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What Are The Best At-Home Tips For Helping Sciatica Pain After An Accident?

One of the most common post-accident occurrences is sciatica pain. If you feel severe and/or recurring pain in the lower back after a car crash, you may require special treatment. In the meantime, these at-home tips may help you mitigate the pain in between your appointments at Impact Medical Tarpon Springs.

Reduce Inflammation for Pain Management

Cold and heat therapy is commonly used for sport-related injuries, but it can work for sciatica pain after an accident, too. The timeline regarding your accident and the methods you use can affect your pain receptors. Consider these tips:

During the first week of your accident, cold therapy can be used to lessen inflammation in the affected area. You can use gel freezer packs or bags of frozen vegetables as long as you avoid direct contact with a towel or piece of clothing.

Following the first week, you can switch to heat therapy to promote proper blood flow. Heating packs are a convenient way to target a specific area, but warm baths can also help.

Improve Your Mobility Away From the Office

Reducing inflammation is only one of many steps to lessening sciatica pain after an accident. Loosening up your body and increasing mobility can ease your muscles into a healthier state, thus leading to drastic relief. Light activities like a bit of swimming, some time on the exercise bike, and committing to daily yoga even for 20 minutes can help you regain strength while mitigating pain. Consider these common yoga stretches that are great for sciatica treatment:

• Cat and cow
• Upward dog
• Downward dog
• Seated forward bend
• Pigeon pose
• Any twisting poses

Practice Good Posture at Home

Light yoga stretches are already a great example of practicing good posture, but it’s important to carry this mentality with you throughout the entire day and not just during your exercises. For instance, keeping an upright posture while sitting and walking can prevent your body from scrunching up and triggering pain sensors in your upper and lower back. If you tend to sit for the majority of the day, make a habit of standing up, stretching, and walking around every 20 minutes.

Rest is always suggested after an accident, but there is a limit. Keeping your body in an inactive state for too long will have adverse effects on sciatica treatment. With this in mind, do not spend all day in bed or on the couch even if you’re still in the recovery stage.

Can These At-Home Tips Replace Professional Treatment?

Many of the tips we mentioned can be incredibly effective, especially when done right and consistently. However, seeing a specialist is still a good move for many reasons. For one, you won’t know the severity of your injury until you are officially diagnosed. It’s also advised to see a specialist if you’re feeling excruciating pain, if the pain lasts for a few weeks, or if you start to experience additional symptoms like numb or tingling parts. In many cases, chiropractic care and physical therapy are the best way to guarantee true results.

The Urgency of Post-Accident Treatment It’s a common occurrence for people to skip seeing their practitioner due to the lack of pain or symptoms. If this sounds similar to what you’re experiencing, you should know that back pain is often delayed after an accident. By neglecting treatment, you could put yourself at risk of greater sciatica pain or even chronic symptoms.

Treat Your Sciatica Pain at Impact Medical Tarpon Springs!

Visit our team of specialists at Impact Medical Tarpon Springs for a personalized treatment plan for your sciatica pain. We offer quality accident injury services including chiropractic care, physical therapy, and more to address everything you need for a smooth recovery. Call our office in Tarpon Springs today at 727-353-5984!

Can a Car Accident Cause Back Spasms? Yes, Here’s How

You’re driving along, minding your own business, when suddenly—bam!—you’re in a car accident. Even a minor fender bender can leave you feeling shaken up, and later that day, you might start feeling a new kind of discomfort: your back muscles seizing up and spasming. It’s not just your imagination. Car accidents can absolutely trigger back spasms—even if you don’t have any broken bones or other visible injuries.

The Whiplash Effect

One of the most common ways car accidents cause back spasms is through whiplash. When your car is hit, your head and neck jerk forward and backward rapidly, like a whip cracking. This sudden movement puts a lot of stress on the muscles and ligaments in your neck and upper back, triggering those painful spasms.

Muscle Strain and Sprain

It’s not just whiplash that can cause back spasms after a car accident. The impact can also strain or sprain your back muscles and ligaments, even in low-speed collisions. These injuries happen when your muscles are forced beyond their normal range of motion, leading to pain, inflammation, and muscle spasms.

Stress and Tension

Car accidents are stressful, plain and simple. Even if you don’t have any physical injuries, the shock of the crash can trigger a stress response in your body. This can lead to muscle tension and tightness throughout your body, including your back muscles. Those tense muscles are more prone to spasms, especially if you’re already dealing with underlying back problems.

Herniated Discs

In more serious accidents, the impact can damage the discs that cushion the vertebrae in your spine. A herniated disc (also called a slipped or ruptured disc) can put pressure on the surrounding nerves, leading to pain, numbness, tingling, and muscle spasms. Herniated discs can be very serious and require medical attention to prevent long-term damage. If you suspect you have a herniated disc, it’s important to see a doctor right away for proper diagnosis and treatment.

What to Do If You Experience Back Spasms After a Car Accident

If you’re experiencing back spasms after a car accident, it’s important to seek medical attention. Even if the spasms seem mild, they could be a sign of a more serious injury. A doctor can assess your condition, diagnose the cause of your pain, and recommend the appropriate treatment.

Here are a few things you can do in the meantime to help manage back spasms:

• Rest:Give your back muscles a chance to heal by avoiding strenuous activity.
• Ice and Heat:Apply ice packs to reduce inflammation and pain, followed by heat therapy to soothe muscle tightness.
• Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers:Medications like ibuprofen or naproxen can help reduce pain and inflammation.
• Gentle Stretching:Once the initial pain subsides, gentle stretching exercises can help improve flexibility and reduce muscle spasms.

Don’t Let Back Pain Hold You Back—Get Help at Impact Medical Group

Back spasms can be a real pain, but with the right treatment, you can get back to feeling your best. Don’t suffer in silence—let Impact Medical Group of Tampa help you on the road to recovery.

Call us today at (813) 283-1910 to schedule your free consultation today and let our team of experts diagnose the cause of your back spasms and develop a personalized treatment plan to get you back to living life to the fullest!

What Are Common Tools That Physical Therapists Use?

Physical therapists are trained specialists, but have you ever thought about what they use to do their jobs? These practitioners need more than just a treatment table to work on. Depending on your personal treatment plan, you may encounter a number of tools each designed for a specific purpose. No matter that purpose, everything carries the same goal of guiding your body into optimal shape. Take a look at some of the tools our physical therapists use at Impact Medical Spring Hill:

Tools For Planning Your Physical Therapy Journey

Arguably the most important part of any physical therapy journey is the initial assessment and evaluation. The results of these tests will determine what’s needed for your visits, how long it’ll take to see improvement, and so on. There are certain tools that provide accuracy in identifying your body’s exact condition, such as:

• Pinch gauges – A test of pinch strength
• Dynamometers – A test of pull strength
• Goniometers – A manual test for range of motion
• Inclinometers – An automatic test for range of motion

Pilates Gear For Gentle Stretching

Physical therapy typically involves exercise, but that doesn’t necessarily mean weightlifting or other intense workout regimens. A perfect example of light exercises involving gentle stretches needed for PT is Pilates. Common Pilates equipment is often used during physical therapy to help open up the body and improve or regain the range of motion in the joints:

Resistance Bands

You’ll find these stretchy rubber bands in many homes because they’re rather small and inexpensive, but a physical therapist can show you how to properly use them to best fit your physical therapy recovery plan.

Exercise Balls

These large, bouncy balls are popular because of their low difficulty level while still granting sufficient results. The stretches performed on exercise balls can loosen up the body for greater flexibility, all the while helping you practice balance.

Cuff Weights

The convenience of cuff weights is as simple as putting them on when you do your usual PT exercises. The added weight helps build strength while working on your range of motion simultaneously.

Cardio Equipment For Strength and Endurance

Stretches are important, but at some point, your PT plan may require you to get your heart pumping and your blood flowing. Cardio equipment is a great way to ease your body back into an active lifestyle, testing both your strength and durability. You may encounter similar cardio equipment at your physical therapist’s office as you would a home gym setup such as a treadmill or exercise bike. A piece of equipment that may be more unique to a practitioner’s office are parallel bars which can be used to help regain muscle strength and a sense of balance.

Supportive Devices For Enhanced Aid

Some patients may face additional challenges along their PT journey, in which case there will be assistive devices available to give you just the right amount of aid to help you perform your exercises. These assistive devices include:

• Wheelchairs
• Walkers
• Crutches
• Canes
• Gait belts
• Transfer boards
• And more

Effective Pain-Relieving Machines

There are times when pain would get in the way of a patient’s PT treatment. If that’s the case, there are machines designed to target certain areas of the body for precise pain relief. Electrotherapy is a common practice in physical therapy and chiropractic offices, using devices like TENS machines to repair nerve damage which can alleviate pain and discomfort.

Visit Your Reliable Physical Therapist at Impact Medical!

Get started on your physical therapy journey and experience some of these useful tools at our office! Contact Impact Medical Spring Hill today at 352-631-6512 to schedule your consultation for professional physical therapy services near you.

What to Do If You’re Injured in a Non-Emergency Accident – How to React

You’ve had a minor mishap. Maybe a fender bender, a slip on the sidewalk, or an unexpected tumble during a pick-up basketball game. It’s not a life-threatening situation, but you’re definitely feeling the pain. So, what should you do if you’re injured in a non-emergency accident?

First, take a deep breath. Non-emergency accidents can be stressful, but knowing how to handle the situation can make all the difference in your recovery. Here’s your go-to guide for navigating those less-than-catastrophic incidents:

Step 1: Assess the Damage

Start with a quick check-in with yourself. Do you feel any immediate, intense pain? Are there any obvious injuries like cuts, bruises, or swelling? If so, don’t hesitate to seek medical attention, even if it seems minor. Some injuries can be sneaky, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Step 2: Document, Document, Document

Whether it’s a car accident or a sports injury, it’s crucial to document the scene. Take photos or videos of the area, any visible injuries, and any property damage. If there are witnesses, get their contact information. Any documentation you collect can be helpful for insurance claims or if you need to seek legal advice down the road.

Step 3: Seek Medical Attention (Even if You Feel “Fine”)

It’s tempting to shrug off minor injuries, thinking they’ll heal on their own. But some injuries can worsen over time if left untreated. Whiplash, for example, may not cause immediate pain but can lead to serious discomfort later. Even if you feel okay initially, it’s always a good idea to get checked out by a medical professional to rule out any hidden issues.

Step 4: Stay Off Google

We’ve all been there, frantically searching for answers online after an injury. Resist the urge to self-diagnose. The internet is full of misinformation and relying on “Dr. Google” can lead to unnecessary worry or even delay in seeking proper medical care. Let the professionals at Impact Medical Group assess your situation and recommend the best course of action.

Step 5: Follow Your Treatment Plan

Whether it’s rest, ice, physical therapy, or medication, following your doctor’s recommendations is key to a smooth recovery. Don’t skip appointments or try to tough it out. Your body needs time to heal, and following the prescribed treatment plan will help ensure a full recovery.

From Fender Benders to Falls, Impact Medical Group Is Your Partner in Recovery

Impact Medical Group of Brandon specializes in treating injuries from accidents, both big and small. Our caring medical team has the expertise to diagnose your condition, recommend appropriate treatment, and help you get back on your feet as quickly as possible.

Don’t let a minor accident derail your life. Schedule your free consultation today and take the first step towards healing and recovery. Call (813) 522-8885—we’re here to help you every step of the way!