Automotive accidents are very common and can result in all kinds of injuries. It’s estimated that more than 2 million people were injured on the roadways in 2020 alone. Depending on the severity of the injuries incurred during an auto accident, people can heal in a few days, weeks, or much longer. For many people, lingering effects of injuries are common after car accidents, and if they aren’t treated properly they can become chronic.
Injuries can manifest in a number of ways, including reduced mobility, stiffness, weakness, and pain. An effective method to treat many auto accident injuries is chiropractic physical therapy. Chiropractic physical therapy aims to treat the root cause of the auto injury to eliminate any symptoms and return patients to a pain-free and mobile physical state. There is a range of different chiropractic physical therapy techniques, all suited to specific problems and symptoms.
Benefits of Chiropractic Physical Therapy for Auto Accident Injuries
Below, we’ll discuss the benefits of physical therapy for auto accident injuries and the types of chiropractic physical therapy techniques for auto injuries.
The symptoms, techniques used, and goals of chiropractic physical therapy often depend on the type and severity of the injury. However, the potential benefits of chiropractic physical therapy for auto accident injuries include the following:
Accelerated recovery time. Chiropractic physical therapy can greatly reduce your recovery time. Letting your body heal on its own without the assistance of physical therapy can make injuries take much longer to heal than with regular physical therapy techniques. In some cases, full recovery may even be unlikely without rigorous physical therapy.
Surgery avoidance. Surgery is highly invasive, and it's best to avoid it and only use surgery as a last-result option in many cases, especially if there are other techniques that will yield the same result. With chiropractic physical therapy, you may be able to heal your injuries without the need for surgery.
Reduced pain. In general, chiropractic techniques can be extremely effective when it comes to pain reduction and physical therapy is no exception.
Improved mobility. If your injury has made it hard to move and function as you normally would, then mobility is probably a priority for you when it comes to treatment options. Physical therapy is often aimed at reducing stiffness and healing your injury in such a way that you regain mobility in the affected area.
Improved strength. Strength improvement and physical therapy go hand in hand. If you’re feeling weak from your auto accident injury, then physical therapy can help. It will greatly speed up the process of returning strength to your body so that you’re back to normal faster.
Detection of hidden injuries. Another great benefit to seeking chiropractic treatment is that your chiropractor may discover a hidden injury that is latent or otherwise ignored by your body. This means that after chiropractic physical therapy treatments are complete, you may walk away feeling even better than you did before the auto accident.
Types of Chiropractic Physical Therapy Techniques for Auto Accident Injuries
Chiropractic physical therapy includes a variety of techniques. The techniques recommended by your Accident Care Chiropractic chiropractor will vary based on the type and severity of your injury. Below, we’ve included a list of common techniques used for auto accident injuries, although they are not limited to this list:
Stretches: Stretching is a great way to improve function and alleviate stiffness. Your chiropractor can help you stretch and recommend specific stretches for you to do at home to increase mobility and speed up the healing process.
Exercises: Therapeutic exercises can be done manually with your chiropractor and/or at home. Exercises aim to restore strength and range of motion along with promoting healing to your injury.
Massage therapy: Therapeutic massage treats tense and stiff muscles. It will help to relax muscles and aid in the healing process. In addition, therapeutic massage therapy can help to eliminate both physical and emotional stress resulting from an accident.
Trigger Point Therapy: Trigger point injection therapy helps to reduce pain and inflammation during the healing process without the dangers and addictive properties of traditional painkillers.
Instrument-assisted soft tissue therapy: This is a myofascial technique that uses stainless steel instruments that conform to specific anatomical locations to help target soft tissues, myofascia, and muscles. It can help to improve the range of motion and reduce pain as a result of an auto injury.
Resistance and/or flexibility therapy: Resistance therapy involves using elastic resistance bands in stretching and strengthening exercises to improve mobility and strength. Flexibility therapy involves exercises and stretches aimed at improving flexibility and therefore range of motion.
Postural training: Postural training involves a variety of techniques that aim to improve your posture during the day. Doing so can alleviate back, neck, shoulder, and leg pain that may be impeding the healing process of your injury.
Hydrotherapy: Hydrotherapy uses water to soothe pain and inflammation. Hydrotherapy may involve hot tubs, pools, whirlpools, or physiotherapy tanks.
Heat/Cold therapy: Heat/cold therapy is a simple, yet effective chiropractic physical therapy technique. Cold therapy involves using ice packs that help to reduce inflammation and swelling, especially after injuries like strains, sprains, and bruising. Whereas cold therapy restricts blood flow to injuries, reducing swelling and inflammation, heat therapy opens them up. Heat therapy is great for reducing aches and pains and promoting healing. Alternating between applying heat and cold to injuries is great at reducing inflammation while promoting blood flow to speed up the healing process.
Electric stimulation: This treatment option uses safe and low-frequency electrical currents to stimulate muscles. It can reduce pain and stiffness, and return mobility to the affected area.
Physical Therapy at Accident Care Chiropractic
If you’ve been in an auto accident recently and have any pain, loss of mobility, stiffness, or other problems, you should seek treatment right away. If it’s an emergency, you should seek care at a hospital or medical doctor’s office. However, if you’ve already seen a doctor or have other problems, you should consider chiropractic treatment for your injuries.
Chiropractic treatment options are safe, non-invasive, and highly effective at rooting out the cause of the injuries, improving functioning, and reducing pain.
Accident Care Chiropractic is a high-quality chiropractic treatment facility that employs the finest chiropractors. At Accident Care Chiropractic, we will help you to diagnose your problems, reveal any hidden injuries, and offer the best and most effective treatment options available. So if you’ve recently been in an auto accident, reach out to us today and schedule an appointment.
