Physiotherapy services are also referred to as physical therapy. When you are in a car accident, your soft tissues could be strained beyond their stretching capacity. The overstretching may cause small tears, swelling, stiffness and pain in your neck, shoulders, back and arms. There are four ways in which physiotherapy services can help you to recover after a minor auto accident.

1. Improve Management of Pain

One of the goals of physical therapy is to help you manage your pain while using minimal or even no drug-based pain controllers. The therapist may teach you gentle stretching exercises that help to reduce your stiffness and soreness. The therapist will also teach you good ergonomics so that you do not sit, stand or bend in a way that aggravates your condition. You may also learn or receive alternative pain treatment options such as applying heat and ice, transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation, ultrasound therapy or soft tissue massage.

2. Increase Flexibility and Range of Motion

After a strained neck, shoulder or back, you may find that your flexibility and range of motion have decreased. This is often related to the swelling and tearing of soft tissues. The swelling puts pressure on your nerves, causing them to send pain signals to your brain. As you practice the strengthening and stretching exercises demonstrated by the physical therapist, your range of motion and level of flexibility will begin to increase. The goal is to get you back to where you were before the auto accident.

3. Heal Soft Tissues and Recover Faster

Brampton physiotherapy helps your soft tissues to heal from the small tears to the fibers that occur when the fibers are stretched too far. The combination of therapeutic techniques promotes gradual healing of your tissues. As your soft tissues heal, the pace of your recovery will pick up. Your follow-through on practicing exercises at home is important. It is important to note that the speed of recovery is also related to your overall health and other factors, such as your stress level, nutrition and how much sleep you get.

4. Strengthen Core Muscles, Tendons and Ligaments

Physical therapy services also help you to strengthen your ligaments, tendons and muscles. By strengthening these soft tissues, you may be able to prevent a future sprain or strain. Some methods that you may learn in physical therapy include doing resistance exercises with bands or with your own body as the weight. The therapist will show you how to work different parts of your body, such as your neck, shoulders and upper arms if you have had a sprained shoulder or strained neck after being involved in an auto accident.