Car accidents are incredibly serious and can cause multiple injuries and even death. Visiting a physical therapist after a collision can help you recover quicker and more efficiently. However, many Allentown residents underestimate the benefits of car accident physical therapy and don’t schedule an appointment until it’s too late.
That’s why Align Health & Wellness put together five reasons why you should attend physical therapy after a car accident.
Align Health & Wellness is Allentown’s experienced physical therapist. If you’ve been involved in a car accident, contact Align Health & Wellness to learn more about our physical therapy treatments.
Common Car Accident Injuries
Before you learn the benefits of attending physical therapy after a car accident, it’s important to understand the common car crash injuries. Below are a few common injuries people experience after a vehicle collision:
- Whiplash
- Spinal injuries
- Brain and head injuries
- Bone fractures
- Soft tissue injuries
- Psychological trauma
- Internal injuries
5 Reasons To Attend Physical Therapy After a Car Accident
Car crashes are often traumatic and take time to recover from. Fortunately, physical therapy can aid recovery so you can return to your daily routine without delay. Below are just some reasons you should attend car accident physical therapy after a collision.
1. Accelerates Recovery
Everyone wants to recover from car accident injuries as soon as possible. Physical therapists can accelerate the recovery process so you can enjoy your favorite physical activities once again.
Physical therapists use several stretches, exercises, and other techniques to restore your flexibility and strength. These recovery methods also help relieve pain, stiffness, and soreness while promoting natural healing. Some therapists also provide at-home guidelines that will further recovery without requiring you to go into the office.
Although laying around might seem like the best way to recover, it often has the opposite effect and elongates healing. Physical therapists help keep your body in motion so you can make a swift and effective recovery through natural means.
2. Decreases the Likelihood of Permanent Damage
Sometimes people don’t notice their injuries until well after the vehicle collision. They can spring up without warning and can make everyday tasks like walking, standing up, and carrying things much more difficult. Sometimes these injuries become permanent if you don’t address them right away.
Seeing a physical therapist will help you identify injuries that may not have bothered you right away. They use several techniques to uncover impairments and curb their symptoms before they adversely affect your daily life. Once they spot these injuries, they create a custom recovery plan to promote recovery and prevent chronic problems.
Since around 2 million car accident victims receive permanent injuries after a collision, it’s best to have a physical therapist evaluate your injuries to prevent life-long damage.
3. Reduces Pain
Dealing with car accident injuries is often very painful and can put you out of commission for days on end. The extreme discomfort can prevent you from working efficiently while significantly hindering your mobility. While pain medications can temporarily ease the pain, many are addictive and can cause you to become reliant on them rather quickly.
Physical therapists help reduce pain naturally while restoring your strength, flexibility, and mobility. They utilize efficient maneuvers and exercises that target injured muscles and ligaments to help them heal through natural means. Although performing these exercises might cause slight discomfort at first, they become easier over time and will help make your pain a thing of the past without habit-forming medications or invasive surgeries.
4. Can Help You Avoid Surgery
Many car accident victims require surgery to repair injuries and restore their bodily function. In fact, 40% to 75% of people with urgent facial injuries undergo surgery after a collision. Although many need surgery directly after the collision, some require additional procedures to make a full recovery.
Attending physical therapy after the accident or your first surgery can sometimes prevent future procedures. The therapist’s recovery methods promote natural healing and can often fix issues without requiring you to go under the knife. Since physical therapy repairs and strengthens injured tendons, muscles, and ligaments, it diminishes natural deterioration that would occur without the treatment, further reducing the likelihood of future surgeries.
5. Provides Evidence To Strengthen Your Claim
Physical therapy is often very time-consuming and can impede your daily life. It typically requires you to attend numerous appointments per week and demands full dedication. Fortunately, physical therapy documents your recovery and the injuries’ severity, helping you strengthen your claim after a car crash.
Physical therapists keep track of your sessions in your medical records, creating a timeline you can use in court. It shows how much time it took out of your life and how sincere you were about recovery.
Contact Align Health & Wellness for Experienced Physical Therapists in Allentown, NJ
If you received a referral for physical therapy and need an experienced physical therapist in Allentown, NJ, that will help you recover from a vehicle collision, contact Align Health & Wellness. Our car accident physical therapy sessions will help you accelerate recovery, improve strength, and restore mobility so you can get back on your feet and enjoy everything life has to offer. Our doctors accept most insurance plans, including workers’ compensation, no-fault, and PIP (personal injury protection), and same-day appointments may be available.
Give Align Health & Wellness a call at (609) 259-4991 and schedule your appointment in Allentown, NJ, today!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Should I Go to Physical Therapy After a Car Accident?
Most people attend car accident physical therapy for several weeks or even months after a car accident. However, the time frame fluctuations from person to person, and more severe injuries typically require more sessions.
What Recovery Methods Do Physical Therapists Use for Car Accident Victims?
Physical therapists treat car accident victims in a variety of ways, including strength-building exercises, aerobics, stretching, and other rehabilitation exercises.
How Many People Become Injured Yearly in Car Accidents?
Data shows that car accidents caused 5.4 million medically consulted injuries in 2021.