Why Physical Therapy Is Important For Recovering After A Car Crash

Car crashes are fairly common, and many people will be involved in one at some point in their life.

Even though they’re common, they can still be extremely stressful.

If you’ve been in a car crash recently, there’s more to worry about than just your car.

Car crash injuries commonly occur after you’ve been involved in a car crash.

However, many people don’t even realize they have been injured in a car accident, especially since symptoms might not show up right away.

Injuries can include whiplash, shoulder strain, and concussions.

If you’ve been in a car crash recently, even if you think your injuries are minor, you’ll want to get checked out.

Fortunately, physical therapy can help provide treatment for most car crash related injuries.

At Capitol Physical Therapy, we provide physical therapy for concussions, physical therapy for whiplash, and the many other physical therapy options for car crash injuries.

Physical therapists are uniquely experienced to help you with the injuries you may be suffering from after your car crash.

Injuries can get worse over time, so you’ll want to be proactive about your health and look into physical therapy as quickly as possible.

For now, let’s take a look at what happens after a car crash.

Common Injuries From A Car Crash

You may be wondering what the most common injuries from a car crash are.

In 2021, statistics on car crashes showed that there were an estimated 6.1 million car crashes in the US alone.

Most of them are rear end collisions.

Every collision exerts force on the body and can result in an injury.

There are two different kinds of auto-accident injuries you may experience.

Impact injuries, where the passenger strikes a part of the car, or is thrown from any part of the car and strikes an object.

As well as penetrating injuries, where the passenger is struck by flying objects.

Both of these can be serious in nature.

If you start to feel any pain after a car accident, it’s a good idea to go get it checked out, no matter how minor you think the injury may be.

The most common injury from rear end collisions is whiplash.

Whiplash occurs when your neck jerks forward suddenly, which can cause a number of unpleasant symptoms.

These symptoms can include, but are not limited to:

• Chronic pain
• Neck pain
• Lower back pain
• Upper back pain
• Shoulder pain
• Hearing loss
• TMJ pain
• Headaches
• Tingling and numbness in the upper extremities
• Dizziness and vestibular system issues
• Insomnia
• Mental health issues
• Knee pain

You may also experience injuries such as bruises, scratches, or small fractures to the ribs, face, neck, or chest.

More severe injuries that can result from a crash can include traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries or fractures, and elevated blood pressure which could cause a heart attack.

If you’re older than 65 at the time of a car accident you’re also more at risk of a stroke in the months following the accident.

RELATED: Physical Therapy for Senior’s Health

Why See A Physical Therapist After A Car Crash

If you’ve experienced a car crash, it’s important to see a physical therapist as soon as possible.

Your injuries may not seem like a big deal now, but not all injuries are immediately apparent and it may take days or months to start showing symptoms.

Prolonging treatment might result in chronic pain, gait issues, or reduced mobility.

Physical therapy treatment can help to:

• Improve your posture
• Reduce pain
• Improve mobility
• Regain strength
• Improve balance

Physical therapists are experts on the musculoskeletal system and help treat people who have been in car crashes regularly.

They’ll be able to bring their experience to you to make sure you don’t have lasting issues after your car crash.

Here are some of the reasons why seeking out physical therapy services after a car crash is important.

1. You Might Not Know How Serious Your Injuries Are At First

Whiplash and other related car crash injuries are notorious for not having noticeable symptoms right after the crash.

However, you may notice pain, stiffness, or reduced mobility in the neck or back once you’ve returned to your daily routine.

This is because your body doesn’t react to soft tissue damage right away.

Pain, inflammation, swelling, and stiffness develop over time.

Because of this, it’s important to get treatment before your injuries lead to chronic pain.

2. Physical Therapy Can Help You With Pain Management

After a car crash, your instinct may be to keep your body inactive, but this will not actually be helpful for your recovery.

A physical therapist will make sure you’re moving in a way that will help with pain management for the specific way it’s affecting you.

Every exercise will help you improve mobility and function as you recover.

Your physical therapist may recommend some mobility exercises such as pilates or yoga to help to keep you active and manage your pain.

RELATED: Natural Pain Management Solutions From Physical Therapy

3. Physical Therapy Can Reduce Risk Of Long Term Injury

Vulnerable muscles, tendons, and ligaments are strengthened with physical therapy, which will keep your body from developing long term injury.

Manual therapy will mobilize joints and decrease scar tissue.

It can also help reduce inflammation and promote tissue healing, so long term injuries don’t worsen over time.

What If I Was In A Car Accident A Long Time Ago?

Even if you did not get treatment from your car crash injury immediately, there is still hope that physical therapy can help you with your long-term injury.

Your physical therapist will assist you as you regain your strength and mobility by using custom exercises designed to address your specific concerns.

Chronic shoulder and back pain can be addressed with postural exercises.

With strength training and cardiovascular techniques, you can be on the road to the body you had before your car crash.

Physical therapy is one of the most non invasive treatments for your body.

By participating in physical therapy you can avoid the use of strong pain medications while returning to your functional self.

Book Your Appointment With Capitol Physical Therapy Today

Car crashes are a very stressful thing to deal with, especially if your body is one of the things affected.

You don’t have to deal with your body’s concerns alone.

At Capitol Physical Therapy we offer physical therapy treatments for any physical issues you may be experiencing after a car crash.

Book your appointment with Capitol Physical Therapy today.