Injury Recovery
Suffering an injury is devastating. It’s more than just physically debilitating – though you could very well be immobilized and even permanently disabled when you’re injured in an accident – suffering a life-changing injury can change your sense of self forever.
As part of your recovery plan, you’ll probably have to do physical therapy. Your Philadelphia personal injury attorney can connect you with a physical therapist who can help you rebuild the strength and muscle tone you lost after suffering an injury. Don’t underestimate the reach of your lawyer’s professional network; personal injury lawyers often have a wide variety of contacts to whom they can refer their clients.
Physical Therapy Rebuilds What you Lost
First and foremost, physical therapy is about rebuilding strength and muscle tone after losing it due to an injury. If you had to wear a cast for a prolonged period of time or recover on bedrest, there’s a good chance you’ll find your muscles in the affected area of your body have atrophied. Through targeted massage and controlled exercises, you’ll slowly regain flexibility in the affected areas and rebuild the muscle mass you lost.
Working with a physical therapist ensures that you work your body in a way that’s safe for you and optimized for muscle recovery. When you have a previous injury, exercise that’s too strenuous can potentially re-injure you, sending you back to the hospital and back to the point where you were before you started physical therapy.
Feeling your Body Recover is the Mood Boost that can Help you Keep Going
This is really where you’ll be able to recover from the traumatic emotions of an injury. As your physical therapist works with you and facilitates your progress, you’ll likely feel a confidence boost that makes you want to keep working toward your goal of a complete physical and mental recovery from the injury. In fact, you might even be inspired to keep working and become more fit than you were before you were injured. The human body is amazing, and when you get a little taste of how you can transform your body by shifting your mindset, setting a goal, and working toward it, it’s easy to get hooked on fitness.
Your Mental Health and Physical Health are Intrinsically Linked
Keep this in mind at all times. When you feel good physically, it’s easier to feel good mentally. When your mind is in an unhealthy place, it’s difficult to focus on your physical recovery goals. There are also documented links between poor mental health and an increased risk of facing certain illnesses. Of course, you can be mentally very healthy while seriously injured, and you can suffer from mental health disorders while your body is in great shape. But for most people, becoming and staying mentally healthy is the key to becoming and staying physically healthy, and vice versa. If you feel you need professional mental healthcare to work through your traumatic emotions, ask your doctor for a referral to one that’s in network.