Motor vehicle accidents are a very unfortunate part of life. If you have ever had to deal with injuries caused by a motor vehicle accident, you know that they are more difficult and often take longer to heal from than other types of injuries. Why this happens is one of the most common questions I get in my office. There are 3 main reasons why:
Motor Vehicle Accidents Injury are Caused by Greater Forces than Other Types of Injuries.
For most people previous causes of injuries include things like sports, falls, or even just pain/injury caused by no mechanism. The forces involved in all of these injury causes are relatively small compared to those involve in a motor vehicle accident. Force equals mass multiplied by the acceleration (or deceleration) of that mass. When playing sports the greatest mass one might encounter could be 250 lb. (120kg). The greatest acceleration might be from a speed of 30km/h to 0. In a motor vehicle accident, the forces include the size of the car (A Toyota Corolla weights around 2500 lb. or 1350kg) and Travels at least 40-100 km/h. Luckily, most modern vehicles have safety technology that attenuates these forces, but it often accomplishes this by distributing these forces over a greater area. Even if nothing is broken in a motor vehicle accident (which is rare, luckily), the pain can often be quite severe and can last for 1-5 years in some cases. Because of this, rehabilitation needs to be different from how it might be for sports injury.
There are Many Unpleasant Factors Surrounding a Motor Vehicle Accident Injury, that can Prolong or Worsen Pain.
Pain is a complicated part of the human experience. There are many different elements of our lives that can influence pain. Things like stress and fear have been found to make pain worse and more difficult to treat. Unfortunately, when a motor vehicle accident has occurred, many difficult parts of that experience can influence pain, making it more intense and last longer. Some of these factors can be targeted by physical rehabilitation treatment, like a fear of movement, which is why treatment that is dedicated to treating motor vehicle accident injuries is critical.
Treatments that Do Not Address the Factors Listed Above, Focused on Motor Vehicle Accident Injury.
Most treatment providers are very well meaning in their treatment of individuals from motor vehicle accidents. And while a massage or an adjustment might feel good, it is a small piece of the puzzle when trying to recover from a motor vehicle accident. As mentioned above, motor vehicle accidents are different from other types of injury mechanisms and motor vehicle accident injuries require treatment that is designed just for them. This means that treatments include assessment and discussion of the factors listed above, and a plan that will gradually progression an injured person from where they are toward where they need to be, in order to recovery. With these elements of a treatment plan in place, recovery is not immediate, but it can be faster, and one can start to see progress at an early phase of injury following the motor vehicle accident.
Lowertown Rehabilitation was founded with the objective of providing complete and dedicated treatment for those who have suffered motor vehicle accident injuries. We provide one-on-one, individualized care and have extensive knowledge of and experience with motor vehicle accident injuries. Call us at 613-852-7769 or email info@lowertownrehabilitation.ca to request an appointment.
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