Did you recently get in a car accident? Are you overwhelmed with the stress of managing your pain, dealing with an injury, scheduling car repairs, and talking with insurance companies? The entire experience of dealing with the aftermath of a car accident can be incredibly stressful whether or not you suffered a serious injury. One step you can take to ensure you are getting the best care is to visit a Jonesboro car accident doctor. Even if you don’t think you were injured or that the pain isn’t that bad, car accident doctors know how to assess you for injuries that may otherwise be hidden or masked by the stress and shock of such a traumatic event. A car accident doctor can help provide you with support as you deal with life after being in a car accident. This kind of traumatic experience can affect your physical health as well as your mental health and well-being, so it is important to make time to take care of yourself after a car accident.
How Car Accidents Can Negatively Impact You
Immediately after a car accident occurs, many people report feeling so shocked that it is hard to pick up on details or fully recognize what is going on. In a traumatic event like this, your body starts pumping adrenaline to help you, but adrenaline can also mask pain and other symptoms of injury. The shock and stress of the accident can also mask these signs and symptoms as well. Car accident doctors will look for what are sometimes known as hidden injuries and delayed symptoms because of how our bodies respond to this kind of stressful event.
Symptoms can be delayed by hours or even days after the car accident, which means you might not fully experience all the signs of an injury for a while. These hidden injuries can have a lasting negative impact on your physical health, leading to chronic pain and discomfort if not properly treated as soon as possible. Car accidents can also cause emotional stress and you might feel irritable, frustrated, and even depressed for a period of time afterward. You may also notice you are more easily exhausted or sleeping for longer periods of time than you might normally. Fatigue is common with car accidents as your body works to heal and recover and as you mentally process and recover as well.
4 Ways to Take Care of Yourself After a Car Accident
Many things will attempt to distract you from what should be your main focus after a car accident: yourself. Here are four ways you can take care of yourself after a car accident so you can experience lasting pain relief and support your healing process.
Make time to rest and recover
It can be difficult to make time to rest in the hustle and bustle of life on a normal day, much less in the days after a stressful event like a car accident. The to-do list starts to pile up with appointments, paperwork, and phone calls to mechanics and insurance providers, which can take up a lot of your time and be very stressful. It is important to set aside time designed specifically for you to rest after an accident. Part of your recovery process depends on giving your body a chance to slow down and heal after a car accident.
Focus on hydration and healthy eating
Staying hydrated helps keep your body full of fluids that help deliver nutrients to your whole body. After a car accident, proper hydration will help improve your mood and cognition and even help you to sleep better. Healthy eating will also bring important nutrients to the body and promote natural healing abilities.
Visit a car accident doctor
Visit a doctor who specializes in car accident injuries so you can get the quality care you need to properly heal. Car accident doctors are highly trained and skilled in addressing a wide variety of car accident injuries and understand that each person will have their own experience. No two injuries are exactly alike and car accident doctors have the diagnostic tools and skills necessary to develop an appropriate treatment plan for you.
Follow your treatment plan
At AICA Orthopedics in Jonesboro, our teams of car accident doctors develop individualized treatment plans that address your body’s specific injuries, issues, and needs for healing. Visit a Jonesboro car accident doctor at our car accident clinic to learn more about how we can support you in the aftermath of a car accident.