Any injury can take time to heal, and those sustained in a car accident can take even longer as they are often more severe. Of course, like any injury, healing will depend on the person who is injured and how extensive the injury is. However, there are some steps you can take to recover faster.
Follow Your Doctor’s Instructions
According to Randall Sevenish of Sevenish Law, the most important thing to do after an accident is to seek medical treatment and tell your doctor about any symptoms you have, even if they seem minor to you. Once your doctor has a plan for your recovery, it is critical that you follow it to the letter.
If you have an injury to your leg and the doctor tells you that you must not put weight on it, even if it begins to feel better, continue to do what the doctor tells you until they change your instructions. Failing to do so could make the injury worse and extend the time you need for recovery.
In addition, if you are filing a personal injury claim for the injury, failing to follow the doctor’s orders could reduce the amount you could receive in a settlement.
Keep Hydrated and Rest
Although it may be difficult, it is critical that you rest in order to recover quickly. As soon as the injury occurred, your body began trying to repair the damage. This means your body is working harder than normal and requires additional rest.
Hydration also helps improve healing as liquids help your body produce cells designed to repair an injury. While you are resting, your body is not exerting energy for other reasons, such as walking or working, allowing it to focus completely on repairing the damage which could reduce your recovery time.
Get Moving
As important as resting is during your recovery, so is exercise. Before you start any workout routines, however, talk to your doctor to be sure you do not cause additional injuries. Start slowly with stretches to see how well your body tolerates the movement.
Yoga is an excellent way to begin working in exercise as it helps prepare the body for more difficult workouts in the future. Physiotherapy is also beneficial as it provides a whole-body approach to recovery. This type of therapy includes:
- Diet
- Exercise
- Stretching
Because this therapy focuses on the entire body, it promotes healing. Yoga can also help you to heal emotionally if you are suffering any trauma from the accident.
Watch Your Diet
When you are recovering from an accident, you may be tempted to eat things that are not as healthy as you normally would. Sometimes, when the body is injured, it seeks food that gives us comfort. Try to avoid succumbing to those cravings. Instead, focus on a diet rich in proteins and vitamins as they promote healing. This could help speed up your recovery and help you avoid weight gain as you are convalescing.
Allow Time for Healing
One of the most important things you can do is to give yourself time to heal adequately. It may be frustrating and stressful, but you won’t be able to rush your body any faster by trying to resume your regular activities too quickly. Doing so could cause further damage and require even more recovery time.
Keep yourself occupied with activities and low-impact exercises that don’t require you to overdo things, such as reading the books you have always wanted to read or catching up on a favorite television series you are usually too busy to watch.
If you have been injured in an accident, you need to take time to heal. If your injuries were caused by someone else’s negligence or carelessness, you may be eligible for compensation for your medical costs, lost wages, and more.