As you walk away from the scene of the car accident you were just in, you’re rubbing your neck and wondering how long you’ll deal with this pain before you feel healthy again. Although recovery after a car accident takes time, if you’re walking away from any collision, you’re already one of the lucky ones. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t have healing of your own.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident in St. Petersburg, FL or anywhere recently, you may be wondering how long your recovery will take and when you can look forward to feeling “normal again.” Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to injury healing, and your recovery has a lot to do with the varying factors of your car accident.
Following the accident, see a doctor like the chiropractors here at Sea Change Wellness Chiropractic as soon as you can. Your practitioner will be able to explain the severity of your car accident injuries and give you a better idea of your recovery time. Here are some common factors that impact your recovery time after a car accident:
1. Seat Belts – Were You Wearing One?
Did you have a seatbelt on when you were struck? Hopefully you did, as keeping your seatbelt buckle can reduce your risk of injury by up to 50 percent, according to the CDC. A seat belt holds your body in place during impact, preventing it from impacting other surfaces and keeping your body much more stable as the crash happens. If you weren’t wearing a seatbelt, there’s a change that your injuries are much worse.
2. Speed and Type of Impact
The type of impact as well as the speed of both your car and the other vehicles involved both make a difference when it comes to injuries. If you were struck on the passenger’s side and you were in the passenger’s seat, your injuries may be more severe than someone in the driver’s seat.
3. Your Position When Hit
When the impact occurred, were you facing forward? Were you turned around talking to someone in the backseat, or rummaging for something in the center console? Ideally, you were facing forward with your seatbelt in its proper position. If you were twisted or turned when the crash happened, you may have sustained strains that could make injury worse.
4. Airbag Deployment
Airbags both stabilize your body during a crash and reduce impact to the chest, neck, and head. The Institute for Highway Safety has found that airbags actually reduce the risk of death by 30 percent for front seat passengers during head-on collisions. If an airbag failed to deploy, your body may have suffered a greater impact and require more time to heal.
5. Head Injuries
Direct or indirect injuries to the head or skull are more likely to be severe. Even if you feel fine after an accident, a concussion may be lurking and could have life-threatening consequences if not treated. For this reason, always see a doctor as soon as you can.
6. Neck Injuries
Neck injuries like whiplash can cause swelling, pain, and soreness in the neck, shoulders, and chest for days or weeks following an accident. Injuries like this should be cared for gently as they heal and never rushed.
Treating Your Car Accident Injuries
Multiple forces are at work in determining how long your car accident recovery will be. From the way you were sitting when hit to the cars’ speed and airbag deployment, there are plenty of factors that will impact your recovery time after a car accident. Regardless of how long your doctor expects your recovery to take, it’s important to take that seriously and not try to rush the process. Proper healing will happen in time, and with the guidance of your trusted car accident chiropractor, you’ll be feeling like yourself again soon enough.
If you’re struggling with car accident recovery, make an appointment with the experts. Contact Sea Change Wellness Chiropractic at your convenience to get started.
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