How Soon After a Car Crash Can You Do Physical Therapy?

Physical Therapy After Accident in Newark NJ

You might be surprised, but you should start physical therapy immediately following a car accident. In fact, many people begin therapy within three days of being involved in an automobile accident. While that might seem soon, going to physical therapy immediately provides some important benefits. Let’s look at some reasons you should go to physical therapy right away.

Recover Faster

Physical therapists specialize in helping people recover from physical trauma or injuries. By going to physical therapy right after an injury, you can dramatically shorten your recovery time. That means you can go back to your normal life much sooner than you would if you tried to recover on your own. Instead of letting your injuries linger for weeks, months, or years, it makes sense to go to a physical therapist right away.

Avoid Developing a Chronic Issue

Your body increases the blood flow to the injured area to promote healing. This causes the area to swell and is quite painful. If the area doesn’t heal properly, the inflammation will continue, leading to a chronic problem. Fortunately, you can avoid this by starting physical therapy right away. Your physical therapist will help you recover from your injury while also reducing pain and inflammation.

Avoid Secondary Injuries

If left untreated, one injury can lead to another. For example, assume that the car accident caused you to sprain your wrist, and you decide to forgo treatment. The soft tissue around your wrist has to work overtime to make up for the loss of stability. You end up with additional soft tissue injuries.

You could avoid that by going to a physical therapist right after your car accident. The physical therapist will help you strengthen the muscles around your wrist, making it more stable. This will make you less likely to suffer any secondary injuries.

Reduce the Likelihood of Surgery

Failing to treat your injuries right after a car accident could cause them to get much worse. That, in turn, could mean you have to get surgery. Surgery is rarely an ideal treatment. You have to worry about side effects, and invasive treatments rarely restore the body to how it was before the injury. Physical therapy has proven as an effective way to avoid surgery for various injuries and ailments. Of course, the sooner you go to physical therapy, the more likely you’ll avoid surgery. Instead of waiting to see if you get better, begin physical therapy immediately to optimize the results.

Do You Need Physical Therapy?

Your body went through a lot during the car accident. Right now, it’s working in overdrive, trying to help you recover. It could be doing more damage than good, though. Give your body a break by starting physical therapy. If you were just in an accident, now is the ideal time to begin. However, even if your accident was weeks or months ago, your physical therapist can still help you move down the road to recovery.

Call (973) 485-2332 today to schedule your appointment with an experienced auto accident physical therapist in Newark, NJ. We accept most insurance plans, including NJ PIP, for auto accident injuries. We also offer chiropractic care in our Newark location. Same-Day appointments may be available, call us today!