It’s Myth Busters time!
Did you know that more than three million people each year are involved in a car accident? Of that number, 27% of people involved in a car accident suffer from injury. That is nearly a million people who could benefit from physical therapy after a car accident.
Today, we are debunking the 3 most common myths about physical therapy following a car accident.
MYTH 1: I need to wait to start physical therapy after I’ve been in a car accident
TRUTH: Research shows that starting physical therapy sooner rather than later after a car accident results in a quicker recovery.
We hear it all the time. “I’m in too much pain for PT right now,” or “I can’t do exercises right now because I just got in a car accident.” Physical therapists prescribe more than just exercises and we won’t provide treatment that is not appropriate for you at that time. We do hands-on treatment (manual therapy) to help with pain, mobility, and muscle guarding. We will also recommend safe and effective movements and gentle stretches/exercises to reduce any potential fear of movement and/or tightness restricting your mobility.
MYTH 2: I need to finish chiropractic and/or massage therapy before coming to physical therapy to treat my injuries after a car accident.
TRUTH: You can see a physical therapist before, during, or after treatment with other providers. You do not need to wait.
We work closely with doctors, chiropractors, massage therapists, acupuncturists (and more!) when we’re treating mutual patients. We want to make sure that everyone providing treatment to our patients are on the same page and working towards the same goals- to get you back to feeling pain free! We understand that each profession has their specialty and physical therapy will always provide a unique approach to treating your pain and/or injury that your other providers are not doing.
MYTH 3: You aren’t “ready” for physical therapy.
TRUTH: Everyone is ready for physical therapy.
We approach each patient differently and take special care to individualize your treatment to your specific pain level, abilities, and goals. Although we will be challenging your body in order to make the necessary changes, we will not do anything that you are not ready for. If something hurts, we regress. If something is to easy, we progress. As you improve each week, we may do less hands-on treatments so that you gain confidence and learn how to continue to heal yourself without the use of someone else’s hands. We want to enable you to heal yourself; we’re here to guide you through that process.
Seeking physical therapy after a car accident is an important step to getting you moving and feeling better. Our physical therapists are highly skilled in treating patients in all stages of healing post car accident with individualized treatment programs to help you reach your goals.