What Happens to My Body in a Car Accident?
Auto accident injuries may not present like any other injury you’ve experienced, which can make it a scary process to navigate. You will likely experience muscle guarding, where the larger muscles in the body “guard” to protect you from more serious injuries causing extreme tightness and/or muscle spasms. Smaller muscles then turn off, producing weakness and feelings of tiredness. As a result, pain is experienced even when trying to perform everyday regular activities.
When Should I seek Treatment?
It is recommended that you see your doctor immediately to be evaluated. If the doctor clears you of a more serious injury (i.e. fracture, ligament instability), you should begin physical therapy as soon as that afternoon. Delaying treatment will allow the muscles to further tighten and spasm. Psychological factors such as frustration, anxiety, and in some cases post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after car accident can further complicate the healing process. The sooner you can receive physical therapy to offset this muscle guarding, the sooner your body will heal.
If you are in too much pain after a car accident to drive to treatment, you may be a good candidate for mobile physical therapy.
What Does Car Accident Physical Therapy Look Like?
Your Physical Therapist will provide soft tissue mobilization and muscle energy techniques to decrease muscle spasms and restore normal muscle length. Passive range of motion is also introduced with modalities (i.e. ice, heat, electrical stimulation). Once pain is reduced and managed, light progressive resistance exercises are started. We will manage progressions to ensure proper healing and restoration of strength. To learn more about recovering from an auto accident, click here.
How Long Does Physical Therapy Last After a Car Accident?
It depends on the severity of your injury, which cannot be determined by how fast the cars, motorcycles, or trucks involved in the accident were going. Recovery after a Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA), or car accident, varies case-by-case.
In my clinical experience, the severity of the accident has minimal bearing on the severity of your injury. I have seen patients with minor car accident injuries from rollover accidents, such as mild hip pain. I have also seen patients from minor fender benders that caused serious injuries and they endured pain for months or even years following.
Each injury also varies in severity depending on the person and cause. A vestibular injury after an auto accident is fairly common and can be caused by the muscle guarding we talked about earlier, or a shifting of what some refer to as inner ear crystals, those and variety of other injuries can all be resolved through physical therapy.
Who Pays for Physical Therapy After a Car Accident?
If you have Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or Medical Payments (Med Pay) coverage, your auto insurance will pay for medical bills. Either of these is considered your primary source of medical insurance, which means it needs to be exhausted before utilizing your health insurance.
If you do not have either PIP or MedPay, then your health insurance can be used (subject to normal deductibles, copays, and co-insurances). If a 3rd party is responsible for the collision, their insurance company will typically reimburse your auto insurance or health insurance when the case settles.
Should I hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Most personal injury lawyers work on a “contingency,” which means they are only paid if your case wins a settlement. To find a personal injury lawyer, you can visit this page to see who we recommend in the area, or you can visit the following links to see who else is available in Renton, Bellevue, and Seattle. Physical Therapy Dynamix is happy to help with any other questions you may have during this difficult time.