Car Accident Injuries: When Should You See a Pain Management Specialist?

After a car accident, you just want to put things behind you. You might be sick of dealing with insurance paperwork or waiting for your car to get fixed. If you’re dealing with an injury, too, the situation gets extra frustrating. 

Sometimes, car accident injuries heal on their own. But if you’re still feeling the physical ramifications of your crash, it might be time to see a pain management specialist. 

Shyam Purswani, MD, has extensive expertise in treating car accident injuries.  Come see Dr. Purswani and our team at South Texas Pain Institute for help putting the crash behind you.

Here are a few signs you would benefit from the kind of care we offer. 

If it’s been more than a month

The time it takes to heal depends on the injury you sustained and its severity. Minor whiplash can heal in a few days, whereas more severe cases might take months. 

Keep an eye on your progress. If it’s been more than a month, your body has had ample time to do its healing work. If you don’t feel like you’re close to recovering, your regenerative processes may need extra support. 

If your symptoms are getting worse

Even if it hasn’t been very long, pay attention to the severity of your symptoms. Do they seem to be improving with time? If so, that’s a good indicator that your natural healing processes are functioning as they should. 

If your pain is getting worse, it’s probably time to involve a specialist. 

It’s interfering with your job, hobbies, or life in general

Per the National Safety Council, wage and productivity losses are among the biggest costs associated with car accidents. Is your car accident injury making it hard to work or to enjoy things you used to? Whether it’s limiting your ability to make money, run around with your kids, or join friends for a pickup game of ball, seek out care.

Getting the treatment you need can mean getting back to the activities you want or need to do faster. 

The difference with pain management 

Don’t let “pain management” fool you into thinking Dr. Purswani’s only goal is to mask your discomfort. Instead, he works to develop a proactive plan to help you heal. His goal is to prevent your car accident injury from developing into chronic pain. 

With that in mind, he personalizes a treatment plan for you. That could mean laser therapy or orthobiologics to support your body’s natural healing, injections to target inflammation, or physical therapy to help rebuild your strength. 

Don’t suffer through. For help recovering from your car accident injury, request an appointment online or call South Texas Pain Institute at (210) 899-7246.