Automobile accidents frequently cause injuries that can affect your quality of life for months or even years. Many of these injuries can be treated by health care professionals, which can help improve your recovery speed and quality.
Physical therapists are health care professionals who specialize in many treatments that can help auto accident victims in their recovery. Physical therapy treatments are natural and empower your own body’s resources to help it recover. Treating an auto accident injury with physical therapy can reduce your dependency on drugs or invasive surgical procedures.
Common auto accident back injuries
Back injuries are common in automobile accidents because of the way your body jerks around in a collision and absorbs shock from the impact. Some common back injuries that physical therapists help treat after an auto accident include:
- Strain — A strain is the stretching or tearing of a muscle or tendon. There are many muscles and tendons in your back that can be strained in an automobile accident. When this happens, your back can be in pain and it may be more difficult to bend or twist.
- Sprain — A sprain is similar to a strain, but it affects your ligaments instead of your muscles and tendons.
- Herniated disc — A herniated disc is a disc in between the vertebrae in your spine that has burst. The fluid that was in the disc puts pressure on the nerves in your spine, which is painful and limits your range of motion. This pain may also spread into your arms or legs and can cause numbness and tingling.
- Fracture — A hard enough impact can cause one or more of the bones in your spine to fracture. Pain from a fracture is very intense, and it’s important that you try to remain still while you wait for help to arrive. Spinal fractures can be very serious and can lead to permanent disability.
- Spinal stenosis — Spinal stenosis is usually a chronic condition associated with other conditions like arthritis or a herniated disc, but an injury from an automobile accident can trigger it. It is the narrowing of your spinal column. When this happens, the spinal column puts more pressure on the nerves running through it, which is painful.
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) — Like spinal stenosis, DDD is typically a chronic condition. It is the natural stiffening and flattening of the discs in the spine that occurs as you age. This is painful and can limit your range of motion.
In an auto accident, the impact from a collision can apply so much shock to the discs that DDD may develop.
Visit Whatcom Physical Therapy for back injury treatment after an auto accident
Contact our team today for more information about back injury treatment after an auto accident or to schedule an initial appointment.
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