Getting injured in an automobile accident happens to people all the time, and it can be very costly if this happens to you. The Insurance Information Institute estimates that Americans spent $474 billion in 2020 to deal with the results of car accidents.
There are plenty of pieces that can come together to help with your auto injury treatment, and physical therapy can be one of the most important of these pieces.
Physical therapists typically have these 5 goals when building auto injury treatment plans
You will likely have your own goals for your auto injury treatment plan. Yet the medical experts who help treat your injury will also have goals in mind, and it’s important to understand what these goals may be. For physical therapists, creating a beneficial auto injury treatment plan typically means meeting these specific goals:
- Completing a physical and movement evaluation — Physical therapists are trained to know how the body is supposed to move. Examining you after a car accident injury and watching how you move can tell these specialists a lot. That’s why they’ll often take you through an exhaustive physical assessment and movement analysis. Usually, this will take place before they begin building your injury treatment program.
- Determining which injury you have — Car accidents are hard on the body and can lead to many different injuries. Just a few of the car accident injuries you might develop include:
- Whiplash.
- Fractures.
- Strains and sprains.
- Torn ligaments, tendons or muscles.
One goal that your physical therapist will need to accomplish is to pinpoint which injury you’ve developed during your accident. Combined with a physical and movement evaluation, this information provides the foundation for the treatment plan your physical therapist builds for you.
- Educating you about your injury — People may not know that physical therapists want to educate people about their injuries. But they do. There is a good reason for working toward this goal: Patients who know even a little about their injury are far more likely to be highly engaged in their recovery. This motivation can prove vital to the success of the treatment plan your physical therapist builds for you.
- Choosing the most effective treatments for you — This is another auto injury treatment plan goal that your physical therapist will strive to meet. Meeting this goal relies partly on the many treatment techniques they are familiar with. It also tends to rely on the type of injury you have and how it’s affecting you.
- Building a treatment plan that’s unique to you — It’s true that PT techniques like manual therapy are often used to treat car accident injuries. Yet how the treatment plan is built and implemented will also be based on your unique needs. Also, your physical therapist will try to take your own recovery goals into account when building and implementing your treatment plan.
Find effective auto injury treatment at Border Therapy Services
Looking for an auto injury treatment plan designed to meet your recovery needs? Border Therapy Services clinics are places where you can find the help you need. Our clinics offer free screenings that make it easier to start getting the care your injuries require. Also, our physical therapists excel at constructing treatment plans intended to ease your pain and help you recover as fast as possible.
Contact our team today for more information about how we can help treat your car accident injuries or to schedule your initial appointment.