Being involved in a car accident can be one of the most traumatic and difficult times during your life. You will often be in contact with many different people to help, including the police, lawyers, doctors, and ICBC. But it is most important to take care of yourself, and make sure you make a full physical and functional recovery after your accident. If you have an injury, your doctor or lawyer may direct you to a physiotherapist who can help you recover from your injuries through car accident rehab.
One of the most common injuries after a car accident is whiplash. The injury occurs due to of the sudden force on the vehicle causing your head to “whip” forward, backwards or side-to-side, and the muscles of the neck quickly tightening as a response. This can result in a sore stiff neck, headaches, joint stiffness, and sometimes pinched nerves. The length of recovery will depend on the severity of your symptoms. A physiotherapist can help to decrease your neck pain and improve your neck mobility by using different modalities, hands on techniques, education and exercises over the course of your treatment.
A car accident can also cause injuries in other areas of your body. Some examples of injuries that may be caused from a car accident are;
- Low back pain
- Sciatica
- Fractures
- Concussions
- Joint sprains
- Joint dislocations
- Muscle contusions
All of these injuries are unique and will be treated differently, but the goal of each individualized car accident rehab treatment program will remain to help you make a full functional recovery.