Face injuries from a car accident are typically caused by impacting the steering wheel or other surface inside your vehicle. They can also be caused by an object that penetrates into your car during a collision. Such objects can include things like pieces of metal or glass and street signposts. It is these types of objects that can cause penetrating injuries to the eyes, nose and mouth.
Treatment for face injuries from a car accident can be a lengthy process. Your recovery time can depend on factors like the severity of the injury and whether there were multiple injuries. Fortunately, physical therapists can play a major role in helping address your car accident-related face injuries.
3 face injuries that are commonly caused by car accidents
- Facial lacerations and abrasions — These are wounds that are typically created by sharp objects such as glass, metal or wood that cut through the skin. Examples include appendage lacerations (such as when earlobes are cut) and cheek lacerations. If deep enough, lacerations, or cuts, can also affect muscles and ligaments. This could make it harder to move your jaw, for instance. But physical therapy can help improve your ability to move your jaw.
- Jaw fractures — Striking your jaw during a car accident can easily cause your jawbone to fracture. Recovering from this injury can involve having your jaw immobilized for as long as six weeks. This long period of immobilization can also leave your jaw muscles weak. The weakness can lead to chronic jaw joint problems if not dealt with. This is something a physical therapist can help you address.
- Temporomandibular joint injury — You know this joint as the jaw joint. To medical professionals, it is the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ. An impact with a hard surface during a car accident can injure the TMJ on either or both sides of your face. The impact can damage the cartilage in the TMJ and cause the joint to become misaligned. In turn, this misalignment can lead to difficulty chewing, pain and more. A physical therapist can assess a TMJ injury and help you find effective ways to treat it.
Find help for these and other car accident-related face injuries at SOL PT
Our SOL Physical Therapy team is willing and able to help you recover from a face injury you got during a car accident. They can do a comprehensive evaluation on the injured area. They can also build you a custom physical therapy plan intended to ease your symptoms and help you heal faster.
Contact our team today to learn more about all our car accident injury treatment services or to schedule your initial appointment.
