Driving is a part of everyday life for most people. However, it can also be quite dangerous.
Every year, many millions of people get injured in car accidents across the country. Common physical injuries from car accidents include broken bones, back pain, and whiplash.
New research shows that car accident victims are more likely to develop chronic pain, or pain that lasts longer than three months. One way to minimize your chances of suffering from chronic pain due to a car accident is to receive immediate treatment for the injuries sustained during the car accident.
Get a Medical Evaluation After an Accident
We all know the basic steps of what to do after a car accident, such as exchanging information, calling the police, taking pictures, and reporting the accident to your insurance company. However, there is one step that is of vital importance to your physical health, and that is seeking immediate medical attention.
Injuries from a car accident can be as simple as cuts and bruises or as serious as internal bleeding or traumatic brain injury. While injuries like cuts and scrapes may be immediately obvious, others such as more serious head trauma, internal bleeding, or organ damage may take a few days to develop – and if it’s not treated, it could be fatal.
After an accident, you could be in shock, or your body may be running on adrenaline. Therefore, it is very important to see a doctor even if you don’t think you’re hurt, because the doctor knows what to check to ensure there aren’t any hidden injuries.
Get Treatment for Delayed Symptoms
You may start to feel delayed symptoms after an accident, such as neck or back pain, stiffness, or sore muscles. By seeking medical treatment sooner rather than later, you can identify any bodily damage that may have occurred and be given a treatment plan to correct those issues –and thereby prevent further damage to your body.
Get Medical Tests for Car Crash Injuries
After seeing a doctor following a car accident, they may run a battery of tests, such as a CT scan, X-ray, and/or MRI. These tests are done to help determine the extent of your injuries.
Based on those results, they can develop a treatment plan or even refer you to a specialist, such as an orthopedist, chiropractor, neurologist, or pain specialist. Depending on your injuries, these doctors can prescribe treatments to help manage your symptoms so that you can resume normal life activities.
Get Prescribed Therapy and Treatments
Several treatments and therapies your doctor may prescribe can include physiotherapy, chiropractic treatment, injections, and surgery.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy, more commonly known as physical therapy, uses proven techniques and exercise to help restore function and movement in the muscles and joints. Physiotherapy utilizes a customized set of exercise, manipulation, and massage techniques to help you regain strength and flexibility while also reducing pain.
Chiropractic Treatment
Chiropractic care can help you regain optimal spinal alignment using spinal manipulation or adjustment. Spinal adjustments may help you feel better after just one treatment, although some patients need several sessions to feel the full effects of the treatment.
Injections
Depending on your injuries, your doctor may prescribe injections to alleviate persistent inflammation and pain that may develop as a result of your car accident. As opposed to pain pills, which impact the entire body, injections directly target the pain itself.
Surgery
For patients with more severe injuries, surgery may be necessary. A board-certified physician will be able to assess the damage to see if surgery is necessary or if nonsurgical treatments can help instead.
Skilled Doctor in Oklahoma City
If you were injured in an auto accident, the board-certified physicians and medical staff at The Brooks Clinic can help. We specialize in the treatment of car accident injuries, and we offer an accident treatment program all in one office – which allows patients to not have to visit a separate clinic for expensive scans and tests.
To make an appointment with our experienced doctors in Oklahoma City, call us today at (405) 400-0877 or fill out our appointment request form here. We look forward to helping you recover after being in a car accident, so you can get back to enjoying an active lifestyle.
