Accident Physical Therapy

AT EVOLVE

WHY SHOULD I SEE A PHYSICAL THERAPIST FOR AN ACCIDENT-RELATED INJURY?

The art of physical therapy is one that balances a reactive and proactive approach. Many of our patients and clients come to us needing help to recover from an accident-related injury, many of which are unavoidable but all of which have an impact on their daily lives. In many cases the “wait-and-see” and “rest is best” approaches to dealing with injury can lead to delayed healing and prolonged recovery times unless specified by your doctor or surgeon. Our team of physical therapists take an evidence-based and individualized active recovery approach to help facilitate and hasten recovery from day one.

My team of therapists and I will always start by getting to know your concerns and goals and performing a thorough physical exam to look for the cause or contributing factors to your symptoms. With all of this knowledge in hand, we will create a custom program that may consist of hands-on techniques performed by our therapists combined with carefully prescribed movements and exercises performed by you in the clinic and at home.

WHEN WILL I BEGIN TO SEE RESULTS?

While the rate of progress depends on many factors, you may begin to see results right away. If you are recovering from a surgery or acute injury, your physical therapist will help to support the body’s natural healing process and you should experience improvements in many symptoms such as pain, stiffness, and inflammation within a couple of weeks, but returns in strength, flexibility and overall mobility may take longer. Even if your accident happened some time ago but you have not recovered fully, we aim to help you experience some relief as quickly as possible. Achieving long lasting results may take some time, but dedication to your program will not only help you achieve these results but will help to decrease the likelihood of symptoms recurring in the future.

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WHAT TYPES OF ACCIDENT-RELATED INJURIES BENEFIT FROM PHYSICAL THERAPY?

No matter the type of injuries you sustained from your accident, physical therapy can likely help you recover faster and more completely. Car accidents, slips and falls, work-related injuries, and sporting injuries are commonly seen in physical therapy. Below are some of the many accident-related injuries that physical therapists treat:

Brain injuries and concussions
Chronic headaches resulting from a head or neck injury
Bone fractures
Ligament sprains and muscle strains
Muscle contusions
Joint pain or injury
Back and neck pain
Injuries to the arms or legs
Injuries to the nervous system such as spinal cord injuries or peripheral nerve injuries
Post surgical conditions
Alterations in tissue mobility after surgery or injury

WHAT INJURY-RELATED SYMPTOMS RESPOND WELL TO PHYSICAL THERAPY TREATMENT?

The primary goal of physical therapy is to help you return to your prior level of functioning as much as possible. In order to do that, physical therapy aims to address both the symptoms of the injury as well as the functional implications of the injury.

Some symptoms commonly seen in accident-related injuries that often respond well to physical therapy are as follows:

Pain–both acute and chronic pain
Swelling and inflammation
Stiffness in the joint, muscle or surrounding tissue
Bruising or hematomas
Headaches
Low stamina or endurance
Muscle weakness
Dizziness
Fear of movement

These symptoms commonly affect the daily activities we need to perform thus physical therapy helps to address impairments in function so that you can return to your regular activities.

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**End Injury Progression**
Physical therapy for accident related injuries has proven to slow and even stop pain, heal accident related injuries, and end injury progression in many cases.

**Relieve Pain**
The movements used in this technique can target ranging from your feet and ankles, to legs, lower back, upper back, hips, core, shoulders, and neck helping you to manage pain during the course of your accident injury physical therapy treatments.

**Improve Range of Motion**
Posture awareness is also an important area to focus on during and after treatment due to the fact that certain positions may cause you further pain.while promoting an injury relapse or even more serious injury.

**Restore Mobility**
You can regain mobility and flexibility by taking part in the specialized techniques, stretches, and exercises as prescribed by your physical therapist.

Here are some examples of functional impairments targeted by physical therapy treatment:

If you decide to work with a physical therapist to help correct your accident related medical issues, your entire treatment plan could consist of around 8-20+ different physical therapy sessions that will each last 60-90 minutes. Once you complete your customized physical therapy treatment plan, you will be able to continue to do the prescribed stretches and exercises utilized during your accident PT sessions yet in the comfort of your own home.

Can You Benefit from Physical Therapy for Back Pain?

This method of physical therapy for upper or lower back pain can be beneficial for children as well as adults. Anyone who is suffering from back pain and irritation that is often associated with a back injury may benefit from physical therapy for back pain exercises and stretches.

Difficulty walking
Inability to lift or carry anything heavy
Trouble reaching overhead
Difficulty bending over
Inability to get on your knees or on and off the floor
Trouble balancing
Difficulty standing for long periods or walking long distances
Difficulty driving
Inability to use your hand to perform tasks like writing or putting on makeup
Sensitivity to light and computer screens
Inability to participate in your favorite sports or hobbies

This is just a small list of functional tasks that may be the prime target of physical therapy intervention after an accident. Be sure to let our team of physical therapists know what your goal activities are so they can tailor your program to meet your needs.

Common Accident Physical Therapy Treatments-

While the specific treatment delivered to you will depend on the reason you are receiving physical therapy, here are some treatments commonly used at our facility to address accident-related injuries: Manual therapy: Manual therapy is a hands-on manipulative type of physical therapy that your physical therapist can use to reduce areas of pain and discomfort and improve joint and tissue mobility.

Postural re-education and body mechanics training: learning to move well can be an important step to recovering from an injury. By learning to adjust your posture and move in an efficient and safe way you can perform more activities with less discomfort and a lower risk of injury.

Strength and flexibility training: Graded exercises to improve muscle strength and overall flexibility will be prescribed to meet your current abilities. Having adequate strength and flexibility around joints, muscles and other tissues can help reduce symptoms of pain and help you feel more capable of moving and performing tasks at home, at work, and during your favorite activities.

Gait and balance training: if you are having difficulty with balancing or walking then physical therapy can help you to recover these skills. You will receive training on how to use an assistive device such as a wheelchair, walker, crutches or cane if needed. Interventions aimed at improving balance, strength, walking endurance and walking mechanics can help you restore walking, running and more dynamic movements.

Education: both understanding the mechanics of your body and how things that you do in your daily life may be helping or exacerbating your symptoms is an important part of your physical therapy program. Our goal with education is to help you understand your condition and how you can help yourself to recover and maintain these improvements over time.

If you are looking for a team of top physical therapists to help you recover from an accident-related injury, call us today to learn more about our services and schedule an evaluation: Call to Schedule a Consultation! 1-718-258-3300