entire recovery |
| Treatment plan | Standardized protocol regardless of injury | Individualized to your specific injury, job, and body |
| Communication | Limited — patients report feeling rushed | Ongoing — plans adjust as you progress |
| Treatment options | Typically one modality | Chiropractic adjustment, soft tissue therapy, shockwave therapy, red light therapy, and nutrition support |
| Focus | Processing volume | Root-cause identification and reinjury prevention |
Patients who come to us after being treated elsewhere for a work injury in Forest Hills consistently describe the same experience: rushed visits, a different face every time, and a treatment plan that never changed no matter how they felt. That's not a personalized recovery — it's a scheduling problem wearing a lab coat.
What Your First Visit Looks Like
Every work injury is different. A warehouse worker lifting heavy freight, an office employee with chronic neck pain from years at a desk, a nurse transferring patients, and a delivery driver climbing in and out of a truck all load their bodies in different ways — and they need different treatment plans, not the same one.
Your first visit at Nektalov Chiropractic & Wellness starts with a full consultation: how the injury happened, how it affects your job and daily life, and what recovery needs to look like for you specifically. We follow that with a detailed orthopedic, neurological, and spinal exam, and review or order diagnostic imaging when it's needed. The goal from the first visit is identifying the root cause of your pain — not just masking the symptom in front of us.
Common Work Injuries We Treat
Herniated disc: A spinal disc's soft inner material pushes through its outer layer, often pressing on a nearby nerve. Common after lifting injuries and frequently linked to radiating leg or arm pain.
Sciatica: Pain, numbness, or tingling that travels along the sciatic nerve from the lower back into the leg, often caused by disc compression or muscle irritation from repetitive strain.
Whiplash: A rapid back-and-forth motion of the neck, typically from a slip-and-fall or vehicle-related workplace incident, that strains neck muscles and ligaments.
Shoulder injury: Rotator cuff strain, impingement, or joint irritation from repetitive overhead work or a single traumatic lift.
Repetitive stress injury: Cumulative damage to tendons, nerves, or muscles from repeated motion — common in warehouse, assembly, and desk-based roles alike.
Chronic low back pain: Persistent pain lasting weeks or months, frequently rooted in a combination of disc, muscle, and joint dysfunction rather than one single cause.
Learn more about our approach to herniated disc and sciatica recovery.
Why Your Whole Body Matters — Not Just the Injury Site
The body functions as one connected system. An injured shoulder changes how you move your neck. Hip dysfunction can contribute to knee pain. Poor posture from a desk job can eventually produce headaches, disc irritation, or nerve symptoms that show up somewhere entirely different from where the strain started.
That's why treatment plans built around a single body part, in isolation, tend to under-treat the actual injury. Ours are built around how your body works as a whole.
Our Treatment Toolkit
Chiropractic adjustment. A precise, manual correction of spinal joint restrictions that restores normal motion and reduces pressure on irritated nerves. Patients receiving chiropractic care in Forest Hills typically notice improved mobility and reduced muscle tension within the first few visits.
Soft tissue therapy. Hands-on treatment of injured muscles, fascia, ligaments, and tendons. Work injuries frequently leave scar tissue and muscle guarding behind long after the initial incident — soft tissue work addresses what the adjustment alone doesn't reach.
Shockwave therapy. A non-surgical treatment that uses acoustic pressure waves to stimulate circulation and tissue regeneration in chronic tendon, ligament, and muscle injuries. Learn about shockwave therapy.
Red light therapy. Also called laser therapy, this treatment uses targeted wavelengths of light to support cellular repair, reduce inflammation, and improve local circulation — a conservative complement to chiropractic and rehab work rather than a replacement for it.
Why Time and Continuity Actually Matter
Healing takes time. So does listening, explaining an MRI in plain language, and teaching the lifting mechanics, posture corrections, and home exercises that keep an injury from coming back.
Seeing the same doctor for the entire course of your care means your treatment plan evolves as your body does. Recovery is rarely a straight line — some patients improve fast, others need the plan adjusted along the way. That kind of continuity is structurally impossible in a clinic built to move patients through as quickly as possible.
Recovery Is More Than Joints and Muscles
Chronic inflammation, poor sleep, stress, and inadequate nutrition all influence how well tissue heals after a work injury. That's why we build enzyme nutrition and wellness strategies into treatment plans when appropriate — supporting the body's own healing process, not just the injury site.
The goal isn't just getting you back to work. It's getting you back stronger, healthier, and less likely to get hurt the same way again.
When You Need More Than Conservative Care
Some work injuries require orthopedic evaluation, surgery, or other specialized medical care beyond what conservative treatment can address. If we believe your condition needs another specialist, we'll tell you and make that referral directly — many musculoskeletal work injuries respond extremely well to conservative care, but not every case is that case, and starting early gives conservative care the best chance to work.
The Bottom Line
If you've been hurt on the job and you're being steered toward a clinic you didn't choose, know this: you have options, and New York law backs you up on that. You don't have to accept rushed visits or a different provider every time. You're entitled to a clinic that takes the time to understand your injury and build a plan around it — not just process your claim.
Contact Nektalov Chiropractic & Wellness or book a work injury consultation. 108-50 71st Ave, Lower Level, Forest Hills, NY 11375 · (718) 275-9000
Frequently asked questions
Can I choose my own chiropractor after a work injury in New York?
Yes. New York Workers' Compensation Board rules give injured workers the right to select their own authorized treating provider. The one exception: if your employer uses a Board-approved PPO network, you must start with a network provider for 30 days before switching. This is general information — confirm specifics with your claims adjuster or an attorney.
What is the most common type of workplace injury?
Overexertion — from lifting, pushing, pulling, or repetitive motion — is the leading cause of workplace injury, accounting for roughly 29% of claims per Travelers' 2024 data and nearly 946,000 days-away-from-work cases reported by the BLS in 2024. Back injuries alone make up about one in five workplace injuries nationally.
Do I need a referral to see a chiropractor for a workers' compensation injury in Queens?
Generally no — in New York, you can select any Board-authorized chiropractor without a referral, unless your employer's insurer uses an approved PPO network, which requires starting care within that network for the first 30 days. After that window, you're free to choose your own authorized provider.
What is shockwave therapy and how does it help work injuries?
Shockwave therapy is a non-surgical treatment that delivers acoustic pressure waves into injured tissue to stimulate circulation and regeneration. It's commonly used for chronic tendon, ligament, and muscle injuries from workplace strain, giving patients a conservative alternative to surgery while supporting the body's natural healing response.
How does a chiropractor treat a herniated disc from a work injury?
Treatment typically combines chiropractic adjustments to restore spinal joint motion and reduce nerve pressure, soft tissue therapy to address surrounding muscle guarding, and supporting modalities like shockwave or red light therapy. Care is individualized based on the disc level involved, symptom severity, and the patient's job demands.
What should I expect at my first visit for a work injury evaluation?
A comprehensive consultation about how the injury happened and how it affects your work and daily life, followed by an orthopedic, neurological, and spinal examination. Diagnostic imaging is reviewed or ordered when needed. The goal is identifying the root cause of the injury, not just treating the symptom.
This article is provided for general educational purposes and does not constitute medical or legal advice. Consult a licensed medical provider regarding your specific condition, and consult the NY Workers' Compensation Board or a workers' compensation attorney regarding your specific claim rights.