Car Accident Physical Therapy: Keys to Injury Recovery Treatment

How Car Accident Physical Therapy is Key to Auto Injury Treatment

On average, there are more than 16,000 car accidents every day in the United States, leading to injury and disability. If the tissue damage sustained in a car crash is not diagnosed and appropriately treated with physical therapy after car accidents, there is an increased risk of pain and dysfunction for these thousands of accident victims. Ultimately, poor injury care management will increase the likelihood of long-term chronic pain in those with accident injury symptoms. Physical therapists are musculoskeletal experts and are among the most qualified medical professionals to help shorten the recovery time after a car accident.

The most common injuries after an auto accident include:

  • Whiplash and neck pain injuries
  • Concussion and head injuries
  • Back injury accidents, including vertebral disc damage
  • Knee pain injury, including meniscus tears
  • Broken bones or fracture injuries
  • Ligament injuries including tearing, strains, sprains
  • Muscle injury including strains and sprains
  • Scar tissue formation and adhesions of tissue

These injuries typically lead to reduced range of motion, loss of strength, impaired physical function, and persistent pain. Skilled and experienced physical therapists address injury impairments and get you back to the activities you enjoy.

Benefits of Physical Therapy After Auto Accident

Individualized Injury Treatment Plans

Physical therapists deliver customized treatment and exercise care plans individualized to the patients’ injury care needs. If a therapist works with two clients that each sustained a whiplash injury car accident with neck pain, they will have different and individualized treatment plans. This allows each client to receive efficient treatments designed according to their specific impairments, speeding up the healing process and targeting the most effective treatments to the injuries at hand.

Non-invasive Procedures

Physical therapy is entirely non-invasive. Therapists leverage their knowledge of tissue injury and optimize the recovery process after car accidents conservatively through manual therapy and exercise.

Improves Range of Motion and Restores Strength

After sustaining an injury from a car accident, it is common to lose range of motion and strength. Impairments not addressed immediately following an accident lead to chronic pain over months which is difficult to treat. Maximizing range of motion and strength is usually the top priority for physical therapists to help you return as quickly as possible to your meaningful activities.

Reduces Injury Recovery Time

Physical therapy accident treatment techniques improve recovery times. In the past, accident victims with the diagnosis of whiplash from a car accident were prescribed a neck brace and ordered to limit neck movement. Soft tissue injuries of whiplash improve more with early return to a normal range of motion with physical therapy. Accident injury care patients should begin physical therapy for their accident injury symptoms as soon as possible.

Limits Long Term Accident Injury Symptoms

When not properly treated, injuries sustained after a car accident lead to chronic pain and disability. Physical therapists work diligently to enable recovery from your injury accident and restore your strength and flexibility.

What to Expect When Starting Physical Therapy for Accident Injuries?

At your first visit, the physical therapist will ask about your auto accident details to fully understand the impact of your injuries and potential tissue damage. It is important to provide your therapist with information, including the type of automobile collision in which you were involved. For example, were you hit from behind, or was it a head-on collision that resulted in your bodily injury? What speed were you traveling and what speed was the other vehicle going immediately before the car crash is critical information that helps your injury care clinic treatment. Were you wearing your seatbelt, did the airbag deploy, and were you treated at the car accident scene are all essential information.

After obtaining your medical history and related information, your therapist should perform a thorough physical examination. This includes assessing your range of motion of relevant joints, strength evaluation, general nerve functioning. After gathering this information, the therapist can work with you to set your treatment goals for your accident care and treatment plan. Your recovery is a step-wise process that requires an appropriate amount of time and attention from your entire injury care clinic team.

What Does Physical Therapy Treatment After an Accident Involve?

There are many different skills that physical therapists have to help you heal after a car accident. Some of the specialized accident therapy clinic techniques may include:

  • Manual Therapy: massage and joint mobilization techniques used to reduce pain and improve range of motion
  • Therapeutic Exercise: activities to build strength, endurance, and flexibility
  • Neuromuscular Re-education: activities to improve posture, coordination, and balance
  • Therapeutic activities: exercises to train the ability to perform daily tasks and job duties
  • Modalities: devices used to reduce pain and swelling, which include ice, heat, compression, e-stim, ultrasound, and laser therapy

 

If you have suffered a car accident injury, don’t wait to start physical therapy after an accident. Physical therapy for accident injuries is a vitally important part of recovering from your auto injury symptoms. Contact us today to get the care and the quality you deserve following an Oklahoma accident injury.