MVA (Car Accident Treatment)
LV Physiotherapy works with patients who have suffered automobile injuries in the Niagara Region
If you have been involved in a car accident, it is important to seek treatment as quickly as possible after the incident. LV Physiotherapy has the expertise to rehabilitate a wide range of car accident injuries including common orthopedic conditions such as whiplash and back strains, as well as accident-specific joint, muscle, ligament, tendon, spine and bone conditions. In addition, our clinic is one of the few clinics to offer neurologic rehabilitation for cases of more severe nerve damage or brain injury. We can also provide car accident rehabilitation in the comfort of your home if warranted.
We complete and submit all necessary insurance forms on your behalf, and we bill your insurance company directly. We aim to make your car accident related rehabilitation fast, convenient, and complete.
What to do after you have been in a car accident:
1) Inform your car insurance provider of the accident and any injuries that you have sustained
Regardless of who was at fault for the accident, your insurance provider is responsible for making health and rehabilitation services available to you. If you were a passenger or were outside of a vehicle at the time of your accident, your claim will instead be processed by the driver’s insurance company. Once you have a motor vehicle accident injury claim initiated with the relevant insurance provider we can take care of the rest.
2) Contact us to book an initial assessment.
In this one hour session your Registered Physiotherapist will examine your car accident related injuries, discuss with you a treatment plan, begin therapy, and collect all the necessary information to fill out and submit an MVA rehabilitation insurance claim on your behalf. If you have extended health insurance coverage you are legally required to exhaust these benefits first, and then the remainder of your therapy will be covered by your auto insurance provider.
Whiplash Associated Disorder
Whiplash refers to an injury of the neck resulting from a rapid stop and go event, such as a motor vehicle accident, that may result in bony or soft-tissue injuries.
Whiplash is one of the most common injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents, and accordingly, it is also one of the most common MVA insurance injury claims.
Whiplash can manifest in multiple ways and has been categorized depending on the signs and symptoms present.
Whiplash Associated Disorder Classification
A Grade I Whiplash-Associated Disorder (WAD I) refers to a disorder in which a person complains of neck pain, stiffness or tenderness only.
A Grade II Whiplash-Associated Disorder (WAD II) refers to a disorder in which a person complains of neck pain, stiffness or tenderness, and these complaints are accompanied by reduced neck range of motion.
A Grade III Whiplash-Associated Disorder (WAD III) involves a neck complaint in combination with neurological signs such as muscular weakness, abnormal sensation and lack of or reduced reflexes.
A Grade IV Whiplash-Associated Disorder (WAD IV) involves a neck complaint accompanied with a fracture or dislocation involving the bones or joints in the neck.
Grade I-III whiplash injuries are treated through physiotherapy and patient education. Over-the-counter muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatories can also be beneficial for some patients.
What can be done to increase your chance of success with Whiplash Treatment?
- Keep active in your everyday life, and continue working if possible.
- Keep optimistic about your recovery.
- With the help of your physiotherapist, set realistic expectations about your outcome, and discuss your progress and symptoms at every visit.
- Request a multi-modal physical rehabilitation program that includes exercise therapy, patient education, and hands-on mobilization as well as other therapies where appropriate.
- Establish a home-exercise therapy program with your physiotherapist, and stick with it.
