Short and Long-Term Benefits To Physical Therapy After A Car Accident
on Thursday, September 5, 2019Car accidents are no picnic. Unfortunately, sometimes the aftermath is worse than the initial incident. There is still insurance and possible injuries and repairs to contend with. Even if we can’t agree on the cause of accidents, we can all agree that the health and recovery of all involved is the priority.
Most likely, urgent care and your primary physician will be the first to evaluate your injuries after a car accident. We encourage you to see a physical therapist as well. Below we discuss the short-term and long-term benefits of seeing a physical therapist following an auto accident, but first, let’s talk about delayed symptoms of injuries.
Pain and Symptoms of Injuries Can Be Delayed
Some symptoms can take days or weeks to recognize. This is why we recommend seeing a physical therapist after an auto accident within the first week or sooner. A physical therapist may be able to identify injuries before you know you have them. Four delayed symptoms to look out for are headaches, dizziness, sore muscles, and tingling/numbness. These could all be related to issues that can be identified by a physical therapist.
Short-Term Benefits
The initial short-term benefit to having a physical therapist evaluate you after an accident is to identify the injury. If there is pain already associated with the injury, the sooner we can address the problem, the sooner we can settle the pain in most cases. Physical therapy can also speed up recovery time.
Long-Term Benefits
In addition to recovering faster, allowing you to go back to work, and carrying on everyday activities sooner, physical therapy can also prevent secondary injuries which may be caused by not addressing specific issues. Physical therapy can also reduce or prevent long-term effects of your injuries through pain management or pain reduction. The latter also helps reduce your reliance on painkillers.
How Renew PT Can Help After an Auto Accident
We utilize therapeutic modalities such as cold/hot packs, electrical stimulation, ultrasound/phonophoresis, and topical analgesics/anti-inflammatories to reduce inflammation. These modalities may be used along with soft tissue massage, desensitization, hands-on manual techniques, and bracing, if necessary, to further settle the injured tissues and immediately begin decreasing acute pain. Joint mobilization procedures will help to reduce pain, improve mobility, and prevent long-term mechanical pain and dysfunction.
Renew Physical Therapy is Located in Southeast Portland
Renew Physical Therapy is an independent manual physical therapy clinic that was established in December 2015 by Michael and Heidi Cantwell. Our facility features three private treatment rooms and an open gym area to treat all our patients’ needs, including those with Auto and Work injuries. You can find us at 11010 SE Division Street in Portland, Oregon.
Visit our About Us page to learn more about our practice, clinic, and staff. Call us at 503.928.4914 to schedule an appointment.
Renew Your Body, Reclaim Your Life!