Check out this go-to guide that explains the discusses physical therapy vs surgery after a car accident.
Written by CrashMD staff
In addition to always wanting to avoid a car accident, there is a very good chance that if you are in a car accident, you’d like to avoid any injuries. But, if you do happen to suffer from any injuries, the last option you’d want to consider is invasive treatment options. Unfortunately, we can’t predict accidents or injuries. There are times when at-home therapies can provide all the healing we need, whereas there are other times that require more medical attention.
In the event that you were recently in a car accident and are suffering from pain symptoms, you might be wondering what the best course of treatment might be. You’ve read a lot about physical therapy, which is generally ideal, but then there’s also surgical interventions. But what is best? There are different benefits and risks when considering physical therapy vs surgery after the accident, and the only way to figure out the best treatment option for you is to partner with a trained pain management specialist.
Physical therapy is a great option for a variety of symptoms that a car accident victim could be experiencing. But, there are some times where physical therapy doesn’t fully treat the underlying symptom because the issue is so severe or difficult to treat that surgical options might be recommended. The goal of all pain management specialists is to help their patients experience the best quality of life as possible – ideally the same or better as their pre-accident life – and different treatment options are needed based on the individual and their injuries. Treatment begins and continues with a pain management specialist, and partnering with a specialist is your best chance of a successful recovery process.
Physical Therapy for Pain Relief
Physical therapy is a widely utilized treatment option for patients who have suffered an injury from a car accident. It affords patients the ability to achieve pain resolution without having to endure more invasive options. Additionally, they can learn exercises and movements that could help them strengthen their body, which could ideally help them to avoid future accidents.
The most common benefits for physical therapy for car accident pain include:
- Pain reduction: physical therapy is helpful for reducing inflammation, as well as restoring and improving muscle and joint function
- Injury recovery: physical therapy is helpful in both preventing and recovering from a wide range of injuries, and helps with rehabilitative methods for additional health conditions
- Injury prevention: by strengthening the muscles that support the body, as well as improving flexibility and mobility, a person is able to avoid future injury and strain
- Improve mobility: physical therapy helps to improve movement and function, which can help a person enjoy daily activities and exercises that leads to an overall improved quality of life
- Reducing need for medication: physical therapy helps to reduce pain symptoms, which can help the patient to reduce or eliminate their need for taking pain medication to manage pain symptoms
- Improved quality of life: by managing and treating pain conditions in a non-invasive and comfortable manner, patients are able to increase their quality of life without any additional side effects or risks
- Personalized treatment plans: a pain management specialist is able to create a personalized treatment plan that includes exercises, stretching and joint therapy to help manage and combat pain symptoms
Overall, physical therapy is a great first option for treating pain symptoms. Physical therapists are highly trained in how to best care for each individual patient and ensure that they enjoy the best outcome possible. An added benefit of physical therapy is that it can be utilized while other methods are being used, such as mental wellness, alternative treatments and occupational therapy
Surgical Options for Pain Relief
Surgical options for pain relief are generally a last resort option for patients, or a good option for when it is deemed immediately medically necessary. Most often, pain management specialists will recommend at-home, conservative, alternative and minimally-invasive options before resulting in surgical methods. The reason being is because surgery brings along with it risks and side effects that could still provide the patient with opportunities for complications. However, there are benefits to surgery, and these include:
- Targeted pain relief: for injuries that haven’t responded to traditional pain relief measures, surgery affords patients the ability to finally find pain relief by opting for a specific fix for the injury, which helps to remedy the symptoms
- Less dependency/need for pain medications: patients who have been suffering from chronic pain generally need pain medications to help alleviate pain symptoms while they work through treatments, such as physical therapy or alternative therapies. If no therapies yield enough pain relief, the patient could continue to take pain medications, which could lead to a drug dependency. This is especially true if they have built up a tolerance to the drug and need periodic increased dosage to achieve the same pain relief. There are also side effects with pain medications that could pose complications for the patient in the long run, especially if they are already taking additional medications, such as blood pressure medication or cholesterol medication.
- Pain is disabling: if the pain is so bad that it greatly interferes with a person’s quality of life, then surgery might be a good option. If a patient is unable to move without being in pain, has lost their job due to inability to perform job duties, or is unable to perform the most basic of daily tasks like bathing themselves, surgery could provide the needed relief and improved quality of life.
- Structural repair is needed: in the event that a disc has shifted out of place, or there are bone growths that are pinching nerves in the back or spine, surgery might be the best option for providing targeted relief and remedying these issues that physical therapy couldn’t
Surgical options are a good choice for patients when deemed medically necessary. But before surgery is considered, it’s a great option for the pain management specialist to offer and the patient to consider less invasive methods. Surgery might fix the main issue, but it could lead to side effects that could still require more long-term care therapies.
Physical Therapy Versus Surgery
When determining between physical therapy for your pain relief needs, it’s important to consider all of the pros and cons. For post-accident recovery, the most common and favorable treatment option is physical therapy. This is unless, however, the injury is so severe that it requires immediate structural repair, or the patient’s life is on the line. If not, then physical therapy is a proven, non-invasive treatment method to help patients manage their pain, improve their mobility and function, and promote healing, all without risks and side effects.
If your pain management specialist believes that your injury does not require immediate invasive medical intervention, then they will more than likely recommend physical therapy and other conventional treatment methods. The goal is to allow that patient to experience a significant recovery now, as well as avoid any additional complications in the future.
To determine what option is best for you, it’s important to partner with your pain management specialist and consider the following factors:
- Severity of the injury: how bad is the injury and what is the best course of treatment available to you now? Sometimes physical therapy could be the end all for treatment, other times it could be an option to try to avoid surgical intervention. Only your pain management specialist has the answers.
- Lifestyle and overall well-being goals: it’s important to know how any therapy will affect your overall lifestyle and well-being goals. If you are an avid runner, are in recovery so can’t take pain medications, or are in your later stages of life, physical therapy might be the better option for you than surgery, or vice versa. Your goals for how quickly you’d like to get back to your everyday lifestyle and period of recovery could play an important factor in the therapy that could work best for you.
- Benefits and risks: understanding the benefits and risks of both physical therapy and surgery options is crucial in making the most informed decision about your treatment. Other factors, such as mental health, physical health and family history could play a factor, too, so it’s important to discuss all potential benefits and risks with your pain management specialist.
The choice of which treatment is best for you can be a difficult decision. Thankfully, you don’t have to do it alone. Pain management specialists are well versed in all pain relief treatment options and can help their patients to make the best decision for them. Before doing that, though, it’s important to have all of the information, so an accurate diagnosis is key. Once you and your specialist have a clear picture of your injury and subsequent pain symptoms, they can propose all available treatment options, which include associated benefits, risks and timeline.
If you have recently suffered from a car accident injury and would like to know more about non-invasive treatment options for accident recovery, as well as physical therapy vs surgery options, please reach out to the CrashMD team today. We are dedicated to helping you find the best pain relief option to achieve both your pain relief goals but also your overall lifestyle goals. There are pros and cons to each treatment method, but we aim to always provide transparent care to partner with our patients and empower them to make the best decision possible. Please schedule an appointment today!
