5 Reasons to Undergo Physical Therapy After a Car Accident

Car accidents can result in all kinds of physical and mental injuries.  Some can last for years to come while others just require a few months of follow up care.  Several serious injuries can change your life forever. 

In many cases, you can decrease the time that an injury affects you and your family by getting the right medical follow up care.  One of those types of care is physical therapy.  Although you may think that you can do exercises at home and it will have the same effect, physical therapy is actually much more beneficial for several reasons.  For example:

1. Physical therapy speeds up the recovery process generally.

You may not understand just how severe your injuries after an accident are until you return to work or to your normal daily activities.  Then, you may realize that you are sore, stiff, or that your range of motion has decreased.  You may even suffer chronic pain in some areas and even headaches.

Physical therapy supports the recovery process by allowing you to rebuild the strength you lost while you were resting.  It increases flexibility and helps decrease pain and soreness as well.  Staying in bed, without much movement, may feel like it’s your best option, but you can actually do more harm than good by resting too much.  The right type of physical therapy—through a trained professional—will help you get back on your feet faster and back to your normal routine. 

2. Physical therapy can prevent or decrease long-term damage.

There are certain situations where your injuries after an accident will last for the rest of your life.  But, there is evidence that indicates that starting physical therapy right away after a crash decreases the possibility that your injuries from the accident will haunt you for years to come. 

Improving strength, flexibility, and mobility generally decreases the chances that you will develop chronic pain or mobility problems.  Those who don’t get care immediately have increased risk of conditions like degenerative disc disease, arthritis, and chronic pain. 

3. Staying physically active reduces pain.

Physical therapy may be painful at first, but as your body gains strength and flexibility, you will actually feel less pain in your daily life as well.  Movement encourages blood flow and gets oxygen to your sore, strained, or damaged muscles and ligaments.  It allows the blood to get more nutrients to those areas, which makes recovery faster.  You are also less likely to experience chronic pain by letting the boy heal itself early as well. 

When you go through targeted physical therapy, each exercise or maneuver has a specific targeted muscle or ligament.  That type of work will help that area heal faster so you can gain mobility and function without pain. 

4. You may be able to avoid less conservative forms of treatment, like surgery.

With the right type of physical therapy work, you may be able to avoid treatment options that are more dramatic or life-altering, such as surgery.  Although many car accident victims will require surgery right away after a collision, the damage to your body after an accident can also trigger the need for surgery down the road as well.  Physical therapy can sometimes prevent the need for this future surgery, saving you time, money, and missed time away from work. 

Because you work to strengthen and repair damaged muscles, ligaments, and tendons in physical therapy, you stop some of the natural deterioration that would have otherwise occurred. 

5. It helps to show a judge, jury, or insurance company that you are making efforts to recover fully.

Physical therapy is demanding in terms of how often you must go.  In some situations, you may need to be there a few times per week.  That is a significant amount of time dedicated to recovering.  Your physical therapist provides some great information in the medical records to document your efforts to improve in these sessions.  This shows a jury that you are sincere about wanting to get back on your feet after an accident.  It also provides a great timeline of your overall treatment as well. 

Get Help After Your Accident

Getting the right type of medical treatment after a car accident is vital to your recovery.  John Foy & Associates can help you get the care you need, and we can gather information about your treatment to present to an insurance company, judge, or jury.  Learn more about how we can help by calling today.  Fill out the form to your right or call us at 404-400-4000 to get your FREE consultation today.