Road Traffic Accident Rehabilitation

What is Rehabilitation?

Rehabilitation, or rehab, is a special form of care that enables people who have suffered a traumatic event or injury to regain their regular bodily and mental function. People go into rehab for a variety of reasons, including to recover from drug abuse, restore their mental health, regain their physical function after a stroke or other brain injuries, or to recover from a serious accident.

After an accident, the victim must get the medical attention they need, especially if they have experienced a serious personal injury. Some more serious examples of injury include traumatic brain injury (TBI), penetrating head injury, a harsh blow to the head that can lead to more tedious medical conditions, skull fractures, or any other kind of traumatic damage to the brain which compromises their brain functions.
A rehabilitation hospital can provide suitable medical care to patients who have experienced such traumatic brain injuries, traumatic events, and more. First, the patient will be taken to the emergency room (ER) in a hospital and may have to undergo an emergency medical procedure, like surgery.

After the patient regains consciousness, they will need professional help in learning how to regain the ability to perform regular tasks, like walking, eating, talking, and bathing. This is especially true for patients who have experienced brain injuries or broken bones, which put them in a mentally and physically compromised state, respectively.

When this happens, it is important to seek a trained rehab center with professionals who can teach them how to regain full mind and body consciousness and become a functioning member of society once again.

How Trauma Affects the Brain ?

Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a form of physical trauma that someone may experience as a result of an auto accident. It is most commonly associated with traffic accidents but can also result from other kinds of experiences as long as they involve a blow to the head.
Physical trauma has an undeniable effect on the brain. At the very least, it will leave the victim with a mild concussion. In more severe cases, the patient may suffer from a cracked skull, stroke, or temporary to permanent loss of consciousness, to name a few.

These physical effects have long-lasting mental side-effects, which can make it harder for a person to live a normal life. These effects include:

• Difficulty with speech
• Living in a state of shock after the event
• Poor thinking ability
• Difficulty making decisions
• Memory problems
• Compromised cognitive ability
• Finding it difficult to move on your own
• Trouble dealing with casual, everyday stress and challenges

Popular physical symptoms may include:

• Headaches
• Compromised vision
• Loss of hearing
• Persistent dizziness
• Disturbed olfactory sense
• Stuttering

Luckily, it is possible to fully recover from your injuries and regain the ability to perform most of the tasks you did before the TBI, but only if you seek professional help.

Types of Injury Rehabilitation for Accident Patients

There are three major branches of rehabilitation therapy offered to patients; each of them has a special function and contributes to patient recovery in a unique and meaningful way.

Below is a list explaining what these types are and how they can help accident injury patients:

Occupational Rehabilitation Therapy

Occupational therapy is a form of rehabilitation that helps people regain their ability to make useful contributions in the workplace again.

Often, after suffering a serious blow to the head, most people find it extremely difficult to do office chores. These include typing, writing by hand, reading long texts, giving presentations, attending meetings, or performing any other task related to their job.

This puts their professional life at risk and makes it difficult for them to continue with their job. They could risk losing their contract if they don’t regain enough mental and physical stability to fulfill their role in the office.

Occupational therapists focus on teaching people how to do their job just like they did before. They will help the patient relearn basic skills, like typing, which will help them with their professional life.

In addition to overcoming physical barriers, occupational therapy also deals with mental trauma by helping accident survivors think clearly, regain their memory, and be patient.

Physical Rehabilitation Therapy

Physical rehab therapy, physical therapy, or physiotherapy, helps patients overcome the following, and more:

• Persistent pain in the spine, muscles, bones, and specific regions or limbs, like the shoulders or arms.
• Trouble with locomotion and movement
• Constant dizziness or trembling sensations
• Physical fatigue
• Blurry vision

Physiotherapy aims to strengthen the muscles and bones which have suffered from physical trauma. Trained professionals, called physiotherapists, do this by helping the accident victim eat a proper diet, engage in regular exercise, and take ample rest and medication, as needed. They also help with pain management, which most patients suffer from.

There are many important and undeniable benefits of physical rehabilitation therapy. Firstly, it can prevent long-term damage, which could lead to ongoing headaches, migraines, and prolonged pain. The longer these problems are left untreated, the worse they become. So, it’s important to seek out professional physical therapy care as soon as possible to avoid permanent damage.

Secondly, physical therapy will help strengthen traumatized or damaged muscles. A trained expert will accompany the patient and help them exercise using a variety of special machines or tools. This will help patients do basic things, like walk and eat on their own again, which they may not have been able to do initially after the accident because of weakened muscles and compromised neural ability. Exercise and physiotherapy do more than just building muscles; they also rebuild muscle memory, which is required when performing basic physical functions.

Speech Therapy

Speech pathologists are trained to help trauma survivors who experienced car accident injuries, or similar trauma, regain their speaking abilities and overcome problems with hearing.

Many car accident survivors experience common injuries in the brain as a result of a blow to the head; this significantly impacts the soft tissues in the brain, as well as nervous tissue, which is in charge of controlling movement. These injuries can result in trouble with speech and hearing; the only way to regain speaking ability is by taking regular therapy sessions with a speech pathologist.

Speech therapy can also help with hearing loss; a pathologist may prescribe hearing aids or practice multiple drills with the patient to help them hear better again. In extreme cases, surgery may be required, but this is up to the speech pathologist to recommend.

Accidents Rehabilitation: Restoring Hope

Seeking medical assistance physically after a car accident injury or similar trauma is vital; without it, recovery is not possible. These three forms of injury rehabilitation therapy can help people regain their previous physical and mental abilities and become an integrated and independent member of society once again.

Some patients may also require long term care from a trained nurse after leaving the rehabilitation center. This is particularly true for older adults who may need extra help; injuries sustained by older people tend to have a more lasting impact than they would on younger individuals.
Long term care includes nursing aid; a trained professional may accompany the patient at all times, even when at home, like a personal assistant during the injury rehabilitation journey. The nurse will help the trauma survivor with simple and complex tasks, like getting dressed, preparing meals, walking, and bathing.

Another alternative is a nursing home. These homes are equipped with everything that is needed to care for someone who is in a compromised state especially physically, even after rehab therapy.
Not all trauma survivors need this kind of care, but some do. These survivors are those that may have trouble with even the simplest of daily tasks. However, rehabilitation services can help them recover their functionality to a great extent. Hence, a trauma survivor must receive the care they need to heal and recover.