Understand rehabilitation after a car accident

The injuries and therefore rehabilitation journey of very person in every case is different. While your medical team will be able to help you identify what you are suffering with and what the reasonable and appropriate treatment is, it may be helpful to know that:

• One of the most common injuries after a car-accident is ‘whiplash’, an injury to the muscles, ligaments and joints of the neck and other spinal areas, that can be very painful. Sometimes, a whiplash injury to the spine would also result in pain referred to the glutes and legs, or up the neck and causes headaches.
• People may also suffer psychological injuries from a car accident, and become fearful of being in a moving vehicle, have flashbacks and nightmares which result in poor sleep, and reduced concentration and attention, among other symptoms.

Not all the injuries would appear immediately after the accident. It is not unusual that at the scene of the accident people are too full of shock and adrenaline to notice where they are hurting. But once injuries have developed, rehabilitation could include, among other things:

• Hospital: you may have been taken by an ambulance to an emergency department of a hospital, or you may visit the hospital for an episode of acute pain.
• General Practitioner: Your first point of contact to obtain medical certificates, and obtain referrals to other specialists or allied health professionals.
• Physiotherapy: a combination of pain-relieving massages and the learning of at-home movements and exercises that help to lessen symptoms.
• Psychological counselling: Seeing a psychologist does not mean that a person is crazy. Psychologists help patients to manage the intense emotions and stress a person may be dealing with because of an accident.
• Exercise Physiology: For people who work more physically laborious jobs, they may benefit from a tailored exercise program, especially a gym-based one, to rebuild their strength and tolerance needed at work.
• Surgery: Some people might suffer a disc protrusion, post-traumatic osteoarthritis, shoulder bursitis or other conditions from their car accident. These conditions may be entirely caused by the accident or partially due to a pre-existing condition. Whichever way, surgery may be considered.

At first the rehabilitation might be weekly and relatively intensive. After a few months, your various treatments and therapies might become fortnightly, monthly, and taper off. Follow your treatment team’s advice and guidance.

From whiplash to psychological injuries, your compensation should reflect the full cost of your recovery. Our team works to make sure nothing is left out of your claim.

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