A whopping six million car accidents happen every year in the U.S, according to Driver Knowledge. Whether you’ve been in a fender bender or a life-altering wreck, your crash has added another tick to that tally.
Once the shock and adrenaline from the crash wear off, you might find that your body feels a bit different. Aches and pains post-accident don’t always go away on their own, either. You might need a physical therapist to help work out the kinks.
But how do you know when you need to seek out professional help? Here are three of the major signs that you need physical therapy after an auto accident in Tampa and beyond.
1. You Have Invisible Injuries
You may have walked away from your car accident, seemingly unscathed. Under the surface, though, late-onset injuries lingered. And, now, they’re starting to flare up and cause you discomfort.
Invisible injuries include whiplash, headaches, lightheadedness, and numbness, among other symptoms. Left untreated, any of these can get worse and more painful. Whiplash, for one, can digress into chronic neck and back pain.
Seeing a physical therapist can help you overcome auto accident injuries. Your doctor will have a slew of techniques with which to lessen your pain. For instance, they might recommend a paraffin bath to boost your mobility.
2. You Find It Tough to Move
Car accident injuries, both visible and invisible, can hinder your regular movements. Perhaps you feel pain or stiffness post-crash — physical therapy can help with that, oif course.
Physical therapists are movement experts — it’s their job to get your body back to its full range of motion. Their methods will help you with a variety of car-accident side effects, too.
For example, you might need to loosen your upper body once whiplash has tightened it up. Or, your crash-related injuries may have required surgery to fix. A physical therapist can guide you through gentle exercises to get muscles moving again.
Be sure to enlist the help of a Tampa physical therapy clinic that specializes in post-accident relief. That way, you can get the most useful, knowledgeable care in your situation.
3. Your Pain Gets Worse
The most common reason to seek out physical therapy is lingering pain. Indeed, many people attempt to wait it out anyway. Perhaps the pain will subside, they think to themselves.
And yet, your pain has gotten worse in the wake of your accident. When this happens, it should be a huge red flag — your body isn’t healing on its own. It’s nothing to panic about, but worsening pain should signal you that it’s time to see a doctor.
Your physical therapist can come up with a routine that will combat your ongoing pain. They may work in tandem with your doctor, too, to make sure everything’s okay. And that’s peace of mind you wouldn’t have without seeking out Tampa physical therapy in the first place.
Try Physical Therapy
The right physical therapist will work with you to soothe the pain you feel after your car accident. With that, you can return to your day-to-day life with comfort and confidence.
All you have to do is make an appointment with us and get on the path to healing.