According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, roughly 4.8 million Americans are injured in car accidents each year. In the state of Florida, especially in South Florida, car accidents tend to be very common due to our large population and congested areas.
Car accident injuries range in severity and frequently necessitate physical therapy or even long-term care. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, it is vital that you complete a comprehensive medical evaluation and get the proper treatment, this may include physical therapy.
Physical therapy, also called “PT”, can have long-term beneficial effects on your body so it properly recovers and heals after an injury. Even if an injury seems minor at first, it can develop into something more serious, so it’s best to seek treatment as soon as possible.
Manage Pain
Physical therapists are well-versed in the most effective treatments and exercises for managing pain from a car accident. Physical therapy, when included early in your recovery plan, boosts your chances of living a pain-free life for years after the accident. Physical therapists will look for injuries that may be putting additional strain on other parts of the body such as muscle tears, tendon weakness, or joint stiffness.
The following are common symptoms after a car accident:
- Headache, stiffness, and pain in the neck and shoulders
- Neck pain and loss of range of motion
- Chronic headaches or migraines
- Numbness and tingling in the hands and wrists
- Dizziness and weakness
- Blurred vision and memory issues from head trauma
After a car accident, physical therapy should be scheduled as soon as possible. Even if you do not have immediate pain or obvious injuries, minor symptoms may lead to severe symptoms or long-term pain as time progresses.
Evidence You Can Use to Support Your Claim
Physical therapy, in general, is not only an option for treating immediate injuries but it can also be used to support a claim after an accident. In your medical records, physical therapists record and verify injuries you’ve experienced, as well as information on your efforts to improve throughout sessions. Despite its time commitment, physical therapy can be important evidence in setting a treatment timeline and demonstrating to a jury that you are committed to making a full recovery.
Accelerating the Healing Process
Injuries sustained in a car accident may have long-term impacts on you. Some injuries are so severe that they prevent you from returning to work and even impede your ability to perform simple day-to-day tasks. If you recover quickly from your injuries, you have a better chance of returning to your normal routine. Working with a physical therapist after an injury can help you identify and focus on specific muscles, joints, tendons, or other body parts that require healing. Concentrated attention can help accelerate the rehabilitation process.
Future Surgery Can Be Avoided
Serious accident injuries often necessitate surgery, but even minor injuries may require surgery in the future due to wear and stress from daily activities. Physical therapy can treat minor injuries quickly, helping you to strengthen damaged muscles, joints, or tendons, avoiding the need for surgery.
Also, the time limit for filing an automobile accident claim in Florida is four years from the date of the accident. If you try to file a case years after an injury has occurred and you miss the deadline, the court will most likely dismiss your case.
Get Help After Your Car Accident from an Experienced Attorney
Following a car accident, receiving the appropriate medical care is critical to your recovery. As an experienced chiropractor and attorney, Leonard Valdes has been helping residents in Miami, Hialeah, and Homestead with various accident cases since 2010 and can assist you in compiling data on your treatment to present to an insurance company, court, or jury. Call 305-567-0910 to schedule a consultation with our firm.