If You’ve Been Hit On A Bicycle, Here’s Exactly What You Need To Do

The moments after a bicycle accident are often full of shock as adrenaline pumps through your body. In the hours that follow, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed, especially if you have been injured.

Whether you are dealing with minor scrapes and bruises or more serious injuries, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Once you have been examined by a doctor at Impact Medical Zephyrhills, they may recommend that you begin physical therapy or chiropractic care depending on your injuries.

Let’s go over the steps you should take in the aftermath of your bike accident.

At the Scene of the Accident

If you are seriously injured, you may not be able to collect any evidence of what happened, but if you can, speak with any witnesses or bystanders who may have seen the driver and the vehicle that hit you.

Don’t assume that police officers will be able to identify witnesses, or find crucial evidence such as where you and your bike landed, and what damage was done during the accident. Having a witness take photos before anything is moved can be vital to understanding how the accident occurred.

Next Steps: Seek Medical Treatment

Whether you think you are seriously injured or not, it is imperative to seek medical treatment immediately after the crash and provide your doctor with any details and injuries that occurred.

While broken bones and sprains are obvious, symptoms of other injuries such as whiplash, concussions, and TBIs are often less overt.

Remember, the symptoms of concussion can manifest days after an accident, so don’t dismiss them.

Symptoms can include:

Dizziness
Light-headedness
Disorientation
Poor balance
Headaches
Memory problems
Changes in personality
Disrupted sleep patterns

Any of these symptoms should be examined by a medical provider.

Treatment for Accident Injuries

The treatment that you receive for your accident injuries after a bike accident will depend on the extent of your injuries.

If you are experiencing whiplash, we may recommend chiropractic or manual therapy to fix any misalignments in the spine and soothe sore neck muscles.

But if you have sprains, strains, or broken bones, your recovery might involve more extensive treatments such as pain management and physical therapy.

Rest & Recovery

No matter what kind of injury you sustained in your accident, the most important thing to focus on is rest and recovery. This means not overdoing it if you are hurt.

Of course, the first step is to treat minor scrapes and cuts with warm water, antibacterial cream, and band-aids.

Then we recommend practicing RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) for injured ligaments, tendons, and bones.

The most important thing is to rest the injured area.
Use ice packs if the affected area is swelling for 15-20 minutes and repeat every few hours.
Next, compress the injured limb with a brace or wrap to reduce mobility and decrease swelling.
Elevate the injured body part above the level of your heart, which will help reduce pain and swelling.

Your physical therapist or chiropractor may recommend gentle stretching and exercises as your body begins to heal, but it will ultimately depend on your pain level and the symptoms you are experiencing.

How Long Does it Take to Recover from a Biking Accident?

Of course, it is important to remember that everyone is different, and recovery time depends on the extent of the injuries your body is recovering from.

If you have a sprain or a broken bone, it can take a minimum of two months to heal. For other minor injuries, recovery could take weeks. Everyone recovers at a different pace, so do not put pressure on yourself to recover more quickly than your body has the energy to.

For the best recovery, we recommend increasing your water intake and eating a healthy diet. This can help your body heal more quickly.

Get Relief from Accident Pain

If you have been on the unfortunate receiving end of a bicycle accident, we know how overwhelming it can be. Don’t dismiss any pain or symptoms of injuries. Contact our accident-care clinic at Impact Medical Zephyrhills as soon as possible after your accident, and we will help you recover and get back to what you love.

Schedule an appointment today at (813) 706-5156!