If you are injured in a car accident, you generally can't wait for your injuries to heal so you can get back to your normal life as quickly as possible. But sometimes, it's not wise to forget about the crash as soon as your immediate injuries heal. It can instead be helpful to start seeing a physical therapist as you heal, and then continue seeing a physical therapist for a few weeks or months once the immediate healing is complete. Here are the benefits of taking this approach after a car crash.
Physical therapy may help you heal faster
If you begin physical therapy while you're still doing your immediate healing, the therapy may actually help you heal faster. The physical therapist can guide you through exercises that keep the injured area loose and flexible, which allows increased circulation. The increased circulation, in turn, ensures the injured tissues get the nutrients they need to heal well. During the healing process, the physical therapist can also teach you how to avoid re-injuring the injured body part while you complete daily living tasks, such as getting out of bed or walking to your car. Avoiding re-injury can be key to a successful recovery.
Physical therapy can identify other, less obvious injuries
Your doctor will do their best to assess you and diagnose any injuries after a car accident. But sometimes, even good doctors miss something. Working with a physical therapist as you heal can help ensure underlying injuries don't go undetected. Your therapist may notice, for example, that you're bending abnormally while doing a certain exercise, which points towards another injury. Identifying these secondary injuries helps ensure you can get prompt, thorough treatment for them.
Physical therapy will allow you to come back stronger than before
Usually, when physical therapists work with car accident patients, their goal is to bring the patient back stronger than they were before the crash. There's a good chance that the body part that was injured was your weakest part. By working with a physical therapist, you can strengthen that body part, which will make it less prone to future injuries, not only from future car accidents but also from everyday events and activities.
Working with a physical therapist is an important part of car accident recovery. Talk to a local physical therapist to learn more about the benefits of auto injury therapy for someone in your shoes.
Share22 November 2021
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