Massage Therapy After a Motor Vehicle Accident
Manual therapy following a motor vehicle accident can play an incredibly important role in reducing pain and whiplash symptoms following an accident as well as identifying injuries that may require referral for additional medical care.
During a motor vehicle accident, at the first perception of pain, our body’s initial reaction is to contract the muscles around the spine as a protective mechanism. This is very important at the time of impact and immediately following, because this muscular guarding helps prevent excessive movement of the head and neck in the event that serious damage has occurred.
However, once you have been cleared by a doctor and more serious injuries, such as soft tissue damage or intervertebral disc pathology, have been ruled out, this muscular guarding is no longer necessary. Prolonged muscle guarding can contribute to decreased mobility and impaired function over time. This is where massage therapy can be an effective part of your recovery and overall care.
Your Registered Massage Therapist has been trained to screen for signs of more serious injuries if you have not yet been able to see your doctor, helping to ensure that treatment is provided as safely as possible. However, I always recommend seeing your doctor as soon as possible following an accident so that they can perform a medical assessment and determine whether diagnostic imaging or further investigation is necessary.While clinical screening and physical assessment can be very valuable in identifying signs that may require further medical attention, they cannot definitively determine the underlying cause of an injury or rule out every possible pathology.
Once screening is complete, we have a variety of assessment techniques that can help us identify which muscles may be limiting your range of motion, contributing to headaches, or causing symptoms that radiate into the upper extremities, just to name a few. This allows us to develop a treatment approach based on your individual presentation while continuing to monitor your symptoms and progress throughout your recovery.
Once we have identified the areas contributing to your symptoms, we can provide targeted manual therapy, passive stretching and movement, and muscle energy techniques to help improve range of motion and reduce tension throughout the cervical spine and surrounding musculature.
We also take detailed chart notes to monitor your progression, regression, and changes in symptoms so that we can adjust your treatment as effectively as possible from one appointment to the next. Immediately following an accident, I typically see my MVA patients for treatment one to two times per week to help reduce tension and support their recovery, often alongside their physiotherapist.
Choosing the right massage therapist following an MVA can be an important part of your recovery. A massage therapist who understands proper assessment techniques, works within your pain tolerance, and can clearly explain what they are finding and treating is essential for safe and effective care.
If you are looking for a massage therapist to support you through your MVA recovery journey, look no further.
At Strive Holistic, we make recovery following a motor vehicle accident effective, efficient, and convenient. We work with your claims adjuster to direct bill your treatments, so you don’t have to lift a finger—just focus on your recovery.
