If left untreated, whiplash can have a negative impact on your physical health and comfort for years to come. In a randomized controlled clinical trial published by the US National Library of Medicine, 97 whiplash patients who pursued one of three different treatment methods were monitored over a three-year time period. Those patients who received immediate, active whiplash treatment (physical therapy) experienced far less pain and took less sick leave days than those who received delayed standard intervention.
If the facts aren’t enough to convince you, here are 10 more reasons you need physical therapy for whiplash treatment.
Expedites & Facilitates the Healing Process
Physical therapy is incredibly beneficial for whiplash pain relief because it expedites and facilitates the healing process. With deliberate movements and circulation, your physical therapist can encourage optimal blood and oxygen flow to the injury, which helps to stimulate the cellular healing response.
Decreases Stress of Chronic Pain
Often times, those who suffer from chronic pain after an accident assume they have no other choice but to return to their usual routine. Unfortunately, while you suffer in silence, the rest of the world loses empathy and consideration for your injuries because they watch you assume your usual responsibilities. The stress of this chronic pain can take a physical and emotional toll, which is another reason why immediate intervention is so highly recommended.
Helps Prevent Secondary Issues and Injuries
When the body suffers from whiplash, the range of motion becomes limited. The limitations may seem minor at first, but if left untreated, these limitations can lock in place and become a long-term condition that takes more time and effort to rectify.
Without a full range of motion, your body becomes at risk for developing other complications such as bad posture, musculoskeletal pain, arthritis, and dried out or herniated disks.
Natural Alternative to Pain Medication
Physical therapy is the act of restoring your body’s physical health without the use of prescription and over-the-counter pain medications. In other words, it’s risk-free relief. Many view this as a great advantage and choose physical therapy over the potential side effects of opioids, such as depression, overdose, and addiction.
Conservative Treatment
Physical therapy is also considered a conservative treatment that doesn’t force invasive procedures. This gentle whiplash treatment is perfect for all kinds of patients, regardless of their age, body type, and existing conditions.
A Balance of Passive and Active Treatments
Physical therapy is a comfortable blend of passive pain relief and active movement treatments. By maintaining a positive balance of the two, physical therapists are able to provide immediate pain relief, stimulate natural healing processes and properly align soft tissue fibers to restore normal movement.
Progressive and Individualized
Unlike generalized procedures or rigid treatment options, physical therapy is pliable depending on the patient’s specific needs and levels of comfort and/or pain. There is no one-size-fits-all plan and you’re not another product on an assembly line. Physical therapists take the time and interest to invest in their patients, form relationships, and create unique treatment plans tailored to each individual.
Structured Time to Focus on Healing
By scheduling regular visits with a professional physical therapist, you’re able to dedicate time to your body and provide it with the care and attention it needs to heal. In this day and age, it’s all too easy to get swept away in the demands of life and forget to focus on your recovery. Physical therapy provides you with structured time to focus on you and your health.
Addresses Environmental and Lifestyle Triggers
Physical therapy incorporates the evolution of the unique and individual circumstances of the environment and how to create an effective game plan around them. In doing so, physical therapists can find a way to minimize negative environmental impacts on the patient.
Access to a Sounding Board
You can’t put a price on the one-on-one time you receive with a medical specialist when you choose physical therapy for whiplash relief. Your physical therapist and you will have plenty of time to create a solid relationship, which will give you the resource you need to walk away with a better understanding of how your body works and how you can stay on top of your physical health.
If you’ve suffered from whiplash, don’t wait and hope for the best; contact Clear Choice Physical Therapy for immediate help from our qualified team of whiplash treatment professionals today.
