Can I See a Work Injury Chiropractor in Centennial Without a Doctor Referral?
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By Butler Family Health Center · Published 2026-11-04 · Last updated 2026-11-04
Yes, you can see a work injury chiropractor in Centennial without a doctor referral, and at Butler Family Health Center you can often be seen the same day. For a job injury, a different question decides who pays: whether your care is authorized under your workers' compensation claim.
Two things come first. Tell your employer about the injury in writing within ten days, and find out how your employer handles the choice of provider.
Below are the current Colorado rules, the change coming in 2028, the first steps after an injury on the job, and how a visit with our work injury chiropractor in Centennial fits into your claim.
Seeing a Work Injury Chiropractor in Centennial Without a Doctor Referral
Call or text, book a time, and Dr. Butler starts with a chiropractic examination of the area that hurts. You do not need a physician's note to book that first exam.
A referral does not settle payment, though. Colorado law says the employer must furnish medical treatment "to cure and relieve the employee from the effects of the injury," and the insurer pays for care that is authorized under the claim.
When you call, tell us it is a work injury and give us the date it happened, your employer's name and any claim number you already have. We accept workers' compensation cases, and we can talk through whether we can see you under your claim. We will not tell you an insurer will pay before the claim says so.
Some symptoms need emergency care first. Go to the ER for numbness or weakness that is spreading, loss of bladder or bowel control, chest pain, or pain after a serious fall from a ladder, a loading dock or a vehicle. Chiropractic care can follow once an emergency has been ruled out.
Can I Get a Same-Day Visit After Hurting My Back at Work?
Yes, same-day appointments are available, and the office also sees walk-ins, so a back strain from a Monday shift does not have to wait until next week. Calling or texting (303) 741-2444 first is the quickest way to get a time.
The clinic sits in Peakview Center at 6500 S Quebec St #250, on South Quebec Street, near offices in the Denver Tech Center and Greenwood Village. An early visit also dates your exam notes close to the injury.
Who Picks the Treating Provider for a Colorado Workers' Comp Claim
Under current Colorado law, your employer or its insurer sets the starting point by giving you a list of treating providers. The statute says the list must include "at least four physicians or four corporate medical providers or at least two physicians and two corporate medical providers or a combination thereof where available," and you select from it (C.R.S. 8-43-404).
The same subsection gives you a choice when nobody offers you care: "If the services of a physician are not tendered at the time of injury, the employee shall have the right to select a physician or chiropractor." That sentence names chiropractors. If no one offered you a doctor when you reported the injury, tell us exactly what you were and were not given.
Current law also allows one change of treating physician. You give notice within ninety days after the date of injury and before you reach maximum medical improvement, and the new physician must be on the employer's list or with a listed corporate provider. Payment for chiropractic care also depends on the claim's authorization, so bring your claim paperwork and we will go over what it says about your care.
What Changes in 2028 Under HB25-1300?
HB25-1300 changes how injured workers choose a treating physician, starting January 1, 2028. The governor signed it on June 4, 2025. Under the new law, workers select the primary treating physician from Level I or Level II accredited physicians through the Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation. If a worker is unable or unwilling to choose, the employer or insurer selects.
The bill as passed by the legislature also gives the worker one hundred twenty days after the first physician designation to make a change, before maximum medical improvement.
That new wording speaks of physicians and does not use the word chiropractor. For an injury today, the employer list rules above still apply.
First Steps After a Work Injury in Centennial, Before You Book
The first step after a work injury in Centennial is to tell your employer in writing. Then book your exam.
- Report the injury in writing within ten days. Colorado law requires written notice to your employer within ten days after the injury. Report late and you may lose up to one day's compensation for each day's failure to report, unless your employer already knew about the injury or you can show good cause. Workers for self-insured employers and public entity pools have ten working days. The rule is in C.R.S. 8-43-102.
- Ask how your employer handles the choice of provider. Ask HR or the insurer for the provider list, or ask in writing whether a doctor is being offered. Keep a copy of the answer.
- Write down what happened. Note the date, time, place and task (lifting cartons, a long shift at a keyboard) and who you told.
- Call or text us at (303) 741-2444. Say it is a work injury and share your claim number if you have one.
- Bring your paperwork. That means the written report, the provider list or your employer's answer, the claim number, a photo ID and any imaging or medical notes you already have.
The steps are the same at any Centennial employer, large or small, from Inverness to Dove Valley.
Work Injuries We Treat Around Centennial, by Job Setting
The work injuries we treat around Centennial include back and neck strain, shoulder pain, wrist and carpal tunnel complaints, and whiplash from a crash in a work vehicle. The table matches them to local jobs.
| Injury | Common work setting around Centennial | How care starts with us |
|---|---|---|
| Neck and upper back strain, tension headaches | Desk work in the Denver Tech Center or offices along East Arapahoe Road | Exam of neck and upper back movement and posture |
| Lower back pain, sciatica, disc injuries | Stocking and lifting in large retail stores such as IKEA Centennial | Exam, then a plan that may include adjustments or spinal decompression |
| Shoulder and rotator cuff pain | Lifting and loading work around Centennial Airport | Exam of shoulder and upper back motion |
| Wrist pain, carpal tunnel symptoms | Keyboard work and repetitive tasks | Exam of wrist, arm and neck; shockwave may be part of the plan |
| Whiplash | A crash while driving for work on Interstate 25 | Exam of the neck, with notes on how the crash happened |
| Back strain from bending and lifting | Staff in Cherry Creek Public Schools or Littleton Public Schools | Exam and a plan built on the findings |
- If you were just hurt and no one has offered you a doctor, report the injury in writing today and call us for a same-day exam.
- If your employer gave you a list, call us with the list and your claim number, and we will talk through whether we can see you under your claim.
- If you were hurt weeks ago and the pain has not settled, book an exam now. Under current law, the ninety-day window to change treating physicians runs from the date of injury.
- If you have spreading numbness, weakness or chest pain, go to the ER first.
When Chiropractic Care Is Not Approved Right Away
When chiropractic care for a work injury is not approved right away, a piece of the claim may be missing, such as the written report, the choice of provider or the records. Ask the adjuster in writing what is needed and keep the reply. Send our exam records when they are requested, and tell us what the adjuster said.
The Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation, part of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, is the state agency for these claims. These are state rules, not Arapahoe County or city rules, so they apply the same way to someone working at the Centennial Civic Center, living in Castlewood or Southglenn, or commuting in from Highlands Ranch or Lone Tree.
Approval depends on the details of each claim, so we will not promise that a claim will be paid. This article is general information and is not legal advice.
Why Book Your Work Injury Visit With Butler Family Health Center
Butler Family Health Center accepts workers' compensation cases, along with auto accident, personal injury and slip and fall cases, so we can talk through your claim with you. Dr. Christopher Butler, D.C., has been a chiropractor since 1996. He treats the injuries work tends to cause: back and neck pain, sciatica, herniated discs, shoulder and rotator cuff pain, and carpal tunnel symptoms.
Same-day appointments and walk-ins mean you can be examined soon after you report the injury. When the exam supports them, the office also offers shockwave therapy, Remy Class IV laser therapy and spinal decompression.
Patients rate the practice 4.9 stars on Google. Reviewers describe gentle adjustments and a doctor who takes his time. One wrote, "From the very beginning, I felt listened to, cared for, and never rushed." Peakview Center has a free parking lot and a wheelchair accessible entrance, which helps when a back injury makes walking hard. We see patients from Centennial, Englewood, Littleton, Cherry Hills Village and the Denver Tech Center.
The Bottom Line
You do not need a doctor referral to see a work injury chiropractor in Centennial. Payment depends on whether your care is authorized under your Colorado workers' compensation claim, and today that still runs through your employer's provider list unless no care was offered at the time of injury.
Report the injury in writing within ten days, ask how your employer handles the choice of provider, and keep copies. Then call or text Butler Family Health Center at (303) 741-2444 to book a same-day exam with our work injury chiropractor in Centennial.