You were in an accident, experienced a fall or suffered from a bout of severe illness a month ago, or even a year. Directly after the incident you did everything right and got a clean bill of health, yet something may still feel wrong. Many people experience lingering effects from various injuries long after they thought they should be healed. You may never know for sure if a particular issue is related to specific incident, but your concerns in the following areas should be addressed nonetheless.
Pain
You sprained your ankle and fell onto your knee, but now your neck hurts; could the pain be related? Perhaps. Soreness, discomfort and aching may appear in an area other than the initial injury site. Backaches, stiff neck and headaches are especially common after falls or car accidents. Find a specialist in sciatic nerve pain washington county or wherever you are, then schedule a consult. Once the injuries have healed you should not regularly experience pain levels beyond a two or three on the pain scale.
Sleep
Healing requires good sleep, so insomnia will hinder the recovery process. Poor sleep may be due to increased anxiety and stress related to the incident; mentally replaying a traumatic moment can cause nightmares or night terrors that interrupt sleep. If you find yourself waking frequently during the night consider implementing a soothing bedtime ritual, taking an over-the-counter sleep aid or talking to your doctor.
Activity Levels
After the initial recovery period you should expect to return to your former level of physical activity. At some point the x-rays and CT scans will come back normal and if you haven’t returned to your previous social outings and hobbies by then, there may be something else wrong. Talk to a counselor or therapist if you think you are experiencing anxiety or depression connected to your accident. You have done your best with the physical injuries—now take care of your mental and emotional health, too.
