While some severe accidents and car crash injuries such as neck, brain, knees, shoulder, back, and other joint issues naturally take longer to heal, other factors may contribute to an overall slow recovery process. Pre-existing medical conditions, including degenerative joint disease, arthritis, and other conditions, may lengthen your recovery process after an accident. Mental health problems like anxiety and depression escalate your pain levels and increase recovery time.
Tobacco consumption may also slow your recovery process after a car accident because it contains carbon monoxide, nicotine, and hydrogen cyanide. These chemicals reduce the oxygen amount in your blood, weaken your immune system, thicken your blood, and cause pain, swelling, or inflammation. Your age may also impact your ability to heal faster. Nevertheless, there’s always something you can do to speed up your healing process. Discussed below are 10 tips for quick recovery after an accident.
1. Hire a personal injury attorney
If your injury was due to somebody else’s negligence, you’re entitled to file a personal injury lawsuit. However, the process can be long, daunting, and frustrating, especially when you’re still recovering. The insurance company may also reject your claim or offer little compensation that doesn’t cover your damages, requiring you to put up a fight.
Worrying about the case while still recovering can be stressful, increasing your recovery time. Consider hiring a personal injury lawyer to handle the case on your behalf. This ensures that you have all the time to focus on your healing, shortening the recovery period. You can learn more about personal injury lawsuits at The Accident Law Center.
2. Seek medical attention immediately after the accident
Accidents may result in mild or severe injuries, some of which may not be obvious to the naked eye. No matter how you feel after the accident, seeking immediate medical care is paramount. This allows your doctor to attend to any severe injuries you may immediately, increasing the chances of quick recovery.
Seeking medical attention helps maintain proper documentation essential for your personal injury claim. It also enables them to rule out any internal damage, ensuring your health. Delaying medical attention may give insurance adjusters an upper hand in proving that you weren’t injured, resulting in loss of compensation rights.
3. Find the right doctor for your injury
Your primary care physician may not have the training, qualification, and skills to examine, diagnose and treat your accident injuries. Consider seeking expert care from professionals who are trained, certified, and experienced in the kind of injuries you sustained. For example, if you suffer neck and spine injuries, you’ll have neck specialists treating you from the top of your shoulders to the head’s bottom.
Spine specialists have a broader scope, including individual vertebrae or a section of the vertebrae and back pain. A specialist’s treatment means accessing the correct diagnosis, treatment, and follow-ups, reducing healing time.
4. Stick to your treatment plan
Seeking medical assistance alone can’t speed up your recovery. You have to follow through with the treatment plan your doctor outlines for you. It may include regular checkups, prescription medication, physical therapy, and other treatments depending on your injury. Sticking to the treatment plan helps you recover faster. Failure to adhere to the outlined medical treatment may lead to the insurance company arguing that you didn’t follow through with your treatment, reducing your personal injury claim compensation.
5. Get enough rest
The science behind sleep and recovery suggests that muscle blood flow increases as you fall into deeper sleep, supplying the nutrients and oxygen necessary for muscle repair and recovery and cell generation. Getting enough rest, including cutting back on exercising, reducing movements, and sleeping is crucial for recovery. Getting enough sleep results in muscle and tissue rejuvenation and repair, helping you recover faster.
Upon falling into a deep sleep, your pituitary gland produces growth hormones responsible for stimulating muscle growth and repair. Failure to get enough rest reduces this hormone’s secretion, making it difficult for your body to heal from injuries. The prolactin hormone, which regulates inflammation, is also released when sleeping. Getting enough sleep reduces inflammation and speeds up recovery.
6. Suitable exercises
While exercises can help you heal quicker, doing the wrong ones and going all out can worsen your injuries. Consider consulting a therapist for advice on the moves that can stretch and strengthen the injured part. Start slow and ensure you’re mentally ready for the challenge. Involve multiple exercises in your routine and consider listening to your body to determine when to stop.
7. Focus on your nutrition and stay hydrated
Certain food ingredients may affect your body’s response to inflammation, lower muscular atrophy, and enhance tissue regeneration. Consider investing in foods rich in protein, essential fatty acids, vitamin C, antioxidants, vitamin D, zinc, collagen, potassium, magnesium, and iron. If you cannot get all these nutrients from a regular diet, incorporate dietary supplements in your meals to cover the deficiencies. After an accident, your body needs sufficient fluids to repair tissue and muscle damage, so hydrate adequately.
8. Go for massage therapy
After an accident, your muscles experience involuntary tension to protect your body. Undergoing massage therapy can relieve whiplash, muscle tension, and other muscular problems mainly when combined with care methods. The head injuries suffered in car accidents may result in regular headaches from head trauma or concussions. Massage therapy can help ease the pain and frequency of the headaches. It can also help with emotional and stress trauma. Including massage therapy in your healing plan can speed your recovery process, helping you get back on your feet sooner.
9. Invest in physiotherapy sessions
Physiotherapy can expedite recovery after a road accident by helping you adopt specific physical activity programs around your daily life. Beginning this treatment early enough in your recovery journey prompts speedy healing. You get to learn and receive advice on self-managing the rehabilitation process to ensure a full recovery.
10. Avoid emotional stress
Stress and anxiety are normal after an accident. However, they might slow your recovery. Consider finding ways to release that stress, including talking to a friend or family member about your feelings and experience. Although it may be difficult, it improves your mental recovery.
Endnote
Healing time after an accident depends on the injury type and what you’re doing to accelerate the process. Use these tips for quick recovery after an accident.
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Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Pinstripe Magazine. Creative thinker and menswear designer who has been writing articles dedicated to men’s fashion, lifestyle, luxury items, home design, gear, grooming and gadgets since 1998. For info on PinstripeMag, any editorial needs or to contact me please email at marv@pinstripemag.com.