4 Tips To Speed Up Your Recovery from a Car Accident Injury

Numerous car accidents take place across America each year. For instance, these car accident statistics in Philadelphia show that just this one city experiences over ten thousand motor vehicle crashes annually. While the majority of accidents in the US are minor with no injury or significant property damage, thousands of crashes do lead to death and serious injury. 

A car accident injury can inhibit your ability to embark on, what would otherwise be, your ordinary daily routine activities. The longer it takes for you to recover, the harder it is for, not just you, but also the people around you. Ergo, every opportunity to accelerate recovery should be taken advantage of. 

There are things you can do to get you back on your feet as soon as possible. Here’s a look at some practical tips in that regard.

1. Seek Medical Help Immediately

Not all motor vehicle accident injuries are immediately apparent. Many people will, following a crash, choose to walk it off because they neither feel any pain nor see any lacerations or bleeding. It’s hours or days later when the symptoms begin to show up that they realize the accident did cause them bodily harm. 

As with any medical issue, the earlier injury is addressed, the quicker and cheaper the treatment will eventually be. So, even if you are caught up in what seems like a minor crash, visit the emergency room for a comprehensive medical examination. Err on the side of caution and you’ll better your odds of a faster path to full recovery.

2. Follow Your Doctor’s Instructions

If the thorough medical examination unearths one or more injuries, your doctor may prescribe surgeries, medication, further testing, lifestyle changes, and more. That, together with the frequent doctor’s appointments well into the foreseeable future, may feel a little overwhelming. You may have to take time from work or go on considerable commutes to see a recommended specialist. 

Skipping one or two appointments may appear negligible. You could also choose to completely abandon doctor’s instructions at a point when you feel you no longer need medical attention. This would, however, be counterintuitive to your goal of rapid recovery. Instead, think of any short term inconvenience as being worth it in the long haul.

3. Follow Through on Rehabilitation Activity

Car accidents may lead to back, arm, leg, neck, and other injuries that require multiple physical therapy sessions to overcome. Like doctor’s instructions though, it’s easy to give up on rehabilitation. 

It’s especially hard at the beginning when you have to attend four to five physical therapy sessions each week. This is further compounded by the fact that the therapist will recommend you do further exercises when you get home. 

If you have four therapy sessions a week, missing one session won’t look significant. But over the course of weeks and months, this one lost session leads to a sizable backlog in overall recovery time. Stick to the rehabilitation plan and you can bolster your physical strength and speed up your healing.

4. Rest Well. Eat Right

Many illnesses dissipate with rest. On the other hand, sickness is often exacerbated by a lack of adequate rest. Similarly, recovery from a car accident injury depends on the amount of rest you get. 

If necessary, obtain a doctor’s note that asks your employer to give you time off work or suggests you are assigned less strenuous duties. Likewise, your doctor may require that you adhere to a given diet. They may also urge you to increase the amount of water you drink and the consumption of certain vitamins and nutrients. Do it. 

The injured party is sometimes not reconciled with their current physical limitations and may want to quickly get back to doing the same activity they could easily do before the crash. It’s a costly mistake. Take time to rest and eat right. That will expedite your transition to full physical health.

Conclusion

Recovery from any medical condition takes time and care. This is particularly true for car accident injuries since the crash subjects the victim’s body to various forces. You don’t have to leave your recovery to chance. Apply these tips, and you can reduce the time it takes to recover.