A slip and fall accident is not a minor inconvenience. While most people may suffer a few minor soft tissue injuries, others, especially frail, elderly victims, can suffer severe injuries. From traumatic head injuries to broken bones, recovery from these injuries is a long and difficult journey, but you may have options.
Physiotherapy provides accident victims the means to recover their strength and stability following their slip and fall. Through a holistic approach to healthcare, your physical therapist and chiropractor can develop a treatment program that aims to make your recovery shorter and more effective.
The Main Phases in Physiotherapy for Accidents and Injuries
The success of any therapy begins with a clear understanding of what the specialist can do for you and how long it takes to heal. Physical therapists and chiropractors cannot heal you overnight, no more than any other doctor could. However, they can work with your primary care physician to develop a personalized treatment plan for your best possible healthcare recovery.
Your physiotherapy for slip and fall accidents will include treatments, exercises, and benchmarks. As you progress, you will undergo four phases during your treatment program:
Phase 1: Reduce Pain and Inflammation
The main goal in this phase, also known as the acute phase, is to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and lessen stiffness in the injured area of your body. The physical therapist will employ such techniques as:
- Adjustment to misaligned joints
- Ice or cold packs
- Manual therapy for range of motion
- Resistance training
- Stretching exercises
Phase 2: Rehabilitation
Once you are no longer in pain and/or unable to use the injured part of your body, the physical therapist will help you regain full mobility and flexibility. They may expand on some of the techniques begun in the acute phase. You will start doing light exercises under the specialist’s supervision as well as at home.
Phase 3: Rebuilding Strength and Flexibility
Getting back the full use of the injured body part is the next step in physiotherapy for slip and fall accidents. You will undergo the final chiropractic adjustments and start doing strength-building exercises.
Phase 4: Maximum Medical Improvement
The chiropractor will let you know when you reach the phase when no further improvements are possible. For many people, it means a full and complete recovery. For others, even a partial recovery allows them to regain some of the mobility, strength, and independence they had before the accident.
Regardless of the outcome, physiotherapy for slip and fall accidents is beneficial to patient’s seeking a means to recover from their injuries.
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Frequent Injuries Resulting From Slip and Fall Accidents
In many instances, slip and falls will cause painful injuries that require medical attention and rehab to make a full recovery. Some people will require surgery following their slip and fall accident, followed by physiotherapy to rebuild weakened muscles and stiff and sore joints.
The following are the most common injuries physical therapists and chiropractors frequently treat for victims of slip and fall accidents:
Wrist Sprains
When you slip and fall, your first instinct is to break your fall with your hands. Unfortunately, for many people, this results in wrist sprains. The human wrist is a very delicate mechanism, consisting of small bones, tendons, nerves, and cartilage. Together, they allow you to get a good grip on heavy objects or perform fine movements, like passing a thread through the eye of a needle.
The aim of physiotherapy for slip and fall accidents is to give you back the full spectrum of movements, as well as the strength of your grip.
Broken Bones
Depending on the severity of the fall, victims may suffer fractures and broken bones. Mending a broken bone requires resting and immobilizing the bone so it may mend. Through the body’s natural process, the break will fuse, and the affected limb can be used again. However, this process could take months, and in that time the muscles and joints associated with the broken bone atrophy and weaken.
Once your primary doctor has removed your cast and cleared you, you can see a physical therapist to regain strength in the affected areas.
Hip Fractures
A unique broken bone injury, a hip fracture is one of the most serious consequences of a slip and fall. The hip is the area where the torso and the legs connect, which supports the weight of your upper body and is vital for mobility.
Unfortunately, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics, 300,000 older adults are hospitalized due to a hip fracture from a fall. Improperly or incompletely healed hip fractures have a series of negative consequences:
- Reduced mobility
- Inadequate balance
- Risk of suffering a new fracture
Specialists in physiotherapy for slip and fall accidents will put the recovery of strength and mobility in the legs among the top treatment priorities. They will create a step-by-step plan to help patients regain mobility, as well as the confidence to return to their daily activities.
Back Injuries
While some people slip forward and hurt their wrists, others slip backward and injure their spine, ribs, or back. Back and spinal cord injuries can have serious and debilitating consequences if left untreated. Medical science has innovated many techniques to address such injuries. However, after a full course of treatment, many people may still complain of a stiff and painful back.
Choosing physiotherapy for slip and fall accidents, in conjunction with chiropractic care, is one of the best ways of recovering your mobility and treating chronic pain. The treatment programs they can provide allow you to recover without undergoing further invasive procedures and masking symptoms with narcotics and drugs. An experienced chiropractor will create a customized plan to help you recover.
Knee Injuries
As with the hands and wrists, knees are often heavily impacted in slips and falls. Victims can suffer from:
- Bruising with inflammation and swelling
- Dislocation of the kneecap
- Fractures of the thigh or shin bones
- Torn tendons and ligaments
- Strains from twisted the joint
Treating the knee injury may require immobilization or surgery. Physical therapy, though, will aid in the recovery of the joint after the immediate injury has healed.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Though covered in some parts above, soft tissues refer to the muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the body. Slip and falls can cause injuries to these tissues, which can result in sprains and strains. They appear on the body as contusions, swelling, and inflammation.
In addition to resting, physiotherapy can address these pains through:
- Applying ice to the affected area
- Using compression bandages on the swelling
- Elevating the injury above the heart
Your Physical Therapist Can Also Assist With Medical Documentation
In addition to helping you rebuild your body, your physical therapist can also aid in any claim you may be filing. They can provide you with medical records and imaging describing your initial injury condition, the treatments you received, and your progress.
Don’t Let Injury Hold You Back—Call Specific Care Chiropractic Today
At Specific Care Chiropractic, we have over 20 years of experience treating patients with various injuries and chronic pains. Our aim is to give you back the quality of life you used to have before your slip and fall injury occurred.
We encourage you to learn more about us and how physiotherapy for slip and fall accident injuries can help in your healthy recovery. Call us today to schedule an appointment at any one of our five locations in South Florida. Start feeling better today.
