According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 4.8 million Americans suffer injuries in traffic collisions annually.
Thankfully, the bulk of these injuries are minor, and many people can move on from their accidents in just a few weeks. However, a significant number of the victims will need to receive medical care and undergo rehabilitative therapy such as physical therapy.
Accident Help Zone, home to the best car accident injury doctors in New York, discusses the benefits of physical therapy after a car accident and how it helps in accident recovery.
Car accident injuries that affect your joints can cause stiffness and reduce your flexibility. They can also limit your range of motion. Physical therapists can reverse the damage by working with you on stretching and mobilizing these affected areas.
Improving your range of motion can help you return to living the way you used to before the accident.
Muscle weakness usually follows if you sustained injuries that reduced your mobility or had you bedridden for a while. Physical therapists can create targeted exercise programs to help you rebuild strength around the affected muscles and those in the surrounding area.
When you think about common car accident injuries, it’s easy to focus on obvious physical injuries like cuts and lacerations or broken bones. However, it’s possible to have hidden or secondary injuries that may adversely affect your life without physical therapy.
Spinal injuries are one of the most problematic in this regard. They may present as back and neck pain, causing most accident victims to pop painkillers and ignore them.
Unfortunately, that injury may cause paralysis or leave you in need of surgery without physical therapy and other treatment approaches.
According to the Asian Journal of Neurosurgery, drivers suffer 89% of spinal injuries in car accidents. Thus, they are likely to need physical therapy after a car accident more than passengers.
It’s also another reason why drivers should always stick to car safety tips and encourage passengers to do the same.
Without physical therapy, many musculoskeletal injuries that happen in a car crash may require surgical treatment. Physical therapy means that many people have the option of non-invasive treatment first. In many cases, that’s all they need.
According to the Journal of Transport & Health, 45% of car accident victims will develop chronic pain in two years. In that situation, you may believe that the best way to deal with the pain is to avoid all forms of physical activity.
However, a physical therapist will tell you that regular movement can reduce inflammation and improve joint mobilization. It will also help you avoid chronic pain years later.
During treatment for car accident recovery, your therapist will start you off on a gentle routine, gradually increasing intensity as you recover. This way, you may be able to avoid dependence on pain medication.
Our body often overcompensates for injuries, changing how we walk, sit, or stand. The long periods of inactivity following a car accident can cause joint stiffness and muscle weakness, forcing you into an abnormal posture.
Walking around or sitting in this abnormal posture can cause secondary injuries. Physical therapy helps accident victims avoid that descent into a poor posture.
Do you need physical therapy after a car accident? You can find a physical therapist near you here on Accident Help Zone. Our database contains some of the most experienced car accident therapists in New York.
Our doctors accept most insurance plans, including workers’ compensation, no-fault, and PIP (personal injury protection). Same-day appointments may be available.
Call Accident Help Zone at (888) 412-8488 to find a doctor.
Learn more about the importance of seeing a doctor after a car accident.
Your doctor will advise you on whether you need to see a physical therapist and when to do so. For most people, it’s after they have recovered from more debilitating injuries.
The duration of your treatment will depend on the type of injuries you have suffered and the course of treatment that the physical therapist has designed for you.
You may experience some discomfort during physical therapy after a car accident. However, experienced therapists know how to deliver effective but tolerable treatments.
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