Treating Neck and Back Injuries After a Car Accident
It’s common to be in pain after a car accident. Every year, over 4 million people visit the emergency room for their car accident injuries.
Even more telling, nearly one-half of those injuries involve a primary diagnosis of sprains or strains to the back or neck. It doesn’t take a major collision to leave you with back and neck injuries that can leave you in pain for months on end. These injuries can be debilitating and disrupt your daily life.
It’s important to take immediate steps right after the accident to minimize the effects of neck and back injuries. You’ll want to have an evaluation and treatment plan with a doctor who specializes in auto accident injuries.
How to Treat Neck and Back Pain After a Car Accident
The first step in your recovery from your accident will be to see a doctor about your injuries. This visit will determine the type and severity of your injuries and will allow the doctor to make recommendations.
Depending on the diagnosis, they may advise you to do one or more of the following steps to treat your neck and back pain.
Get Rest
After any injury, getting rest is ideal, especially for a back injury. Your doctor may recommend you take some time off of work to avoid sitting too long at a desk or standing on your feet for extended periods. Standing or sitting too long can add strain to your back.
Alternate Hot and Cold
Alternating between applying hot packs and cold packs is another way to soothe your injuries. These extremes in temperature can reduce inflammation and comfort tight muscles.
Physical Therapy
If your neck and back injuries are more serious, you may need to see a physical therapist. With physical therapy, you can restore strength to these areas and improve your range of motion.
Pain Medication
Sometimes, the pain you feel as you recover from your injuries is too much. Your doctor can prescribe something to help bring you relief until your neck and back heal further. Over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen may be helpful because they reduce inflammation and pain. You should check with your doctor before taking anything to make sure there will be no interference with any other medications you may be taking.
Massage Therapy
Massages can help reduce lower back pain and improve chronic pains. Since massages boost blood circulation throughout the body, they can be instrumental in helping you recover. Additionally, they can help improve your range of motion.
Surgery
Sometimes, neck and back injuries may not improve after trying these treatment options. In these situations, your doctor will likely recommend surgery. While the recovery time will be long and arduous, it could improve your mobility and level of comfort in time. However, the risks are far greater and the costs are expensive.
After suffering back and neck injuries in a car accident, you shouldn’t be saddled with the mountain of medical bills that will follow to help you heal.
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