Benefits of Physical Therapy for Whiplash Injuries Due to Car Accidents

Car accidents are undeniably scary and traumatizing. But they don’t only have an emotional impact. Days after your car accident, you might notice neck pain and stiffness. While at the time of the accident, you might have thought nothing was astray, neck pain that begins to worsen is often a sign of whiplash.

Whiplash happens when the head is forcefully and suddenly thrown forward and then back (mimicking a whip-like motion). This is common in rear-ended accidents. With whiplash, the ligaments and muscles in the neck have been stretched or torn—leading to stiffness and pain.

Luckily, physical therapy can help in more than a few ways. At Tampa Spine and Wellness, our physical therapy team can help you recover and get back to feeling your best. Here are the top three benefits of physical therapy post-car accident.

1. Reduces Pain

Physical therapy exercises and techniques help address the root cause of your pain: inflammation. This inflammation causes the neck to feel sore and also makes movement difficult. 

By prescribing passive and active neck exercises, physical therapy increases blood flow to the affected area. This can help speed up the healing process, as well as lead to less pain. For instance, your Tampa physical therapist can prescribe stretches that reduce tension and stiffness—which leads us right to our next benefit!

2. Improves Neck Mobility & Decreases Tension

Every movement of your neck might feel painful, causing you to wince in pain. It’s easy to simply not move your neck at all. But this can actually do more harm than good. Instead, it’s best to start with gentle stretches and exercises that help you regain your neck mobility and reduce pain.

A physical therapist can help determine what exercises are best for you and your situation. This may mean starting with simple and easy passive movements before progressing to active exercises or deep stretches. Your physical therapist will guide you through progressions, ensuring you’re making strides forward toward a full recovery.

3. Reduces Recovery Time

Research shows that physical therapy can help reduce post-injury disability when it comes to whiplash recovery. In other words, you might just recover faster when working with a physical therapist. At Tampa Spine and Wellness, we have the added benefit of having both physical therapists and chiropractors as part of our caring and compassionate team. This means that we can also take a collaborative approach to your care, ensuring you return to the activities you love as quickly and safely as possible.

Have you recently experienced whiplash? Ready to literally get rid of that pain in your neck? The Tampa Spine and Wellness team is here for you. Contact us today to get started!