At Optimus Injury Treatment Center, every patient who walks through our door has been hurt in an accident, injured on the job, or affected by a traumatic event. That is the entirety of what we do. No maintenance care. No general wellness. No commercial patients. Our practice exists at the intersection of serious injury and the advocacy that follows it — and we have built every clinical system around that single purpose.
We are a personal injury chiropractic and functional rehabilitation practice serving patients across Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania, with our primary clinic in Dover, DE and satellite locations extending our reach statewide.
Brain Injuries After a Car Accident Are Frequently Missed and Rarely Treated Correctly
Most auto accident survivors leave the ER without a TBI diagnosis. That doesn't mean one isn't there. Optimus Injury Treatment Center offers the only fully integrated traumatic brain injury evaluation and treatment program in Delaware built specifically for accident survivors.
What Happens to the Brain in a High-Impact Collision
The brain is suspended in fluid inside the skull. When a vehicle stops suddenly, the brain continues moving; striking the interior of the skull, stretching neural tissue, and triggering a cascade of neurochemical disruption that standard imaging often cannot detect. This is why so many TBIs are missed at the emergency room: a normal CT scan does not rule out a brain injury.
Symptoms can appear hours, days, or even weeks after the accident. Headaches, cognitive fog, light sensitivity, mood changes, sleep disruption, and difficulty concentrating are among the most common signs; and they are routinely attributed to stress or soft tissue pain rather than the underlying neurological event that caused them.
If you were in a car accident and something doesn't feel right, a functional TBI assessment is the correct next step.
A Complete TBI Program Under One Roof
Most injury survivors are sent from provider to provider to piece together a diagnosis. At Optimus, every element of TBI evaluation and treatment is coordinated within a single practice: so nothing falls through the cracks and your documentation tells a complete, uninterrupted clinical story.
Chiropractic Adjustments
Functional Rehabilitation
Cervical Spine Decompression
Workers' compensation cases require the same level of documentation rigor as auto accident claims. We treat and document work-related injuries with the same litigation-ready standards.
Work Injury Rehabilitation
TBI Diagnosis & Evaluation
Functional neurological assessment that goes beyond standard imaging to identify the presence, severity, and pattern of brain injury: structured for clinical accuracy and litigation readiness.
Concussion Treatment
Targeted rehabilitation for acute concussion following auto accident, addressing neurological, vestibular, and cognitive dimensions of injury; not just symptom management.
Post-Concussion Syndrome
When concussion symptoms persist beyond the expected recovery window, post-concussion syndrome is the likely diagnosis. We provide advanced functional rehabilitation to address the neurological drivers of prolonged symptoms.
Free TBI Screening
Our community TBI screening program provides no-cost evaluations for accident survivors who were discharged from the ER without a neurological workup. If you don't know whether you have a brain injury, this is where to start.
The Clinical Team Behind Your Evaluation
Two of the most credentialed injury-focused clinicians in the region lead TBI care at Optimus.
Dr. Robert Buckley, D.C., DACRB holds a Diplomate in Functional Rehabilitation, one of the highest clinical credentials available in injury-focused chiropractic, with more than 35 years of experience treating accident survivors. His functional neurological assessments are built to identify what standard ER workups miss and to generate documentation that holds up under legal scrutiny.
Dr. Anthony Doran, Psy.D. is a nationally recognized neuropsychologist available via telehealth, ranking in the 99th percentile of his field. His neuropsychological evaluations provide the objective cognitive and psychological documentation that TBI cases require: and that most injury practices in Delaware cannot offer in-house.
Why TBI Documentation Matters for Your Case
A brain injury after an auto accident is not just a medical issue, it is a legal one. Insurers routinely dispute TBI claims when the clinical record is incomplete, inconsistent, or assembled from multiple disconnected providers. A well-documented TBI, evaluated by credentialed specialists and recorded in a single coordinated clinical file, is a materially different legal asset than a fragmented one.
Every evaluation, treatment note, and progress report generated at Optimus is structured with litigation in mind. Our reports are used by personal injury attorneys across Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania to support TBI-related claims and maximize settlement outcomes.
If you are an attorney or case manager looking for a credentialed TBI provider with a reliable documentation record, visit our page for attorneys.
Adaptive Contrast Oxygen Therapy for TBI Recovery
For patients with moderate to severe TBI or persistent post-concussion syndrome, we offer adaptive contrast oxygen therapy, a specialized intervention that supports neurological recovery by optimizing cerebral oxygenation and reducing neuroinflammation. ACOT is available at our Dover clinic and is among the most advanced TBI recovery tools available in a clinical setting in Delaware.
What to Expect When You Come In
- Your first visit begins with a comprehensive intake covering the full mechanism of your accident, your ER discharge summary, and every symptom you have experienced since, including those you may not have connected to the injury.
- A functional neurological assessment is performed to evaluate cognitive processing, vestibular function, balance, and neurological integrity beyond what standard imaging captures.
- If neuropsychological evaluation is indicated, Dr. Doran's assessment is coordinated directly from your initial intake; no separate referral required.
- A clinical report is generated following evaluation, structured for both your treatment plan and any legal proceedings.
- Treatment, rehabilitation, and follow-up care are managed within the same practice, creating a continuous and complete clinical record from first visit through case resolution.
Frequently Asked Questions About TBI After a Car Accident
Do I have a brain injury from my car accident in Delaware?
You may have a TBI even if your ER CT scan came back normal. Standard imaging is not designed to detect mild to moderate brain injuries, and symptoms (including headaches, cognitive fog, mood changes, and sleep disruption) can take days or weeks to fully surface. A functional TBI assessment is the only way to know with confidence. Our free TBI screening is available to accident survivors across Delaware at no cost.
What is the difference between a concussion and a traumatic brain injury?
A concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury, typically classified as mild TBI. The distinction matters clinically because the treatment approach, recovery timeline, and documentation requirements differ depending on severity and symptom pattern. Both require proper evaluation; neither should be dismissed because early imaging appeared normal.
How long after a car accident can TBI symptoms appear?
Symptoms can emerge hours, days, or even weeks after the collision. Delayed onset is common, particularly with mild to moderate TBI, because the neurochemical disruption triggered by impact continues after the initial event. Waiting to seek evaluation because symptoms seem minor is one of the most common reasons TBI cases go undocumented and undercompensated.
What does a functional TBI assessment include?
A functional TBI assessment at Optimus evaluates cognitive processing speed, vestibular and balance function, neurological reflexes, and symptom patterns across multiple domains. It is designed to identify injury that standard imaging misses and to generate a clinical record that accurately reflects the nature and extent of your brain injury for both treatment planning and legal purposes.
Does Optimus treat post-concussion syndrome?
Yes. Post-concussion syndrome (persistent symptoms lasting beyond the typical recovery window) is one of our primary areas of focus. Treatment combines functional neurological rehabilitation, neuropsychological support through Dr. Doran, and where appropriate, adaptive contrast oxygen therapy to address the underlying neurological drivers of prolonged symptoms.
Do you work with personal injury attorneys on TBI cases?
We do. Optimus maintains active referral relationships with 23 personal injury attorneys across Delaware. Our clinical documentation is structured specifically to support TBI-related claims, and our providers are experienced in the documentation standards that litigation requires.
Serving TBI Patients Across Delaware
Our primary TBI evaluation and treatment clinic is located in Dover, DE at 834 S. State Street. We also serve patients at our satellite locations in New Castle and Christiana, with expanding access in Wilmington and Georgetown. Patients across Delaware can access neuropsychological evaluation and remote physical therapy through our telehealth services.
Start With a Free TBI Screening. No Referral Required.
If you were in a car accident and have not had a neurological evaluation, do not wait for symptoms to worsen. Our free community TBI screening is available statewide, requires no referral, and is the fastest way to determine whether a full evaluation is warranted. Call our Dover clinic or submit a request online to schedule.