Are you suffering from pain following a motor vehicle accident? Not only is the experience traumatic enough but the recovery process from your injuries can be long and painful. With modern therapies available, you have treatment options after a motor vehicle accident that will promote healing, lessen your emotional trauma, and provide a shorter rehabilitation period.
Ready to learn more? Keep reading to find out what therapies are available to you if you are suffering the after-effects of a car accident.
Common Injuries Following a Motor Vehicle Accident
The injuries associated with motor vehicle accidents can range from mild to severe. The specific type of injury sustained during the accident will determine what form of treatment is necessary to correct the issue.
To give you an idea of what injuries can occur, here are the most common ones:
Whiplash
Whiplash is a result of your head jerking during a collision and placing excessive pressure on your spine and neck. This is perhaps the most common motor vehicle accident injury and usually happens during rear-end collisions.
If not treated quickly, whiplash can lead to long-lasting issues. However, symptoms such as dizziness and neck stiffness may not develop until after 24 hours following the accident.
Concussion
Concussions are caused when a hard blow to the head causes your brain to move inside your skull, resulting in a minor or severe traumatic brain injury. In some cases, concussions go undiagnosed because the symptoms do not present until later on. Symptoms include sensitivity to light, double vision, and headaches.
Herniated Disc
The high impact of a car accident can cause the discs in your back to slip or shift out of alignment. When this happens, the surrounding tissue can rupture and result in pain, severe weakness, and nerve injury. Herniated discs are diagnosed through x-rays, MRIs, and CT scans so it’s important to seek medical attention immediately after an accident to check for any serious injuries.
Steps to Recover From a Motor Vehicle Accident
Apart from contacting the authorities and emergency services, there are certain steps you should take immediately to address any injuries sustained from a motor vehicle accident:
- Seek medical care immediately following an accident to determine what injuries you have sustained and how severe they are
- Take time off and allow your body to heal through rest and sleep
- Manage your pain with medications such as ibuprofen (Advil) as well as hot and cold compresses to reduce inflammation
- Follow the treatment plan provided to you by your doctor and/or physiotherapist
- Exercise and stretch to regain full range of motion, flexibility, and balance as well as to prevent stiffness in muscles and joints
Many injuries associated with motor vehicle accidents are not apparent right away. Even if a trip to the emergency room indicates a clean bill of health, it’s important to follow up with your doctor within a week or as soon as any symptoms appear. This allows your doctor to devise a treatment plan that includes the best therapy option for your injuries.
Treatment Options After a Motor Vehicle Accident
Apart from rest and pain management, there are some amazing treatment options available to you following a motor vehicle accident:
1. Massage Therapy
When it comes to injury recovery following a motor vehicle accident, massage therapy can help reduce pain and swelling, improve your circulation and range of motion, and prevent scar tissue. It is an effective treatment method for musculoskeletal injuries, whiplash, and back pain, all common injuries in car accidents.
As massage therapy is a relaxing experience, it can help reduce stress while you are healing. Following a car accident, massage therapy can help restore balance to your autonomic nervous systems that will reverse the effects of shock and trauma.
2. Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic treatment is another effective therapy for those who have suffered injury from a motor vehicle accident. It can help realign the spine as well as reduce inflammation, restore range of motion, reduce scar tissue, and minimize pain.
Chiropractic care is a great therapy to address injuries such as whiplash, lower back pain, neck strain, headaches, numbness, dizziness, and difficulty sleeping.
3. Physiotherapy
Physiotherapists are trained to examine, diagnose, and provide the right therapy plan to promote healing. Following a motor vehicle accident, physiotherapy can help you manage, relieve, and overcome pain and physical injuries. It will may help to improve your strength and mobility, speeding up the recovery process.
Your physiotherapist will educate you about correct body posture and exercises to minimize pain. They will also perform manual therapy to help improve your range of motion.
4. Acupuncture
Acupuncture has been recognized as a safe and beneficial way to alleviate pain following a motor vehicle accident. This form of treatment is designed to address musculoskeletal pain and soft tissue injuries by stimulating neurotransmitters and encouraging your body’s natural healing process. It can also prevent injuries from settling in and becoming chronic.
Acupuncture is also a relaxing treatment that can help you overcome the stress and shock from your ordeal which may present as loss of sleep, headaches, and anxiety.
5. Osteopathy
Osteopathy is another great treatment option especially if you are experiencing the negative effects of whiplash. Although the symptoms of whiplash often go away after a couple of weeks, you may be left with chronic pain and stiffness in your neck. This can lead to poor posture and painful muscle spasms. Osteopathy can help prevent these lingering symptoms by reducing inflammation and pain as well as restoring mobility to your neck and the rest of your body.
There is no single best treatment methods. Often times a chiropractor, physiotherapist, or physician may recommend a combination of different therapies to best address the different types of pain and other symptoms a patient may experience.
Let Us Help You Heal!
At River Stone Wellness, we offer all of the treatment options mentioned above! You can bring us your insurance claim and we can get you started on a no-cost treatment plan that will help speed up your recovery and get you back to living your best life.
Once you have a claim number, book your appointment with us right away! Our team of experts will complete an assessment and begin your treatment protocol.