Physical therapy is often prescribed following a car accident to help one recover from any injuries they sustained. Generally, you will first be assessed by your doctor or the hospital. If therapy is necessary, you will be referred out to an office that specializes in your specific type of injury or to a general auto injury therapy provider.
Trauma Treated
Physical therapy can be used to treat various types of injuries and trauma. When it comes to car accidents, whiplash along with other neck and spinal injuries are the most commonly treated. Your therapist may also need to help with therapy from other injuries sustained, such as muscle damage, broken bones, or neurological trauma.
Sometimes occupational therapy may also be necessary, depending on the type of injury. Occupational therapy is designed to help you regain the ability to do necessary tasks. For example, you may need to learn new ways of sitting at a desk for hours if you have suffered a back injury, or you may need to regain use of fine motor skills if your hand was broken in the accident.
Treatment Planning
Part of physical therapy requires coming up with a treatment plan. For many injuries, treatment can start in as little as a week. If there are broken bones or other major injuries that need to heal, then your therapy may be delayed for several weeks.
Treatment planning will involve taking imagery of the injury so its severity can be known. Your therapist will then work with your physician to craft an exercise plan to help you regain your abilities without the risk of further injury. You will be prescribed a series of in-office therapy visits in conjunction with exercises to complete at home. Keeping up with both is vital if you want to ensure the quickest and most complete recovery possible.
Therapy Types
There are several different types of physical therapy, and you can be prescribed more than one. The most common is orthopedic therapy, which focuses on the recovery of the bones, muscles, and ligaments that were damaged in the car accident. You may also be prescribed neurological therapy if you suffered a brain or spinal injury.
In some cases, specialized therapy may be necessary. This can be due to age, such as the need for pediatric or geriatric therapy. You may also need a specialist for severe injuries, such as those that result in complete or partial paralysis.
Contact a car injury therapy office to learn more about your recovery options.
Share24 May 2021
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