Importance of Physical Therapy

After a car accident, it’s normal to experience pain and stiffness in your neck, back, shoulders, and arms. Even if you feel like you’re moving normally after the car crash, these muscles may have been injured. Physical therapy can accelerate your recovery so that you can return to your regular activities as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, recovering from both major and minor car accidents is rarely easy. It might have left you with whiplash injuries or soft tissue injuries.

What Is Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is a healthcare profession that focuses on preventing, diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating neuromusculoskeletal and sports injuries and general wellness.

Physical therapists examine and evaluate patients and then develop patients’ plans of care to help improve their movement and reduce pain.

Physical therapists generally need a college degree and state licensure, which allows them to work with all types of people, including athletes, senior citizens, pregnant women, and people with disabilities. Note that a physical therapist who helps people recover is more specifically referred to as a car accident chiropractor.

Reduce Your Pain & Inflammation

One of the most critical roles of physical therapy after a car accident is reducing your pain and inflammation.

When your muscles are injured, they produce substances called cytokines that cause inflammation and swelling. This is a natural response to injury, but excessive inflammation can prolong the healing process. Cytokines also increase your pain sensitivity, making it difficult to function normally as you recover.

Most patients will see a reduction in inflammation and pain within two to three weeks of regular physical therapy, but others may experience discomfort for months after their auto accident.

Regular physical therapy can also reduce your risk of developing long-term pain. Many patients experience ongoing pain after accidents, which can be difficult to treat.

Physical therapists can help you manage your pain in many ways, including through the following techniques:

Modifying your activities, such as sitting and walking, to avoid unnecessary strain on your muscles

Teaching you relaxation and breathing techniques to manage your stress, reduce your pain, and improve your overall health.

Using traction to stretch your muscles and increase blood flow

Applying heat or cold therapy to reduce swelling and pain

Support the Recovery Process

Physical therapy helps to support the recovery process by improving blood flow to your muscles and reducing the number of painful spasms in the injured area.

During your therapy sessions, your therapist will use various techniques and exercises to help your muscles receive more blood flow and heal faster.

Physical therapy aims to restore normal function and help patients return to daily activities. It is also essential to prevent neck pain from whiplash injury, which is a relatively common car accident injury, from becoming a chronic condition that may require long-term treatment.

Prevent Long-Term Car Accident Injuries

Physical therapy can help accident victims avoid long-term injuries by strengthening the muscles around their joints and restoring their balance and posture. People who sustain whiplash injuries to the head or spine from their accidents are at high risk of developing post-traumatic spasms and other conditions that cause chronic pain.

A Car Accident Chiropractor Can Help Improve Your Mobility

Physical therapy can help to improve your mobility and reduce the risk of future complications. It can help you improve your posture, strengthen your core muscles, and improve your balance. All these things can help you walk more quickly and reduce the risk of falling and re-injuring yourself.