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Most Common Beach Injuries & How We Treat Them

As Memorial Day approaches, nothing beats Florida beaches in the summertime. The sand, the surf, and lots of memories to be made. However, beach injuries can happen easily so to prepare you to deal with the unexpected, Impact Medical of Clearwater shares a list of the most common beach injuries and how to treat them.

Running in the sand to catch that stray Frisbee (cue the Baywatch music) sounded like a good idea at the time. But, the beach surface can change from soft to hard drastically, especially as the water approaches. The most common injuries from running in the sand include ankle sprains and knee ligament pain. At Impact Medical of Clearwater, our chiropractic team can help treat these injuries with facilitated stretches and tailored therapy plans. Boating is another popular beach activity where injuries may occur, even when responsibly operated by a driver. Concussions, lower back injuries, and strains can have a delayed but powerful impact on your health. Other water-related injuries may occur from strong water currents that can force your body into unnatural body positions. It’s important to seek treatment as soon as possible. Some of our treatment plans for these injuries may include manual and soft tissue therapy.

Spending the day in the sun without proper hydration can cause heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion or heat cramps. Symptoms may include dizziness, cramping, nausea, and more. Cooling down indoors and drinking fluids can help alleviate these illnesses especially when paired with IV drip therapy. 

Let Impact Medical of Clearwater make sure that you live free and easy this summertime. If you need a progressive, multi-disciplinary practice that is dedicated to making a positive impact on its patients in Clearwater, look no further. Call our office at (727) 292-0200 or send us a message to make an appointment.

How Long Do I Need Physical Therapy for It to Be Effective?

You know you need physical therapy, but how long is it going to take before you see results? The short answer is it depends. Treatment can range from two to twelve weeks depending on the details of the injury and the qualities of the individual. The experts at Impact Medical Port Richey will teach you how to get a general idea of how long your physical therapy journey will take with these factors in mind.

What Determines the Length?

There is no set length to encompass all physical therapy sessions. There are a number of factors that determine the duration and frequency of your visits, and there are even ways you can speed up the process. But rather than thinking about how many sessions or how many weeks you have left, your last session is decided when you reach your physical therapy goal or when you are fully healed.

The variables that determine your physical therapy journey are:

• The part of the body or the general location that’s been affected
• The severity of the injury
• The amount of effort that the patient is willing to contribute
• The patient’s natural healing rate

Your physical therapist may also recommend some at-home practices that you can do to expedite the process and make your recovery much smoother. A few examples include stretching, using ice packs, watching your nutrient intake, and staying hydrated.

Average PT Recovery Times

Although your exact recovery time through physical therapy will differ depending on you and your specific needs, you can still get a very rough idea based on past data. For instance, most physical therapy journeys start off at two or three times a week at half an hour to an hour each visit.

Affected Area	Time Frame
Muscles	2-4 weeks
Tendons	4-6 weeks
Soft tissue	6-8 weeks
Bones	6-8 weeks
Ligaments	10-12 weeks
Cartilage	Up to 12 weeks

Remember to keep in mind that these are very rough, average times and that your results will vary depending on your personal healing rate and tenacity. As long as you keep moving your body and circulating your blood through physical therapy and home exercises, your injuries won’t have time to fight back and all of your hard work will pay off sooner than later.

How to Tell When You’re Done

As stated earlier, the end goal is measured by your actual recovery rather than a predetermined date. Sometimes it’ll be obvious when you’re fully recovered. If your healing journey takes a while longer, the results may be too gradual to notice until you’re diagnosed again. A few signs of recovery include:

• Increased flexibility and range of motion in the joints
• Regained strength in the muscles
• Reduced or lack of pain

Schedule An Appointment Today!

Healing through physical therapy is a process that won’t generate results overnight. It takes patience and willpower, and we’ll help you through it all. Call Impact Medical Port Richey at (727) 848-3377 today to get started on the road to recovery. We’ll thoroughly diagnose you for a personalized plan customized to your exact needs.

Should I Get Physical Therapy Before a Knee Replacement?

Many people undergoing knee surgery may be under the assumption that 100% of the actions you take for the recovery process are done after the procedure. However, there are a number of things you can do long before you even go into the operation room. The professionals at Impact Medical Sarasota are here to tell you how physical therapy before a knee replacement can boost your recovery rate after surgery.

The Process

What you do before your knee replacement is just as important as the steps you take after the fact. When you visit a physical therapist before surgery, you can expect them to:

• Show you knee exercises. Building muscle strength and increasing mobility in the knee joint is crucial to a speedier recovery.
• Teach you how to walk with equipment. For the first few weeks after surgery, you may need to walk with the assistance of a walker or crutches. Your physical therapist will teach you how to properly use these tools to avoid injury.
• Explain precautionary home adaptations. Your physical therapist will teach you all of the tips and tricks to help you move around the home with less hassle.

The Benefits

While postoperative physical therapy is still extremely effective in the recovery process, you can experience many more benefits by visiting your physical therapist before your knee replacement such as:

• A more likely chance of a faster recovery time
• Better blood circulation in the legs
• A lower chance of forming blood clots
• Stronger muscles around the knee joint
• Less intense muscle soreness and fatigue

Patients who attend physical therapy before their knee surgery have shown a significant reduction in requiring additional care afterward. It’s such a simple act that will be of great help to you in the long run, so it’s worth a shot! Both pre-physical and post-physical therapy plans are personally designed for you and your body for the best results as long as you know where to go.

Post-Surgery (What to Expect)

The point of physical therapy before your knee replacement is to build enough muscle so that the loss of strength afterwards isn’t as debilitating. As long as you’re proactive in attending your sessions, you’re guaranteed to see a quicker recovery rate. There are certain tasks you can do after surgery to further boost your results.

After your knee replacement, your physical therapist may teach you bedside exercises to help you regain the strength in your muscles in a way that won’t put too much stress on your joints. Propping yourself up to get out of a chair or your bed can be harmful if done incorrectly, and so your physical therapist may also show you the most ideal way to maneuver without hurting yourself. In the end, the goal of physical therapy is to:

• Regularly practice effective exercises
• Decrease the swelling in your muscles and joints
• Limit the amount of pain in the affected area
• Regain the ability to walk as you did before the surgery

The Best Physical Therapist in Sarasota

Are you in need of a knee replacement? Be sure to visit the professionals at Impact Medical Sarasota long before your surgery date for guaranteed better results. We’ll do everything in our power to make sure your journey to recovery is a fast and smooth one! Call us today at (941) 222-1157 to schedule an appointment.

Injured By an Uninsured Driver? Here’s What You Should Do

While nearly every state requires drivers to have at least a minimum of liability car insurance coverage, many people don’t carry any insurance, despite it being against the law.

So, what happens if you are hit by an uninsured driver and are injured? Usually, when you are in an accident, the at-fault driver typically pays for the damage, but it gets more complicated in a no-fault state like Florida, or when you are injured by an uninsured driver.

Our team at Impact Medical Sun City Center explains.

What to Do After Being in an Accident with an Uninsured Driver

#1. File a Police Report

Call 911 and file a police report. If you are able, while you are waiting for the police to arrive at the scene, take photos of the damage, note as many details as you can such as the road conditions, your speed, etc., and exchange contact information with the other driver.

Even if the accident is minor, in the case of uninsured motorist accidents, we recommend that you do not handle it privately. Damage to your vehicle might be worse than you originally thought and some injuries like whiplash may not manifest for hours or days after the accident.

#2. File a Claim

After filing a police report, your next step is to file an uninsured motorist claim with your insurance company. Your insurer will pay for the medical bills and property damage to your vehicle, up to your coverage amounts.

Make sure to file the claim sooner rather than later. Most insurance companies give you 30 days to file an uninsured or underinsured motorist claim.

If you don’t have uninsured motorist protection in your policy, you can file a claim under the collision coverage of your policy.

#3. Seek Medical Care

Florida is a no-fault state meaning that each party in a car accident will seek compensation from their own insurance companies. Because of this, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance coverage is required for all drivers in Florida.

If you are injured in a car accident with an uninsured driver, Florida has a 14-day PIP rule that requires you to seek medical treatment within 14 days of the car accident. Failure to seek medical treatment within those 14 days, can make you ineligible to receive medical benefits and compensation for your injuries.

If you obtain medical treatment within 14 days of your uninsured motorist car accident, you will receive the maximum payout that is available from your PIP coverage for an emergency medical condition. In the case of non-emergency injury, you will likely get around $2500 in medical benefits.

Waiting to seek medical treatment can impact your chances of receiving compensation for your lost wages or injuries as your insurance company might argue that the accident was not the cause of your loss of work or injuries.

To sum it up, seek medical treatment within 14 days of your Florida uninsured motorist accident to protect your right to receive your PIP benefits.

#4. Press Charges

If you are injured or your vehicle sustained damage in an uninsured motorist accident, you should always file a police report and insurance claim.

If you file an uninsured motorist claim but don’t get enough money to cover your vehicle repairs or medical bills, you may want to take the offending uninsured driver to small claims court.

Car Accident Medical Care

If you have been injured in an accident with an uninsured motorist, seek medical care from our team at Impact Medical Sun City Center within 14 days to ensure that you receive your PIP benefits.

Don’t wait. Get medical treatment today and call Impact Medical Sun City Center today at (813) 938-5195!