Restoring Spine Alignment After a Car Accident Through Targeted Physical Therapy
Driving or riding in a car is something most people in the U.S. do every day because they have to. And in a place like the Big Apple, we sometimes become desensitized to how dangerous it can be. If you’re seeking physical therapy after a car accident in New York, then you’ve come to the right place. As a professional provider of physical therapy and chiropractic services, we see just how life-changing car accident injuries are all the time. We use our professional training, experience, and proven treatment methods to help our clients with car accident injuries recover as quickly as possible. In this blog post, you’ll learn about how physical therapy after a car accident is an important part of recovery, especially when trying to avoid pain medications and surgical options. Common Injuries Caused by Car Accidents in New York According to the World Health Organization, between 20 and 50 million people suffer non-fatal injuries from car crashes every year. Meanwhile, per Census.gov data, approximately 76% of U.S. workers use a car to get to work, either driving themselves or carpooling. Hunter Urban estimates that approximately 2.2 million cars are registered in New York City alone, which means the chances of an accident are steep. New York drivers also have a reputation for being aggressive on the road. Combine that with the millions of commuters and pedestrians crossing the street, and you have a recipe for disaster. If you or a loved one has ever suffered an injury from a car accident, you know just how devastating it can be. The following sections describe some of the most common types of injuries caused by car accidents in New York: Back Injuries A collision can twist your spine, compress discs, and strain muscles in your upper or lower back. You may brace against the steering wheel or floor during impact, which drives force through your back and hips. You could end up dealing with pain, stiffness, numbness, or limited movement. Neck Injuries Your head keeps moving when your car stops. Your neck then bends past its normal range as it snaps forward and backward. Doctors call this whiplash. The force can strain your muscles, tear ligaments, and irritate joints in your neck. You may deal with neck pain, headaches, and trouble turning your head. Soft Tissue Injuries You tense your body before impact and absorb force during the crash. That tension and sudden motion can tear or overstretch muscles, tendons, and ligaments. You may notice sprains, strains, bruising, or swelling that limit movement and cause ongoing pain. The longer you let pain persist, the more your body compensates with poor movement patterns that raise the risk of reinjury and longer recovery. Personalized Car Accident Treatment Designed To Help You Recover Faster According to Science Direct, roughly 45% of people who suffered an injury from a car accident continue to deal with persistent pain even two years after their accident. If you aren’t proactive about your recovery, you’ll continue to feel pain and possibly make it worse or reinjure yourself. Next, learn how the professionals at Quantum Physical Therapy & Chiropractic Care use physical therapy and personalized rehabilitation plans that help you recover faster. Pain Management Techniques When our clients first come in to see us after a car accident, they’re often in an immense amount of pain. Research from Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine shows that some injured patients continue using prescription opioids months after their injury, which can increase the risk of dependence and misuse. Our first order of business is teaching you healthy ways to manage your pain without relying on opiate pain medications. We use hands-on therapy, guided movement, soft tissue treatment, and targeted exercises to reduce pain, calm irritated areas, and make daily movement easier while your body heals. Spinal Alignment Therapy At Quantum Physical Therapy & Chiropractic Care, we use spinal alignment therapy to correct restricted joints in your neck, back, and spine after a crash. We evaluate how each spinal segment moves, identify areas of stiffness or imbalance, and use precise adjustments and hands-on treatment to restore movement. Proper alignment reduces pressure on irritated nerves, eases pain, improves mobility, and helps your body move more naturally during recovery. Range-of-Motion Exercises After a car accident, many patients lose movement in injured joints and tight muscles. We use range-of-motion exercises to help you regain that movement little by little. We check where stiffness limits movement before guiding you through safe, controlled exercises that loosen tight areas and improve flexibility. As you heal, we adjust each exercise to fit your recovery, reduce stiffness, and help you move confidently again. Contact Quantum Physical Therapy & Chiropractic Care To Schedule Physical Therapy After a Car Accident In this blog post, you learned how physical therapy after a car accident can reduce pain, restore movement, improve strength, and support a safer recovery. As professional physical therapists and chiropractors, we treat car accident injury patients every day and draw upon our extensive training and experience to help you recover as quickly as possible. Contact Quantum Physical Therapy & Chiropractic Care to schedule an evaluation and start treatment. Our doctors accept most insurance plans, including workers’ compensation, no-fault, and PIP (personal injury protection). Same-day appointments may be available. Check out our other blog post about correcting spinal alignment through chiropractic care to learn more about the injury recovery process. Frequently Asked Questions Is It a Good Idea To Go to a Chiropractor After a Car Accident? Yes, even if you don’t immediately feel pain, you should go in for an evaluation after a car accident because many injuries take hours or days to fully manifest. Will Insurance Cover Chiropractic Care After a Car Accident in New York? As a no-fault state, New York requires drivers to carry PIP coverage for medical expenses after a car accident, which often includes chiropractic care. Is It Worth Spending Money on a Chiropractor? Yes, and it’s often much cheaper and less invasive than surgical options.