Why you should not wait for too long before seeing a medical professional after injuries?
Why you should not wait for too long before seeing a medical professional after injuries?
www.PTcares.com
One of my clients told me that she waited for 5 months before coming in to see a physical therapist after her car accident. Her neck had a lot of pain, stiffness and muscle spasm. After 2 visits in 2 weeks, her neck was much better, and she stated: "I wish I could talk to someone like you immediately after the car accident."
With her permission, I am here to share with you the story of her accident and why you shouldn't wait for too long to see a professional after the injury. My client's name is Kay. She had car accident back in Oct 2017 with a T-bone hit from the passage's side. She got a police report and felt ok when the ambulance sent her to the ER of a local hospital. Her X-ray was negative without fractures but with the reverse curve of the cervical spine---neck bone is straighter than usual. She gradually developed a headache, neck and upper back soreness in the next 2 weeks. She thought that she could wait it out, but the irritation got worse with a sleeping problem at night and stiffness of the neck. She tried to get back to her PCP, which took her 3 weeks to book the appointment. She then was told by her PCP that she did not have any bone fracture or nerve damage, which she knew already from the X-ray. She was given a temporary release from work for 2 weeks and got back to full duty after that. Her pain did not get any back and started to develop into spasm and stiffness. She tried to avoid the pain and overused her shoulders for most of the job activities, which began to cause shoulder irritations. At the end of the 12 weeks after the accident, her PCP finally sent her to a physcial therapy clinic close to her home. She had to wait for 2 more months before she could get into that PT clinic. Kay said that she waited for that long based on the recommendation by her PCP. She ended up stop going to that PT clinic because she did not feel she was heard and treated with full attention. She came to me with a recommendation by one of her coworkers. She enjoyed my service not only because she got better fast but also because of my full attention to her.
Now let's see what Kay could have done to get help faster with excellent quality of care.
1. New Mexico has direct access law so Kay could have gone to PT clinic first before seeing her PCP. Did you know that there was research stated that experienced physical therapists had an equal ability in terms of physical exam skill as residents and family doctors? Seeing a PT directly after the injury could have saved her at least 2 months of waiting.
2. Pain is a necessary protection mechanism for the human body. Nobody likes pain. But sometimes it is critical to understand the real cause of the pain and identify the primary and secondary cause of the symptoms. Kay could have come to me and asked questions by text or email. Doing the right exercises for the neck and avoid overuse of the shoulders could have been addressed immediately. So you see my point here, we could have done something to prevent the development of the secondary impairments and get the recovery faster.
3. Her sleep issue should be addressed first. You will not get any better if you ignore the fact that your body could not continue without proper rest. Her sleeping posture and local tone of muscles in the neck and upper back should be treated first to ensure a good relax. In Kay's situation, I noticed the reverse curve of the neck bones, high muscle tone of the upper back and weakness of the deep neck flexors and extensors.
4. Psychosocially speaking, we all need some sort of support after unpleasant events. If Kay could talk to someone that knew her pain well, she would have less stressful moments at home and at work. She could have less time off from her job and get back to her healthy life quickly.
If you or your loved ones are having trouble with the neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees, ankles, or balance, please tell them don't wait! Go find an experienced PT for consultation. When I told Kay about my service of Free phone and Free discovery visits for anyone with an injury she urged me to share the information with others. For more information, please go to www.PTcares.com and ask Dr. Wu.
www.PTcares.com
One of my clients told me that she waited for 5 months before coming in to see a physical therapist after her car accident. Her neck had a lot of pain, stiffness and muscle spasm. After 2 visits in 2 weeks, her neck was much better, and she stated: "I wish I could talk to someone like you immediately after the car accident."
With her permission, I am here to share with you the story of her accident and why you shouldn't wait for too long to see a professional after the injury. My client's name is Kay. She had car accident back in Oct 2017 with a T-bone hit from the passage's side. She got a police report and felt ok when the ambulance sent her to the ER of a local hospital. Her X-ray was negative without fractures but with the reverse curve of the cervical spine---neck bone is straighter than usual. She gradually developed a headache, neck and upper back soreness in the next 2 weeks. She thought that she could wait it out, but the irritation got worse with a sleeping problem at night and stiffness of the neck. She tried to get back to her PCP, which took her 3 weeks to book the appointment. She then was told by her PCP that she did not have any bone fracture or nerve damage, which she knew already from the X-ray. She was given a temporary release from work for 2 weeks and got back to full duty after that. Her pain did not get any back and started to develop into spasm and stiffness. She tried to avoid the pain and overused her shoulders for most of the job activities, which began to cause shoulder irritations. At the end of the 12 weeks after the accident, her PCP finally sent her to a physcial therapy clinic close to her home. She had to wait for 2 more months before she could get into that PT clinic. Kay said that she waited for that long based on the recommendation by her PCP. She ended up stop going to that PT clinic because she did not feel she was heard and treated with full attention. She came to me with a recommendation by one of her coworkers. She enjoyed my service not only because she got better fast but also because of my full attention to her.
Now let's see what Kay could have done to get help faster with excellent quality of care.
1. New Mexico has direct access law so Kay could have gone to PT clinic first before seeing her PCP. Did you know that there was research stated that experienced physical therapists had an equal ability in terms of physical exam skill as residents and family doctors? Seeing a PT directly after the injury could have saved her at least 2 months of waiting.
2. Pain is a necessary protection mechanism for the human body. Nobody likes pain. But sometimes it is critical to understand the real cause of the pain and identify the primary and secondary cause of the symptoms. Kay could have come to me and asked questions by text or email. Doing the right exercises for the neck and avoid overuse of the shoulders could have been addressed immediately. So you see my point here, we could have done something to prevent the development of the secondary impairments and get the recovery faster.
3. Her sleep issue should be addressed first. You will not get any better if you ignore the fact that your body could not continue without proper rest. Her sleeping posture and local tone of muscles in the neck and upper back should be treated first to ensure a good relax. In Kay's situation, I noticed the reverse curve of the neck bones, high muscle tone of the upper back and weakness of the deep neck flexors and extensors.
4. Psychosocially speaking, we all need some sort of support after unpleasant events. If Kay could talk to someone that knew her pain well, she would have less stressful moments at home and at work. She could have less time off from her job and get back to her healthy life quickly.
If you or your loved ones are having trouble with the neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees, ankles, or balance, please tell them don't wait! Go find an experienced PT for consultation. When I told Kay about my service of Free phone and Free discovery visits for anyone with an injury she urged me to share the information with others. For more information, please go to www.PTcares.com and ask Dr. Wu.
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