The events of a car accident can be traumatic, both physically and emotionally. Recovery can be made even harder as you have to deal with insurance, lawyers, and taking time off work, but it’s important to take care of yourself in this time period. Tending to your injuries can lead to faster recovery and less of a chance for future injuries or issues as a result of your accident. Working with your car accident chiropractor, there are some things you can do to make sure you heal well. Keep reading for some important steps you can take to tend to your own health after an accident.
Seek Medical Care
This may seem obvious, but many people don’t seek medical care quickly after a car accident. Many car accident injuries can be hidden for hours, or even days, with symptoms being delayed, leading people to not seek medical care. Don’t wait to go to a specialist after an accident, even if you feel you have no injuries, you should visit a car accident chiropractor as soon as possible to be evaluated.
An expert car accident chiropractor will be able to identify injuries before you experience symptoms, which gives you the ability to start recovery sooner and avoid worsening the injury over time. Once your conditions have been diagnosed, you will also be able to create a treatment plan that is designed for car accident victims and is specific to your injuries.
In addition to being the best choice for your health, seeing a doctor quickly can also be helpful for any future insurance claims or litigation. Taking a proactive approach to your injuries can indicate you are taking them seriously and create documentation that your lawyer will rely on.
Rest
If you feel more tired during recovery, that’s to be expected. In fact, losing sleep has been shown to slow down the recovery process in many cases. Some important healing processes actually happen during sleep, making your body crave more sleep in order to spend more time recovering.
This can be difficult because some injuries impact your ability to sleep, and sleep deprivation can slow down the process of recovery. Some people may struggle to sleep because of their injury, making certain positions uncomfortable or keeping them awake with pain. Others struggle to sleep because they are suffering anxiety related to the traumatic events of their car accident. Taking steps to aid your sleep can encourage recovery as well. Drinking less coffee or adhering to a sleep schedule can be useful tools during this time.
Resting also gives you time to rest your injured body parts, which is important to recovery. However, when it comes to regaining strength and flexibility, resting body parts should be carefully balanced with movement and exercises. Your car accident chiropractor may recommend some exercises for you to do at home on an intermittent schedule, making sure your body gets both enough rest and enough mobilization.
Eat for Health
It may not seem like your diet impacts your recovery from an injury, but it’s actually crucial that you get all the nutrients you need. However, stressing yourself out about exact intake or counting calories is not the answer, as it may cause more stress. Avoiding extreme diets is important during the recovery process, as the body is already trying to cope with physical changes and shouldn’t be directing energy to a diet.
Instead, focus on getting a range of nutrients throughout the day, adhering to general principles for a healthy diet. Adding certain things to your diet, through food or supplements, can actually improve recovery time. This includes protein, Vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin D, and Calcium. Fiber can also be important, especially if you are taking any pain medications that may cause constipation.
Pay Attention to Your Mental Health
Recovery is not just about your physical injuries. You may suffer flashbacks to your accident, or you may be mentally struggling with a loss of function or ability to do daily activities. There is a known link between serious injuries and emotional issues, so coping mechanisms can be important.
As you recover, you should spend time with your loved ones to boost your mood when possible. If you feel you need more help than that, you can always reach out to a mental health professional to help you manage stress.
Build the Right Team
As you go through the recovery process, it is important to have a team of experts behind you. At AICA Orthopedics, our car accident chiropractors will work with other specialists to create personalized treatment plans based on your specific needs. This includes strategizing with you to create a plan to manage your pain and injury at home as you recover. Call us today to begin this process!
