Auto Injuries
What Is Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy, also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists that promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient education, physical intervention, rehabilitation, disease prevention, and health promotion.Â
Causes
Back, neck, and shoulder pain and stiffness can occur due to an accident but not show up until later. Physical therapy after an auto accident can help reduce pain, stiffness, and the need for surgery. It can go a long way toward speeding up the recovery process after an auto accident.
Why do we need physical therapy after the injury?
Fix faulty movement patterns:
If you have an injury or chronic pain, physical therapy can help to address the underlying issues related to the pain. Not only can it provide pain relief, but it can also help you make corrections to prevent ongoing problems.
Prevent build-up of scar tissue:
After an injury or surgery, it is natural for scar tissue to form; however, it is essential to prevent the build-up of this scar tissue because this tissue can cause pain and tightness.
Stretch tight muscles and joints:
Stretching is essential for maintaining flexibility and range of motion. Your physical therapist will design an appropriate stretching regimen for you.
Strengthen:
Strengthening exercises help strengthen surrounding musculature, which can help reduce strain on joints. Physical therapy will help you strengthen the muscles associated with your injury as well as surrounding muscles.
mprove outcomes:
Physical therapy helps improve post-surgical outcomes by addressing pain, scar tissue, strength, range of motion, and more.ncreased strength and flexibility, and proper alignment. It is an essential component of recovering from any injury.
Types of Physical Therapy
4 Types of Physical Therapy Treatments to Help You Recover from an Accident
When undergoing physical therapy, it’s essential to ensure you get the proper treatment. Here are the four types of physical therapy treatment to know.
1
Joint Mobilization:
Joint mobilization is one of the most common therapies that physical therapists perform for faster auto accident recovery and involves gently moving a person’s joints to increase flexibility and ease pain.
This is a passive treatment, meaning the patient doesn’t do any work and allows the physical therapist to move their muscles for them.
2
Massage Therapy:
Massages can be quite effective for mild whiplash, a typical auto accident injury. A massage session can improve your range of motion and reduce muscle stiffness.
An added benefit is that it helps your mind relax along with your body and reduces stress, and contributes to psychological healing, which is just as essential to treat following a traumatizing experience such as an accident.
3
Exercise:
If done carefully and slowly at first, physical activity is actually one of the best ways to encourage healing. Your physical therapist may also use various exercise tools such as exercise balls, resistance bands, and more to work the injured area.
4
Ultrasound:
Ultrasound waves penetrate the skin and tissue to target muscles and promote the healing of muscle strains and damaged ligaments. An ultrasound gel is first applied to the area to allow the wand to glide smoothly over the skin and deliver the healing waves.
Ultrasound is effective in treating auto accident injuries because it increases blood flow and can reduce inflammation.
Reasons for Physical therapy
3 Reasons to Start Physical Therapy After an Auto Accident
An auto accident can have lasting and unexpected effects on your long-term health. Here are three significant benefits of starting physical therapy after the accident.
Mitigating Long-Term Health Problems
While physical therapy can relieve injuries during an accident, some injuries are not immediately noticeable. Back, neck, and shoulder pain and stiffness can occur due to an accident but not show up until later.
Physical therapy after an auto accident can help reduce pain, stiffness, and the need for surgery. It can go a long way toward speeding up the recovery process after an auto accident.
Avoiding surgery
Injuries that don’t display symptoms until long after the accident can become serious issues. Sometimes, these injuries even require surgery. By seeking physical therapy soon after the accident, you can treat these hidden injuries and reduce or eliminate the need for surgery.
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Improving Quality of Life
Sometimes it’s hard to tell if an auto accident caused your injuries. These issues can arise years after an accident and take a severe toll on the quality of life of a person.
Physical therapy can help with this. As mentioned earlier, one is to help relieve these issues before they become serious health concerns.
Procedure for Physical therapy
- Exercises guided by your therapist. Massage,
- Exercises or stretches guided by your therapist
- Massage, heat, or cold therapy, warm water therapy, or ultrasound to ease muscle pain or spasms
- Rehab to help you learn to use an artificial limb
- Practice with gadgets that help you move or stay balanced, like a cane or walker
How Long it takes
The length of physical therapy after the accident can vary depending on the specific injuries and conditions that you have sustained. Physical therapy after an auto accident can last for several weeks or months, depending on your individual needs and goals.
How does Physical Help Us
Physical Therapy After an Auto Accident Can Help You Recover Faster. You want to return to your life as quickly as possible when you’re hurt in an accident. Attending physical therapy after an auto accident can help you speed up your recovery time. It can strengthen your muscles and improve your range of motion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can physical therapy help years after the injury?
However, even if an injury has gone untreated, it’s never too late to treat it. Even years later, physical therapy can help with an old injury.
What conditions can physical therapy help with?
Physical therapy effectively treats various orthopedic conditions, sports-related injuries, and other muscle, bone, and joint conditions.
How long is most physical therapy?
You can expect about a 30-minute to one-hour commitment for your ongoing sessions.
How long is physiotherapy recovery?
For minor injuries, you might expect 2-3 sessions of physiotherapy; for soft tissue injuries, you would be looking more towards 6 – 8 weeks, as this is roughly how long it takes for soft tissue to heal in most cases; and for more severe or chronic conditions taking two or more months of treatment depending on the level of progress.
What to expect after physical therapy?
Discomfort and soreness are to be expected because physical therapy, to work, must train your body.