The life after a car accident can be overwhelming. The physical injuries and emotional scars can result in serious ongoing pain. It might also prevent you from performing the simplest tasks.
Trying to get to your normal routine too quickly might jeopardize your journey to recovery. That’s why you need to listen to your body and give it time to heal. And yes, there are ways to hasten the recovery process allowing you to get to your normal life soon.
But first, how long will it take your body to completely heal after an accident? Well, that’s dependent on the severity of the injuries. At times, it takes weeks or months to fully recover. The recovery time is dependent on these factors:
- Your health status before the collision
- The nature of injuries you sustained in the accident
- The wait period before seeking treatment
- The access to quality healthcare
- Your diet and exercise habits
- The age and income
- Your support system
- The amount of rest you get
Here are the steps to recovery from car accident injuries.
1. Seek Medical Attention Immediately After the Accident
Always visit the hospital after an accident. Don’t wait for pain or symptoms to appear before visiting a doctor. But why?
Most injuries relating to car accidents aren’t visible immediately. The pain or symptoms from concussion, spine and whiplash damage may take days or weeks to appear.
The longer you wait before seeking treatment, the higher the risk of injuries requiring an extensive recovery period. If untreated, whiplash injuries will lead to chronic pain in future. Further, an untreated concussion can cause a permanent brain damage or death.
Whether you are in pain or not, see a doctor for checkup and treatment.
2. Have a Good Support System
Surround yourself with people who’ll help you heal. Having a good support system lifts your mood, and motivates you to follow the treatment plan. Depending on the nature of the injury, your friends or relatives can help you in daily chores and activities. At times, they can transport you to and from medical appointments.
It’s also advisable to seek additional support from a professional like a spiritual leader or therapist. For instance, a therapist helps you deal with anxiety, PTSD or depression.
3. Manage Your Pain
Depending on the nature and extent of the injury, pain can persist for days, weeks or months. Pain might result in feelings of anger, hopelessness, and frustration which demotivates you from taking steps towards your recovery. As such, it’s important to find ways to ease your pain.
For instance, you can take painkillers, rest frequently during the day or use hot or cold compresses. Massage helps deal with sore muscles, tendons and ligaments.
4. Consult a Competent Personal Injury Attorney
Dealing with the aftermath of an accident can be overwhelming. For instance, you have mental and physical injuries to worry about, medical appointments to honor, and therapy sessions to complete. Despite this, you have to meet your daily life obligations.
All these activities require money. Depending on the extent of your injuries, you may have to skip work resulting in loss of income. Don’t worry! Engaging Fisher & Talwar, a competent law firm dealing with personal injury claims advises you on the legal right to compensation.
5. Conclusion
It takes time and proper care for any injury to heal. The recovery time varies from one person to the other and is dependent on the nature of the individual’s injuries. At times, the cost of medical bills may prevent one from seeking medical intervention. Don’t make this mistake. Instead, engage competent personal injury attorneys like Fisher & Talwar to guide you through the compensation and recovery phase.