9 Recovery Tips After a Car Accident

Updated on February 23, 2022

URL: https://pixabay.com/photos/wheelchair-disability-injured-749985/ 

Car accidents can cause a variety of injuries, from fractures and broken bones to burns, internal injuries, limb loss, and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). If you sustain more than one kind of injury, it is virtually impossible to determine when you will fully recover and get back on your feet. However, there are ways you can speed up the recovery process. Here are some of them:

Seek immediate medical attention

Regardless of the severity of your injuries after an auto accident, seeking immediate medical attention is the best way to ensure your injuries don’t get worse. If your injury is significant and you’re worried about the cost of treating it, consider talking to your lawyer to help you get compensation. Reputable attorneys such as this St. Petersburg personal injury lawyer know the importance of proper injury diagnosis and treatment in personal injury claims. They work with top experts and sometimes make arrangements for their clients to pay for treatments after receiving their insurance settlements.

Adhere to the doctor’s instructions

It is crucial that you follow your doctor’s at-home care regimen. Failure to follow the recovery plan draws out the healing process, and sometimes leads to stagnation, which can make a temporary injury permanent. Additionally, your doctor will struggle to pick up from where they left off in subsequent visits, further jeopardizing your recovery.

Get enough rest

Rest provides your body with a platform for recovery. Engaging in other physical activities denies your system the resources it needs to initiate tissue repair and cell regeneration. Overexerting yourself also puts you at risk of worsening your injuries.

Exercise

Depending on the extent of your injuries, gentle movements like walking, jogging, and stretching can supplement the impact of rest and expedite the muscle and bone repair processes. However, it is crucial that you don’t perform these exercises too soon or too aggressively, especially if you have a severely torn tendon or fractured bone. Your physical therapist or doctor will help you determine when it’s safe to get back to moving and the rate at which you should increase the intensity.

Eat healthy

It is crucial that the foods you consume after your accident contain the necessary nutrients for cell healing and repair. Minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and proteins help relax stressed tendons, battle infections, repair connective tissues and cartilage, and mend bone fractures quickly. To round out your doctor’s advice to rest, ice, and compress, you need to eat a mixture of foods that contain these nutrients and minerals. Consider adding these foods to your cart:

  • Carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, and spinach for vitamin A
  • Broccoli, strawberries, oranges, and peppers for vitamin C
  • Milk, yogurt, eggs, and lean meats for protein
  • Fortified cereals for zinc
  • Salmon, tuna, and trout for omega-3 fatty acids

Check with a chiropractor

If your injuries extend to your spine or neck, it will take you significantly longer to recover. For the underlying problem, you may need a spinal manipulation or neck adjustment, which fall under a chiropractor’s scope of practice.

Drink plenty of water

Virtually all bodily functions use water in one way or another. In recovery, water ensures the smooth circulation of blood, speeding up the transportation of essential repair nutrients to the injured tissue. Your post-accident regime should include a water-drinking schedule that you should adhere to whether or not you feel thirsty. It will also help if you reduce or halt your consumption of caffeinated and sugary drinks at least until you have fully recovered.

Manage your pain

After an accident, you may be in pain for days, weeks, and sometimes months. Pain can make you feel angry, frustrated, hopeless, and less motivated to take other steps to speed up your recovery. Some of the most effective ways of managing pain include over-the-counter pain medications, massage, hydrotherapy, and psychological therapies like meditation and relaxation techniques. 

Find a support system

Surrounding yourself with family and friends who can support you during your recovery is important. They can help to improve your mood and ensure you are motivated to take steps that will help you recover quickly. They can also help you with your daily activities and transporting you to and from your appointments, depending on your injuries. 

Endnote

The severity of your car accident injury is not the same as the next person’s even if you are victims of the same accident. That means that what works for them doesn’t necessarily have to work for you. The above tips will help you create a viable recovery strategy, though it’s good to have a doctor approve your approach before getting on with it.

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