Written by CrashMD staff
Unfortunately, most people will be involved in a car accident at some point in their life. Whether it be a minor fender bender or a high-speed crash, being in an accident as a passenger or a driver is a scary situation. Immediately following the accident, a car accident victim might be stressed about the car, or what to do next, without really paying attention to how they’re feeling. While the person might not notice any aches or pains right after the accident, once the body’s adrenaline wears off, the pain will be more recognizable. Those who deem the pain “not that bad” or “manageable” are creating greater risk for themselves because minor issues could turn into larger problems if not managed. The good news is that most minor injuries from car accidents can be treated with physical therapy, which affords car accident victims a comfortable and minimally-invasive way to get back on their feet, pain free. But, the time is now, so if you’re still in pain from a recent car accident and are delaying care, don’t! Schedule an appointment with a pain management specialist today so you can begin your road to recovery as quickly as possible.
Car Accident Collision Injuries
There are a few different ways that a person can become injured in a car accident. In fact, with just one single car crash, there are three different collisions that actually occur.
- First collision: the car hitting another object, i.e. another car, light post, etc.
- Second collision: the person in the car hitting an outside force, i.e. a seatbelt, steering wheel, dashboard, etc. This can be particularly painful because the person is traveling at the same speed of the vehicle at the time of the crash.
- Third collision: internal, which means when organs make impact with bones and other organs in the body that wouldn’t ordinarily touch
As you can imagine, any and all of these collisions can create force on a person’s body. While many common injuries of car accidents include broken bones, whiplash, and cuts that are either visible or immediately felt, there are times when the pain is not immediately recognized. In fact, it is quite possible to have a delayed onset of pain or discomfort. Sometimes it can take hours or even days to experience symptoms, which could be in the form of pain, stiffness or reduced range of motion. Because these symptoms might not have been apparent at first, you might not necessarily think that you need to see a professional healthcare provider. Any additional avoidance of care could result in chronic pain that worsens over time if not treated. This is why it’s important to partner with a pain management specialist who can help with car accident injury recovery. The best way to find needed relief is to begin needed therapy.
When to See a Physical Therapist After a Car Accident
It’s always recommended to see a pain management specialist after a car accident so that any issues can be addressed as quickly as possible. The sooner you begin physical therapy, the better you will feel.
In the event that you were a victim of a car accident and did not seek help immediately, there are some telltale signs that it’s still time to go. A first good rule of thumb that you need to see a professional is if your pain symptoms haven’t gotten better, and that your pain symptoms have gotten worse. This means that what you thought was a minor issue is actually not something to shy away from.
Additionally, even if you saw your general primary care provider after your accident but pain still persists, that means that the underlying issue wasn’t properly addressed, so it’s important to see a specialist who is trained in pain management.
The most common symptoms of pain after a car accident include:
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- Pain that just won’t go away, regardless of pain medications
- Inability to concentrate
- Weakness or fatigue
- Limited range of motion
- Sore/stiff muscles or joints
- Chronic headaches or migraines
- Numbness or tingling in the arms or legs
- Decreased quality of life
These symptoms, if not properly treated, will continue to worsen over time and cause both a diminished quality of life and create the need for more invasive treatment options. Especially if you have difficulty performing daily routines, such as getting dressed, climbing stairs or driving, this means that you’ve suffered an injury during the car accident that requires medical attention.
More often than not, car accident injury recovery is successful when professional help is utilized. This allows for the best outcomes utilizing the most comfortable and minimally-invasive options, now and in the future.
Benefits of Seeing a Physical Therapist After a Car Accident
There are numerous benefits to seeing a physical therapist after a car accident. The main benefit is that a physical therapist is trained to recognize and treat the specific cause of your pain by utilizing a targeted treatment plan. Additionally, for patients who can’t or don’t like to take pain medications, physical therapy can help to reduce pain with specific movements. These exercises afford the patient with profound pain relief without having to undergo any invasive treatment options.
Specific benefits include:
- Pain reduction
- Improved range of motion
- Muscle strengthening
- Improved balance and coordinator
- Faster recovery time
- Preventing the pain from becoming chronic
- Increased quality of life and ability to enjoy normal daily activities
Additional benefits include providing treatment for musculoskeletal issues (such as fractures, sprains and strains) to reduce pain. Physical therapy focuses on injury prevention and helps patients to enjoy independence by improving muscle movement so that the patient can live life without assistance. Physical therapy also decreases limitations related to injury or disability, such as being able to walk comfortably.
By addressing specific injuries through custom exercises and manual therapies, physical therapists are able to help their patients find relief. It’s also a temporary program (typically weeks or months) that yields life-long results, helping patients to avoid costly and invasive treatment techniques.
What is Physical Therapy for Car Accident Victims?
Physical therapy is a combination of exercises, stretches and movements that help to increase a person’s strength, flexibility and mobility, with the goal to help them move safely and more confidently. The beauty of physical therapy is that each specific program is designed for each specific patient’s needs, making it a highly customizable and targeted pain management approach.
Depending on a person’s pain symptoms, the physical therapy may use therapies like joint mobilization, scar tissue reduction, inflammation relief, and overall healing. Manual treatments help to relieve back in the neck or back by specifically targeting those areas, and postural training helps to strengthen muscles around the spine that helps to provide shoulder and neck pain relief. Postural training is a treatment that teaches patients how to improve their posture and alignment, and how to maintain it throughout the day while sitting, standing, walking, and driving.
Once the physical therapy sessions have been completed, the patient is able to maintain their routine at home, all without pain medications. Once a person is trained in how to use their muscles to best support their body, pain symptoms subside and their risk for additional future symptoms diminishes.
Physical Therapy for Emotional Impact After a Car Accident
On top of physical feelings of pain, a person who has been involved in a car accident can also suffer from emotional and psychological impacts. After all, a car accident is a very scary event in a person’s life, regardless if it’s a small accident or a larger one. There is a chance that a person could suffer from anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and insomnia after a car accident. These could go overlooked if a general practitioner is just focusing on the bumps and bruises on the body, without paying attention to the mind.
A physical therapist is trained to address both the physical and psychological aspects of the patient, with the goal to provide comprehensive support and guidance. In addition to physical movements and stretches, a physical therapist will utilize mental health techniques, relaxation strategies, as well as stress management. By incorporating all necessary techniques to help reduce any barriers to recovery, a physical therapist helps a car accident victim find total pain relief now, as well as learn techniques that could help them throughout their life.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, physical therapy can help you. The best way to find pain relief and to keep issues from getting worse is to partner with a trained pain management specialist who can expertly diagnose your symptoms and create a tailored treatment plan to help you get out of pain. They are expertly trained to address and treat often overlooked symptoms, accelerate your recovery, as well as improve your range of motion and overall quality of life. Symptoms of a car accident shouldn’t follow you around forever. With the help of a physical therapist, they won’t have to. Please schedule an appointment today with the CrashMD team so that we can help you enjoy a complete recovery from your symptoms, as well as help you avoid injuries in the future.
