Recovering from a car accident will sometimes require physical therapy. While it can be a grueling experience, it can also be very effective. It can help you regain the range of motion you may have lost due to your injury, and might even help you function better than before you were hurt.
Of course, like any kind of injury treatment, physical therapy can be expensive. If you were hurt due to another driver’s negligence, The Eberst Law Firm may be able to help you obtain the compensation you deserve. Contact us online or call 1-888-CALL-JON for a free review of your case.
How Does Physical Therapy Help Car Accident Victims?
Physical therapy might be able to help you recover faster from your car accident injury than if you didn’t undergo this type of treatment. Your therapist will show you the areas that need to be strengthened so you can get back to normal as fast as possible.
Therapists will typically use stretching and other types of exercises to help blood get to the affected areas, such as your muscles and joints. It can help reduce the stiffness and pain that are often a part of an injury after a car wreck.
Car Crash Injuries that Physical Therapy Can Help With
There are many kinds of injuries that commonly occur as a result of an accident involving a vehicle. These include whiplash, back and neck injuries, broken bones and others. Many people find that physical therapy is a very important component of their recovery process.
Here’s some information on how physical therapy can help with some of the more common injuries caused by car accidents.
Whiplash and Frequent Headaches
Whiplash, a sudden, forceful, whip-like motion of the neck, is extremely common after rear-end collisions. Not only is neck pain a classic symptom, but sufferers often experience severe headaches as well.
Doctors will oftentimes recommend physical therapy to help treat whiplash. This will typically involve specific exercises to not only strengthen the affected muscles, but also help restore movement and prevent other injuries. In addition to exercises, physical therapists will sometimes use TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation). This involves the administration of mild electrical currents to help reduce neck pain and increase muscle strength.
Back and Neck Injuries
Back and neck pain is, unfortunately, another common consequence of car accidents. The severity of this pain can depend on many different factors, including the type of accident, whether or not you waited to get medical care, and others.
Physical therapy regimens to treat this issue will often include exercises to strengthen and stretch the affected muscles, as well as massage therapy to relieve discomfort in the muscles that surround the spine.
Shoulder Strains
A shoulder strain might not seem to be a major injury, but it can be incredibly painful – even debilitating. This is one of the reasons why you should never hesitate to get medical care after a car wreck – even if you don’t feel like you’re really hurt. The longer you wait, the worse an injury can get.
Physical therapists will typically recommend exercises to stretch strained shoulder muscles, as well as help make them more stable. They may also use athletic tape, ultrasound, heat and ice to reduce discomfort. In many instances, patients also receive home exercise programs to help with their recovery between sessions.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
When the brain is subjected to excessive force, such as when a car accident victim hits their head on a side window or dashboard, that can lead to a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The consequences of a TBI can be devastating, but physical therapy can often help.
Many TBI victims can benefit from physical therapy exercises that promote increased balance and coordination, reduce fatigue, and increase flexibility. By engaging in these activities, victims can oftentimes experience an increase in alertness, which helps them follow commands.
Bruised or Broken Ribs
While obviously not as potentially debilitating as a TBI, broken or bruised ribs suffered due to a car accident can rob a person of their quality of life. It can make it nearly impossible to perform everyday tasks without causing an incredible amount of pain. Broken ribs can make it excruciating to even breathe.
Physical therapy can help by improving flexibility and strength, promoting long-term stability of the broken bones, and improving the ability to breathe without pain.
Punctured Lungs
Also known as a pneumothorax, a punctured lung happens when air leaks out of the lung and into the chest, typically because of a broken rib. In most instances, surgery will be needed to repair the damage. Afterward, physical therapy will sometimes involve incentive spirometry, a specific group of breathing exercises, to help expand the lungs and speed recovery.
Herniated Discs
A herniated disc is another painful injury that can be a consequence of a wreck. Each bone in the spine is separated by a disc, which helps keep the spine flexible. A car accident can force a disc out of place, which leads to compression of the spinal nerves. Pain and numbness can be the result.
Many people with a herniated disc find relief through physical therapy. Exercises to strengthen and stretch the affected muscles can often reduce pain to the point where they feel normal once again.
Broken Bones
Broken bones also happen far too often because of a car accident. A victim’s bones can undergo a great deal of pressure during an accident, and can snap as a result. They can be crushed between pieces of metal, or even due to the deployment of an airbag.
Physical therapy for a broken bone will often focus on helping a person overcome the effects of the affected limb being immobilized, such as when it’s placed in a cast. Once the cast comes off, therapy can help restore strength, range of motion, and, eventually, full function.
Can I Receive Personal Injury Compensation for Physical Therapy?
Whether you’re insured or not, physical therapy can get very expensive, very quickly. With insurance, each session can cost as much as $55, with a deductible of $1,250 or even more. Without insurance, it can cost up to $150 per session. If the need for physical therapy is ongoing, the costs could easily reach into the tens of thousands of dollars.
In order to have the best possible chance of obtaining compensation to cover those expenses, you’ll need to contact a skilled, experienced attorney. Your attorney can investigate the cause of the accident to prove you weren’t at fault, and negotiate on your behalf with the insurance companies in order to achieve a fair settlement offer. If that offer isn’t forthcoming, your attorney can represent you in court.
Contact a Gainesville Car Accident Attorney
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with The Eberst Law Firm if you’ve been injured in a car accident that was another driver’s fault. We have a long track record of success in these kinds of cases, and we’ll work passionately to provide you with the very best representation we can.
If you would like a free case review, call 1-888-CALL-JON or use our online form.
