5 Ways to Treat Muscle Pain and Soreness After a Wreck
A car wreck can ruin your body, leaving you with acute and chronic pain, and sore muscles. Seconds before a crash, the body will instinctively tense up to protect vital organs from injury. This survival mechanism protects the body but can tear the muscles apart.
In the minutes following a severe car accident, endorphins running through the body may mask the pain of the accident, but when those wear off, you will start to feel the pain in your muscles. Relieving the pain and finding the right treatment for your injuries after a car wreck is vital to a speedy recovery.
Two Types of Muscle Soreness
There are two types of muscle soreness when it comes to post-accident pain. Acute muscle soreness happens immediately after the accident. You will normally experience this type of pain within a few hours of the accident.
Delayed onset muscle soreness happens in the days and weeks after the accident. It may take up to 72 hours to start to feel the pain of an injury when you have suffered a delayed-onset injury.
That is why it is important for accident victims to see a medical professional as soon as possible after an accident, even if they don’t feel any type of pain.
Five Remedies for Muscle Soreness You Could Try at Home
1. Heat
A hot bath with Epsom salt, easily available on Amazon.com, can relax the muscles and ease the pain and soreness after an accident. Applying heating pads or opting for a hot stone massage has also been shown to effectively ease the discomfort. You could also try air-activated heat wraps like ThermaCare by applying them directly to the affected area.
2. Massage
For minor injuries, therapeutic massage can help ease the pain. It is best to go to a professional medical massage therapist to avoid further injury. Massage can increase local blood flow and decrease inflammation, boosting muscle recovery and easing pain. Massage is especially effective for soft tissue injuries like whiplash, which is common after car accidents.
3. Stretching
Muscles may hurt because they have tightened in response to the trauma of the accident. Professional athletes use stretching to help ease muscle soreness and speed up recovery after intense workouts. The only drawback of stretching is that it can only help alleviate acute muscle soreness. According to a team of Australian researchers, stretching does not help prevent or reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness.
4. Hydration
Muscles need to rebuild themselves after an accident, and this process cannot be done properly without hydration. Ensure that you are drinking adequate amounts of water daily and supplementing with electrolyte drinks to help with the repair process.
When you are dehydrated, you may notice muscle pain and cramps, which will slow down the healing process. So be sure to drink enough fluids daily.
5. Rest
Your muscles will need rest after an accident. Rest is a vital component in the healing process, and you will need time to recuperate from your injuries. There is no set time or amount of rest necessary, so you need to listen to your body’s cues and rest as much as possible in the days following a severe accident.
Final Thoughts
If you have been hurt in an auto accident, you will also need a car accident lawyer to help you to get the compensation you are due. Muscle damage may only be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to an accident’s trauma. You may be suffering from lost income, long-term injuries, and time away from work.
So, when it comes to hefty medical bills after a severe accident injury, don’t put your faith in insurance companies to get fair compensation for your injuries and pain. If you live in NYC, call a car accident lawyer in Long Island as soon as your injuries permit. A lawyer will know how to handle an injury claim and how to negotiate a fair settlement with an insurance company on your behalf.
About the author:
Early in his journalism career, Kerry L. Tucker had a revelation: there were not enough experts reporting on law issues. Legal matters are part of daily life. Yet, there seems to be a general aversion towards them. One of the main reasons for this is that the convoluted legal language is difficult for many people to follow. Therefore, he decided to change how the law is perceived by the public. Throughout his career, he met with many people who shared their personal stories with him. Some of these hit him harder. One of the cases that stayed with him and influenced his future career development was a car accident case involving a child. From then on, he decided to zero in on car accident lawsuits.
