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3 Ways PT Can Help You Regain Balance After An Accident

Most people can learn to stand and walk around before they’re even a year old, so when we lose that ability well into our adult or even adolescent life, it can create a lot of frustration and insecurity in our ability to perform daily tasks. That can look like struggling to stand long enough to load the dishwasher, or even having a hard time standing still while waiting in line at the grocery store. Our daily life is challenged when our balance is compromised. As frustrating as this can feel, there are ways that a great Physical Therapist can help you get back on your feet- literally!

So What Causes A Loss Of Balance?

After an accident, many injuries could cause a loss of balance in many different areas of the body. A pinched nerve can cause uncomfortability, leading to a loss of balance and this can happen anywhere in the body where you have nerves! Whiplash affects the neck and back, causing vertigo. Even spraining an ankle can create a very uncomfortable sensation when pressure is applied, causing you to hobble around. Loss of balance is, unfortunately, a very common ailment after a wide variety of injuries.

What Areas Of The Bodt Are Most Likely To Cause Loss Of Balance?

Four main areas of the body affect balance. Of course, there is a Traumatic Brain Injury. A TBI can lead to balance issues for several reasons depending on where the injury happened within the brain. Next, Damage to feet, ankles, or legs is the most obvious way someone may have lost balance after an accident. After all, when we stand, the lower half of our body is the trunk of our physical movement, providing a stable base for any activity. The back, more specifically, the spine, is a huge reason we don’t wobble like babies when we’re getting around. This means, that if there has been damage to the spine or back area, a lot of our stability is gone. Lastly, our arms are the perfect mirror for our legs, creating a perfect form for balance. If one of our arms is injured or in a sling, it can take some acclimating getting around and relying on other areas of the body to overcompensate.

So How Can Physical Therapy Help?

PT can help repair and strengthen physical damage to the body. Your Physical Therapist is there to create a unique and effective plan, custom-created for your injury and comfortability levels. Many treatments include exercises, which use repetitive movements, equipment, and even recognizing pressure points. Further into treatment, many Physical Therapists will also assign you some movements or exercises to perform at home so healing can stay linear and consistent.

Balance training. On top of your Physical Therapist helping you through strength training exercises and mobility stretches, they can also have you work on balance in tandem to gain back strength, so long as your injury permits! There is rarely a reason to wait until everything is healing to 100% to gain balance back. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but being able to balance while off-skelter will just help your balance improve once you are back to your everyday life, which is never a bad thing. Ideally, this can help transition you to more intense sessions with your Physical Therapist, thus getting you back to performing daily tasks promptly.

Physical Therapy can improve confidence! It can feel very overwhelming when something as second nature as standing up or walking becomes a challenge. In a lot of cases, mental strain can play a crucial role in your ability to balance and move the way you used to. The last thing you want to do is try something too quickly and hurt yourself even more. Having a Physical Therapist present to ensure your safety, while also explaining the likelihood of success regarding specific exercises can help you feel ready to take the next steps in your healing journey.

Ready To Reach Out?

Our goal at Impact Medical Wesley Chapel is to get you back on your feet, doing the things you love, as efficiently as possible! If you or someone you know is experiencing a loss of balance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. At Impact Medical, we’re on your side! Give us a call at 813-953-1002 so you can start your healing journey today.

Short & Long-Term Pain Relief Options After An Accident: Our Guide

How do you know when you’ll need a month-long treatment plan or if a simple ice pack at home will do the trick? There is no telling what the gravity of your injury will be after an accident, but you can be prepared with the tell-tale signs and recommendations in this guide to short and long-term pain relief options after an accident. For expert advice and long-term treatment options near you, be sure to contact your local Impact Medical office!

The Types of Pain Associated With Car Crash Injuries

To determine whether you need short or long-term pain relief, you must first understand the different types of pain for accurate measure. Doctors typically classify pain as either chronic or acute, and knowing this yourself can help you seek the right treatment that’s best for your injury:

Acute pain is what you feel immediately after the impact of a car crash. Since this type of pain shows itself within moments, you can respond to them sooner rather than later. With prompt treatment, acute pain is more likely to go away before it can feel concerning.
Chronic pain stems from injuries that take longer to heal or injuries that are neglected. Much more is required to treat chronic pain such as therapy, pain management, and surgery which can all take weeks or months to complete and recover from.

Learn more about the types of personal injuries that can cause varying levels of pain after an accident.

Short-Term Pain Relief Options – Best For Acute Pain

For acute pain that lasts no longer than a couple of months, short-term pain relief options are sometimes enough to resolve the problem. Many short-term methods can be done at home, including simple tricks like using ice packs to manage swelling, braces to secure the injured area during healing, and anti-inflammatory pain medications that you can get for over-the-counter pain relief. Keeping up with at-home self-care can help you see results for acute pain, but if your injury doesn’t seem to be making any progress, you may need to see a specialist.

Long-Term Pain Relief Options For Complex Injuries

Chronic pain is typically treated with long-term methods from a practitioner, like your local chiropractor, physical therapist, or surgeon. These methods are usually recommended when short-term treatment isn’t showing any signs of improvement. Examples of effective long-term pain relief include:

Physical therapy – Ranging from a couple of sessions to weekly visits for as long as six months, PT requires time and patience to relieve pain by restoring the body’s strength and flexibility. PT can also help prevent long-term conditions in the future.
Manual therapy – An offshoot of physical therapy, manual therapy aims to release muscle tension and promote blood flow which can decrease both stress and pain.
Chiropractic care – A chiropractor is trained to make spinal adjustments that can reduce inflammation in your tissues for effective pain relief.
Manipulation under anesthesia – When the pain is too intense, stopping you from performing any of the above treatments, MUA procedures can numb the area before restoring functionality.
Surgery – Sometimes, the only way to relieve pain is to directly address the injury with surgery. There may be a recovery period after receiving surgery, but the end result could be a pain-free body.

Explore Short and Long-Term Pain Relief Options at Impact Medical!

Whether you have acute pain that can be treated with short-term methods or intense or chronic pain that requires long-term care, Impact Medical has everything you need to recover and eliminate any debilitating pain that’s disrupting your quality of life. Find your nearest location today for a consultation appointment!

Who Will I See At Your Center & How Will My Treatment Be Customized?

With many locations scattered throughout Florida, each one with its own team of talented and compassionate individuals, Impact Medical maintains close relationships with countless patients every day. Who will you encounter at the Largo branch? Learn more about your local office and why the people in your community trust us for customized treatment plans. When you’re ready, contact Impact Medical Largo to schedule your consultation appointment!

Introducing Dr. Mike Roberts and the Largo Staff

At Impact Medical Largo, you’ll meet Dr. Mike Roberts as the main chiropractor at the office. Dr. Roberts is skilled, talented, and qualified to handle personal injuries for prompt and effective recovery. The entire team at Largo is dedicated to serving you in the best way possible to help you bounce back from your injuries and return to a normal, pain-free life.

Making treatment accessible to the Largo community is important to us which is why your local Impact Medical office offers self-pay chiropractic services. Our self-pay practice is affordable and supports walk-ins so making an appointment isn’t necessary. Through convenience, we aim to reach out to as many Largo residents as possible.

Learn more > Why Providing Accessible Treatment to Greater Tampa Bay Is a Part of Our Mission

Crafting Your Custom Treatment Plan With Thorough Diagnostics

At Impact Medical Largo, you can expect custom treatment plans tailored to your exact needs. Our team stays abreast of the latest practices and technology, including state-of-the-art diagnostic tools. From the initial exam to your final appointment, our Largo specialists pay attention to every detail and use every bit of information to find the best treatment option for you. We guarantee that your exam will be truly unique and not a “conveyor belt” situation that we put every patient through. You’re a special individual in a vast community, and we will treat you as such!

Our Custom Plans Include Comprehensive Services

We use a variety of means to pinpoint the exact problem in your diagnosis. After that, we craft a personalized treatment plan based on what we find during your exam. Impact Medical Largo is able to administer custom treatment plans by offering a wide range of services to cover every need, including:

Chiropractic care for pain-relieving adjustments
Physical therapy for restoring your body’s mobility
Interventional pain management like steroid injections to quell instances of intense and persisting pain
Surgery for intense injuries that require complex procedures
Medical care encompassing everything you need for each visit
And more!

The scope of personal injuries is vast which is why we can only bring you effective results by specializing in comprehensive treatment options, all accessible to the Largo community.

Get On the Best Treatment Plan For You at Impact Medical In Largo

For effective treatment performed by a dedicated team of specialists, contact your nearest office at Impact Medical Largo today by calling 727-630-2151 for a consultation! We’re your go-to place in Largo for comprehensive treatment plans for personal accident recovery.

Can Accident Neck Injuries Cause Headaches? Yes, Here’s How

With so much happening in a matter of seconds, it’s no wonder accident victims come out of a car crash with intense headaches. Most headaches can be triggered by the head taking a blow or rocking back and forth. Sometimes, the stress alone can be enough to keep the pain lingering. But if you’re still feeling a troublesome headache a while after the accident, your neck injury could be the source.

What does your neck have to do with head pain? Your trusted team at Impact Medical Riverview is here to tell you!

Identifying Post-Traumatic Headaches

If you pay close attention to your symptoms, headaches come in different varieties and pain levels. You’ll be able to tell if your neck injury is the cause of your headache if it feels like the pain originates from the cervical spine and travels up to the skull. This type of post-traumatic headache is often classified as a cervicogenic headache, but you could also be dealing with a concussion, muscle contraction, or pinched nerve. A post-traumatic headache also has a tendency to stay concealed for a few days after the collision before appearing.

Main Causes For Cervicogenic Headaches

The reason why many accident victims end up with cervicogenic headaches is because they experience neck injuries like whiplash and pinched nerves and don’t seek treatment right away. There are many risks associated with not receiving whiplash treatment with severe headaches and chronic symptoms being a couple of prime examples.

What do cervicogenic headaches feel like? Common symptoms include:

Radiating pain in the back of the skull
Exaggerated pain when moving the neck
Singular pain on one side of the head or face
Head pain that affects the eyes

What Is Whiplash?

Whiplash is one of the most common car crash injuries that encompasses the neck area. As the neck is rocked violently back and forth, the swelling and inflammation that follows often result in severe headaches and other debilitating symptoms such as extreme dizziness, draining fatigue, and limiting stiffness.

The Relation Between Pinched Nerves and Headaches

When an accident injury causes pinched nerves, the sensation can travel from the pinched nerve to your brain which can induce headaches. Nerve damage that occurs anywhere along the spine, especially closer to the neck (or cervical spine), is often enough to trigger the pain sensors in your brain. Pinched nerves can be identified by other existing symptoms like numbing, tingling, tenderness, and sometimes burning sensations. If your headache is the result of a pinched nerve, there are effective treatment options for pinched nerves that we offer at Impact Medical.

The Severity of a Fracture Headache

In some worst-case scenarios, a car crash may cause a fractured bone. Any cracks or fractures in your skull or cervical spine often result in extremely painful fracture headaches. This type of head pain can prove to be persistent, sometimes leading to brain injury if you’re not careful. Prompt treatment is crucial for bone fractures located around the head and neck as headaches may only be a small portion of your worries.

Find Relief From Accident Neck Injuries and Headaches at Impact Medical in Riverview!

At Impact Medical Riverview, we can treat headaches that stem from personal injuries in the neck like whiplash, pinched nerves, and more. Contact your local office in Riverview today at 656-347-2608 to schedule your consultation and experience personalized treatment plans with comprehensive auto accident services!