Whether you live in a small town or a major city, there is a great chance that you are dependent on a motor vehicle to get around. Out of all means of transportation available, cars seem to be the go-to choice for people to run their daily errands.
Unfortunately, no matter how much you practice road safety while driving, you may get involved in a car accident. Such events happen so suddenly and often lead to severe injuries that are painful and may even limit the function of your body.
An effective way of managing pain after car accident injuries is to turn to physical therapy. Whether you suffer from pain in your back, neck, head, knees or legs, undergoing physical treatments can reduce the painful symptoms you may be feeling while increasing your mobility, strength and function.
Here is how physical therapy can help alleviate pain after getting involved in a car accident.
Supports the recovery process
If you are looking for an effective way to get back to your normal daily routine, then physical therapy can certainly help you recover faster than you think. In reality, you don’t realize how bad you have been injured in a car accident until you have to return to your day-to-day activities.
So, whether you feel pain in your back or stiffness in your knees, undergoing physical treatments with a professional therapist can help you bounce back from your injuries faster. This is because you will be doing a combination of strength workouts and stretches that will encourage faster healing of your injured areas.
Plus, it will help you avoid taking medications to alleviate pain in your injured areas.
Alleviates pain with low-impact training
Depending on the severity of your pain and injuries, most physical therapists will first start rehabilitating your body with exercises. These physical activities are usually low-impact and directly address the places that actually hurt.
In general, when you are moving your body, you restore proper blood flow which helps bring oxygen and other nutrients to the injured areas. This then helps the body heal on its own, speeding up your recovery time.
Each exercise you do has a specific purpose to reduce pain and they are all customized and individualized based on your needs and pain sites.
Increases function and mobility with strengthening exercises
Strengthening exercises are also part of physical therapy treatments which are done to help you restore your function and mobility while alleviating pain symptoms. Whether you have broken your arm or hip in the accident, engaging in such simple and effective physical activities can help you increase your strength on the injured side and reduce your soreness.
You might use specialized machines, resistance bands or even your own bodyweight to work on your core muscles surrounding your injury. The biggest benefit of these exercises is that they will help you avoid re-injuring the area in the future.
Reduces inflammation with heat and ice packs
When you get involved in a car accident, there is a great chance that your injuries will feel inflamed, stiff and sore. An effective way to reduce such symptoms in your injured areas is to rely on physical therapy. In most cases, therapists use heat and ice packs to alleviate inflammation, stiffness and soreness in the muscles and improve their mobility.
For example, heat treatments promote blood flow which warms up the muscles and makes them relax.
On the other hand, ice packs decrease blood flow to the injured areas which further reduces inflammation and the risk of swelling and tissue damage.
Helps avoid surgery
If you suffer from severe injuries in the car accident, you may need to undergo surgery right away to treat your injured areas. However, the biggest downside of surgeries is that they are often followed by pain, soreness and swelling afterward. So, if you want to avoid undergoing surgery altogether, then you should definitely seek physical treatment in the beginning to reduce pain symptoms and further complications.
All the treatments you will do will help strengthen your muscles, tendons and ligaments which in turn will protect other structures throughout the body from further injuries, avoiding surgery later in life.
Prevents long-term damage
In addition to the initial pain and injuries you may be suffering from the car accident, there is also a great chance that you will be experiencing chronic pain and migraines afterward. Such health issues can really have an impact on your overall well-being as well as your ability to perform day-to-day tasks.
However, if you seek immediate physical therapy, you will be decreasing these risks as the treatments you will do will help you increase your strength, flexibility and mobility while reducing lingering damage. As a result, you will feel a pain-free life for years to come.
Restores functions after old car accident injuries
If you were involved in a car accident a long time ago, you can still benefit from physical therapy afterward to restore body functions and mobility. With a carefully designed rehab strategy appointed by a professional therapist, you will be able to recover and live a virtually pain-free life even after an old car accident injury.
In addition to this, undergoing such non-invasive treatments is much safer and effective than taking medications for pain relief. Instead of taking painkillers, you can do a quick stretch or an exercise to alleviate any discomforting symptoms you may be feeling.
Final thoughts
No matter how much drivers practice road safety while operating a motor vehicle, unfortunately, there may be an occasion when they get involved in a car accident. While some incidents end up fatally, the drivers in others may suffer from painful body injuries that can impair their function and mobility.
One of the best ways to deal with such painful symptoms is to turn to physical therapy. These therapies consist of a variety of exercises and treatments that rehabilitate the body, reduce pain and protect it from further complications.
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