Car accident recovery times often vary depending on the severity of the accident, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to accomplish. After a car accident, even a minor one, you may find yourself feeling foggy, sore, dizzy, or just not quite right.
The pain often feels like it lingers. Your balance is all over the place, and something feels off. Sleep seems like a daunting task and harder to achieve due to the amount of pain you’re in. And you may be told “everything looks normal” after having an MRI or CT performed, but your body and brain still just don’t seem right.
If you’re actively searching for car accident recovery solutions and feel like you’ve hit a dead end, you’re not alone. And more importantly, you’re not stuck this way forever. You just need to find the right providers who understand how to treat complex injuries, like those sustained in car accidents.
At The Neural Connection, we’ve worked with hundreds of patients who have been actively searching for car accident recovery strategies, but have been let down by their available treatment options. And once we’re able to dig into all of the variables involved in treating the root causes of their symptoms, they quickly start to see significant improvements and changes in their ability to recover.
What Really Happens to the Body and Brain After a Car Accident
Car accidents can affect far more than bones, muscles, and soft tissues. Even low-speed collisions can cause an array of injuries and outcomes, such as:
Whiplash and Cervical Spine (Neck) Injuries
Rapid back-and-forth motion, which often occurs in a car accident, can strain soft tissues and nerves in the head, neck, and body. A landmark study back in 2003 found that patients who began early, active care had significantly less long-term pain than those who rested or were immobilized.
The evidence supports early car accident recovery strategies to improve healing times and function, which is why seeking active treatments after an injury is usually the best idea. More importantly, you should find experienced providers who have worked with similar cases, as not all providers are created equally in this area. Some studies have shown that aggressive treatments immediately following an injury could be harmful for long-term car accident recovery, providing further evidence about the importance of who you work with!
How Car Accidents Cause Concussions and Neurologic Disruption
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to hit your head to have a concussion, especially with auto accidents. Most of the patients we’ve seen who have sustained concussions from auto accidents don’t report hitting their head. You can imagine the surprised look they get when they find out they’re struggling with post-concussion symptoms without having the physical hit to the head.
Sudden movements, like those experienced in an MVA, can cause the brain to shift and shear inside the skull, causing concussions (also known as a mild traumatic brain injury) or even severe traumatic brain injuries. Studies and research have linked these forces to symptoms like cognitive delays, brain fog, dizziness, and even visual changes, even when imaging is normal.
Sleep Changes and The Impact on Car Accident Recovery
Patients who experience car accidents, particularly those with post-auto whiplash injuries, often face significant sleep disturbances that can persist long after the event. Peer-reviewed studies indicate that insomnia, hypersomnia, and frequent nightmares are common, with physical pain (such as neck stiffness) and psychological trauma both contributing to these problems. Sleep issues affect up to 70% of car accident victims, and the presence of sleep disturbance after whiplash is a significant risk factor for poorer long-term recovery and persistent disability.
Mental Health Issues After a Car Accident
Anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress disorder frequently co-occur with sleep problems following whiplash or auto injury, leading to fragmented sleep and reduced sleep quality. Research continues to underscore the need for early recognition and management of sleep problems. Addressing these underlying causes can improve both psychological outcomes and physical recovery in auto accident survivors.
Chronic pain and dysfunction are also some of the leading factors for mental health issues following a car accident, which is why car accident recovery can be delayed or prolonged if these problems are not treated appropriately.
The Most Effective, Research-Backed Therapies for Car Accident Recovery
If your symptoms persist beyond the first few weeks after your car accident, we recommend finding a provider with experience in treating these types of symptoms. From a clinical perspective, our providers at The Neural Connection utilize specific therapies supported by clinical research that have evidence to support their effectiveness. By combining our 20+ years of clinical experience with data and research, we’re able to help people recover faster than most clinics out there.
We often find that patients feel the need to work with various providers to treat their symptoms (ie. A chiropractor for neck pain, a PT for dizziness, a massage therapist for their tight muscles, etc.), but the problem is each person seems to be working on their own side of the Rubik’s cube, yet no one is working to put the entire puzzle together.
With that said, here’s what you should be looking into when searching for treatment options for your symptoms:
Vestibular & Visual Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT)
Vestibular therapy (VRT) can help with dizziness, balance, motion sensitivity, and visual instability, which is especially common after a concussion or whiplash. Studies show VRT can reduce symptom severity and improve function, but it should be paired with other integrative treatments to maximize clinical outcomes and sensory inputs.
At times, patients can also experience visual dysfunction following an MVA, which often coincides with post-concussion symptoms. Visual pursuits (tracking), gaze fixation, and the ability to judge depth and distance (vergence) are frequently altered following car accidents, which can further delay car accident recovery.
Neck-Specific Exercise Therapies
Generic stretching and passive range of motion (ROM) exercises aren’t going to move the needle for you in this category. Guided, progressive neck rehab exercises (often with a trained provider) have been shown to reduce pain and disability in whiplash recovery significantly. Since the neck is a major site of injury, it plays an essential role in supporting the head and propagating pain.
Early Gentle Movements & Anti-Inflammatory Protocols
Prolonged rest or use of neck collars can actually prolong symptoms and delay car accident recovery over time. A major trial found that patients who resumed regular activity early had better outcomes than those told to restrict movement.
Even more convincing are studies that have shown that recovery often plateaus after three months, with most of the benefits of treatment being realized early in the course of care.
What You Can Do To Improve Car Accident Recovery Outcomes
Get the Right Assessment
Seek out providers who have training in neurologic and vestibular rehabilitation. These professionals can detect subtle dysfunction that traditional scans or physical therapy might miss. As we’ve stated before, it’s best to find providers who have extensive experience in this field to ensure the highest quality of care and outcomes.
Begin With Gentle, Targeted Movements and Therapies
Your body and brain heal through motion, but too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Supervised exercises for the neck and head, paired with gentle stretching, soft tissue modalities, and electrotherapies, can often promote healing and improve pain levels.
Therapies should always be integrated according to your tolerance and under the supervision of a trained professional. You should also ask your providers for home therapies, as these can help improve your recovery times, decrease pain levels more quickly, and enhance your quality of life at a faster rate.
Track Your Symptoms & Progress Over Time
Use a daily log to record your symptoms, such as dizziness, headaches, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. Research shows that tracking helps guide therapy and can give you a sense of control. Tracking symptoms can also help you understand therapies that worked well (and those that didn’t) and see the impact your treatments are having on your recovery.
Patients often forget where they start, so it’s crucial to have data to show your progress and changes over time.
Support Your Sleep and Manage Your Stressors
Healing the brain, body, and central nervous system requires sleep. There’s a reason you’re supposed to sleep a third of your life away. Following an injury, it’s essential to practice good sleep hygiene and consider mindfulness techniques or breathwork to calm your fight-or-flight responses. Chronic stress can worsen recovery, and after a traumatic event, your brain will skew into a steady state of stress, which can further prolong your car accident recovery timelines.
When to Seek Specialized Neurologic Rehab
If you’re weeks or months post-accident and still struggling, here’s when it’s time to consider neurologic rehab:
- Dizziness that persists and remains consistent throughout the day.
- Brain fog, memory trouble, or slow thinking continues to be an issue for you.
- Headaches that worsen with screen time or reading, or are getting worse in general.
- Visual symptoms, such as visual blur, double vision, or light sensitivity, are still affecting your quality of life.
- You notice a “disconnect” between your eyes, neck, and balance systems, which manifests through dizziness, visual strain, and daily headaches.
- Fatigue, sleep disturbance, or mood swings are still daily issues and don’t seem to be resolving on their own.
As we’ve previously stated, studies consistently show that early, targeted interventions, especially those focused on vision, balance, and neck coordination, lead to faster and more complete recovery. Finding the right balance between care and recovery will enable you to make the best changes to recover and get back on track.
You’re Not “Crazy” and Your Symptoms Are Real… Your Car Accident Recovery Treatments Must Be Tailored to You
Too many people leave the ER or a primary care office with lingering symptoms and no roadmap to finding help. It’s one of the many reasons we continue to write blogs like this, as we’ve seen far too many patients being told they’re “fine” or “normal” when they’re still having symptoms.
If you’ve been dismissed or told to “just rest,” we want you to know: your experience is valid and you’re not stuck this way forever.
At The Neural Connection, our neurologic rehab clinic is built for cases just like yours. We combine research-backed techniques in vestibular and visual therapy, neck-eye coordination, and concussion recovery to help you move forward at a pace that respects your brain and body.
If you’re ready to take the next step towards finding relief, what are you waiting for?
Book your FREE consultation to speak with one of our providers today. We’ll help you understand your symptoms, explore options, and show you how to take your first step toward healing.
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