Being in an auto accident is stressful enough without an injury. There is the stress of dealing with your insurance company, and many people may feel anxiety when interacting with the other driver(s) involved and the police. However, the stress of an auto accident is magnified if you’re also injured.
Not every person who has a car accident is injured. However, there are plenty of Americans who have to deal with such an injury every year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that there were 2.74 million people injured in traffic accidents in 2019.
Helping you properly address an auto accident injury is something that a physical therapist can help you do. Working with these professionals can help take away some of the stress of dealing with your injury. They can also take specific steps to help you with your injury.
Three steps your physical therapist can take to help you with an auto accident injury
- Helping you address short-term pain — The impact of the accident itself often leads to soft tissue being sprained, strained or torn. Such injuries can be painful at first, but they should cause less pain as they begin to heal. Physical therapists can help reduce the short-term pain of soft tissue injuries. They can also help ensure that your injury heals properly, so you’re less likely to develop chronic problems from your injury.
- Assisting you with long-term pain — Long-term, or chronic, pain is when your pain lasts for six months or longer. Often, this type of pain is the result of not getting an injury treated immediately after your crash. It can also be a result of more serious issues like whiplash. Physical therapists can help diagnose the source of your chronic pain and develop a unique treatment plan that can help address it.
- Addressing functional issues that result from your injury — The symptoms and limitations that your car accident injury causes can also affect your ability to function at 100% at work. As part of your injury treatment, a physical therapist can perform a functional capacity evaluation. This four- to five-hour assessment helps pinpoint the functional issues you have. That way you and your physical therapist can develop a plan to tackle these issues and ensure you’re at your best when you get back to work.
SOL PT offers effective care for auto accident injuries
At SOL Physical Therapy, our team is ready to step in and help people who have been injured in auto accidents. Our physical therapists have experience treating many common vehicle accident injuries. We also completely customize each physical therapy plan to fit:
- Your injury.
- Your recovery goals.
- Your symptoms.
- Your functional weaknesses.
Contact our team today for more information about how we can help you recover from an auto accident injury or to schedule your initial appointment with us.
