A car accident can be a life-altering event. It often results in serious injuries that can take months or even years to fully recover. Car accident injuries can impact your quality of life as it prevents you from performing your daily normal routines. The best way to get you back on track and enjoy the life you once had is to undergo physiotherapy after a car accident.
According to a report from Transport Canada, 7,868 people sustained serious injuries from car accidents. High impact rear collision can put a person at risk of “whiplash,” an injury that causes the neck to extend beyond its normal range of motion. Symptoms of whiplash include:
- Stiffness and pain in the head, neck, and shoulders
- Decreased range of motion in the neck
- Chronic headaches or migraines
- Numbness or tingling sensation felt in the upper extremities
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Occasional blurred vision and memory problems
In some cases, you may not immediately experience the symptoms of whiplash. Seeking immediate medical care is highly recommended to evaluate your physical health. Delaying physio treatment can result in long-term health problems, such as chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or limited mobility.
Why Physiotherapy?
If you are involved in a car accident in Guelph, physio and rehab should be crucial parts of your treatment care plan to address and treat various musculoskeletal injuries. A physiotherapist in Guelph will provide you with a comprehensive assessment of your current health condition, including joint strength examination, posture tests, and other specialized tests. The result of the assessment will be used to create a physio treatment program tailored to your condition and injury.
Physiotherapy helps Guelph car accident patients regain their strength and mobility while treating injured muscles and/or joints. In some cases, the physiotherapist may partner with an occupational therapist to treat and help severely injured patients relearn daily activities, such as getting dressed and brushing their teeth.
While some patients only need a few physiotherapy sessions, others may require months or even years of therapy to recover fully. Depending on the severity of the injury you sustained, the physiotherapist may use any of the following techniques:
- Postural strength to help reduce the pain in the neck, shoulder, and back
- Personalized exercises that target acute and chronic pain, spine dysfunction, and body weakness
- Manual therapy to stimulate joints, get rid of scar tissue, treat inflammatory conditions, and boost the healing of tissues.
Your physiotherapist will work and guide you through all the strengthening stretches and exercises to strengthen weak areas in the body and target the root cause of the injury. Regular sessions are key to achieving lasting symptom relief.
How Physiotherapy Benefits Car Crash Patients
Today, many car crash victims visit a physiotherapy clinic to manage, alleviate, and overcome pain and injuries. Getting the right form of physiotherapy treatment is vital to promoting the natural healing processes of the body. For instance, physiotherapy can help improve the mobility and strength of your neck to accelerate your recovery.
In addition to helping patients recover from painful injuries, physiotherapy also includes other important aspects, like educating patients, recommending proper stretching and exercise techniques, and a variety of therapies. Teaching patients the correct body posture and positioning helps reduce pain and restore mobility and strength. Stretches, exercises, and manual therapy are essential in improving the range of motion. Other forms of therapy, such as chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage therapy help provide relief from painful symptoms. Incorporating certain therapies and exercises enables you to quickly recover and get back to your regular activities.
- Supports Recovery
Often, you do not realize the severity of your injury until you have returned to your daily routine. Find a reliable physiotherapist as soon as possible to help you recover fully from injuries. With the right physiotherapy regimen, the root cause of pain, stiffness, chronic headaches, and limited range of motion can be immediately addressed so you can bounce back from your injuries and return to your day-to-day activities.
- Reduce Pain
One of the primary goals of physiotherapy is to alleviate pain. Certain physical activities help reduce pain and boost the recovery process — that is why physiotherapists will develop personalized treatment programs that include stretching and strengthening exercises that target the affected areas in the body. Physical activities stimulate the body to supply oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the injured tissues to promote fast and natural healing.
- Prevent Potential Surgery
Another reason why people seek physiotherapy is that it is a non-invasive way to treat injuries. While in some cases, surgery is inevitable after a car crash, a physiotherapist will develop a treatment plan that is unique to your needs to exhaust every option before considering surgery. However, if your physician still recommends surgery to treat your injuries, physiotherapy is also crucial for post-surgical rehabilitation. Often, attending regular physiotherapy sessions can help you extend the time between their surgeries.
- Prevent Long-Term Damage
In addition to improving your flexibility, mobility, and strength, physiotherapy is widely used to prevent further complications, including the inability to walk and debilitating pain. Failure to address these problems right away can result in long-term damage. The sooner you get treatment, the more quickly you can recover and enjoy a relatively pain-free life for years to come.
- Restore Function
Receiving medical treatment directly after a car accident ensures you get an accurate diagnosis and a treatment program tailored to your health care needs. Delaying medical evaluation can result in more debilitating symptoms and further complications, like loss of mobility. With regular physiotherapy sessions, your body will restore its functions over time.
- Improve Mental Health
Getting involved in a motor vehicle accident and suffering serious injuries can cause your mental health to plummet, even during the recovery process. However, physiotherapy can also help you heal physically and emotionally after the accident. Attending regular sessions is a great way to keep you active, as well as interact and talk with your physiotherapist.
If you have been injured in a car accident, Westwood Physiotherapy and Wellness provides a personalized treatment care plan to help you regain your strength and recover from your injuries. Let our team of physiotherapists help you take back control of your life. Call us today at (519) 341-5161 to book an appointment.