Does Physical Therapy Increase Settlement Value in Motor Vehicle Crash Cases?
You May Recover More Money if You Need Physical Therapy After a Car Accident
Physical therapy (PT) is crucial in healing and recovering function after a car accident causing orthopedic or traumatic brain injury (concussion, skull fracture, etc.).
In addition, participating in physical therapy can increase the amount the insurance company offers to settle your motor vehicle collision case. For example, the records from physical therapy will document your permanent impairment and ongoing physical pain and suffering. You can use this evidence to bolster your credibility and support a higher settlement amount.
In this concise guide, we discuss the ins and outs of car accident physical therapy settlements and how they can help you get the money damages needed to recover financially and physically.
Keep reading to learn more about physical therapy and car accident laws.
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What is Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy, or physiotherapy, is a medical specialty that focuses on improving joint and muscle function by restoring mobility (helping you move better), extending your range of motion, strengthening muscles, and relieving pain. For example, PT aims to enhance your ability to perform basic movements such as standing, walking, climbing, balancing, pushing, pulling, squatting, lunging, and hinging (at the hips).
Within physical therapy are various subspecialties, such as orthopedics, cardiovascular and pulmonary clinical specialists, neurology, pediatric, sports, and wound management (for burns and electrical accidents).
Physical therapy includes the following:
- Guided movements that the physical therapist helps you do (active assistive) or does for you entirely (passive)
- Active exercises (walking or jogging on a treadmill, straight leg raises, yoga, stretching, etc.)
- Home exercises you can do daily (or multiple times per week)
- Ultrasound heat therapy
- Electrical stimulation (i.e., Transcutaneous Electrical Neuromuscular Stimulation (TENS))
- Massage
- Manual lymphatic drainage (a form of massage)
- Traction
- Ice and other forms of cold therapy
- Foam rolling
- Light/laser therapy
- Kinesiology taping
- Whirlpool (warm baths)
- Durable medical equipment and assistive devices (wheelchairs, walkers, canes, etc.)
The physical therapy methods used to treat your symptoms and prevent future problems depend on the injury mechanism, how well you respond to the treatment, and your physical conditioning.
What Types of Injuries and Medical Conditions Benefit from Physical Therapy?
You may use physical therapy to treat the following things after an auto accident:
- Burn injuries resulting in wounds
- Headaches (including post-concussion syndrome)
- Neck injuries (including whiplash syndrome)
Even in operative cases, your treating physician may order physical therapy before or after the surgery.
How Common Is Physical Therapy After a Car Accident?
PT for motor vehicle accident injuries is very common.
Doctors often prescribe physical therapy after a car accident as part of conservative (non-surgical) management. You will likely participate in PT while having medical work restrictions (light-duty) and taking prescription medication.
Although exact statistics on physical therapy after a motor vehicle collision are unavailable, the general data shows how common a prescription for PT for auto accident injuries likely is.
On average, a private physical therapy clinic handles 100 to 200 patient visits per week. These figures are found online and quoted as accurate in conversations I’ve had with physical therapists in Virginia. And in some PT clinics, most patients are auto accident victims with pending negligence lawsuits or workers compensation claims.
Given this information and the fact that there are more than 38,000 physical therapy clinics, it’s safe to say that motor vehicle accidents contribute to a significant number of the 300 million+ PT visits occurring yearly.
Does Physical Therapy Help After a Car Accident?
Yes, physical therapy helps many auto accident victims.
Various studies show that physical therapy increases the likelihood of recovering after an auto accident.
PT treatment can do the following:
- Increase the likelihood of significant recovery that restores your ability to move and perform activities of daily living (ADLs)
- Prevent the long-term effects (including permanent partial disability) that come with many injuries. For example, improving your movement patterns reduces the likelihood of overcompensating, which causes deterioration and damage in the now healthy limbs.
- Reduce reliance on prescription pain medication.
- Improve your mental health, staving off depression and anxiety that commonly develops after suffering an injury.
Who Performs Physical Therapy?
Although doctors prescribe physical therapy, a specially trained physical therapist will perform and recommend exercises and treatment modalities. Many of these physical therapists work in outpatient clinics. However, some work in hospitals, nursing homes, and other in-patient facilities.
How Much Does Physical Therapy Cost?
The average per-session cost of physical therapy without insurance ranges from $30 to $500, with the initial PT evaluation costing more than daily sessions. How much you must pay depends on where you live (geographic location), the services provided during the PT sessions, the provider’s specialty, the typical reimbursement rates the PT clinic receives from insurers, and any uninsured discount offered.
With health insurance, you may still have to pay $15 to $50 or more per session until you meet your plan deductible. And some insurers cap the number of PT sessions they will pay for per year, meaning you will have to pay the rest out of pocket.
How Many Physical Therapy Visits Will I Need After a Motor Vehicle Crash?
The number of PT sessions needed depends on the extent of your injuries, how well you respond to the physical therapy treatment, and whether you require surgery.
Various data show that non-surgical patients who get physical therapy early typically participate in seven to twelve sessions.
Delayed treatment resulting in chronic pain, however, will require more.
And you may need six to twelve weeks of physical therapy, with two to three sessions per week, if you undergo surgery for car crash injuries.
Who Pays for Physical Therapy After a Car Accident?
You have several options for paying for physical therapy after a motor vehicle crash.
First, you can use Med Pay coverage to pay PT bills if you have it.
Second, your private medical benefits coverage (if you have it) may pay for a specific number of physical therapy sessions. Then you can address potential subrogation or medical provider lien issues when you settle your case (or disburse funds from the jury verdict).
Third, government health coverage (Medicare or Medicaid) may pay for some PT for auto accident injuries. If so, you must address conditional payment or reimbursement issues when you settle the case.
Fourth, if you suffered a work-related car accident, your employer’s workers comp insurance may cover PT bills as part of a lifetime medical award. You must repay a portion of this amount from your personal injury settlement or verdict (see more about workers comp liens here) unless you resolve that issue through a workers compensation settlement.
And fifth, many physical therapy clinics will agree to treat auto accident patients on a lien basis. This means you pay nothing upfront. Then, when your case settles, you pay the bill.
In my experience, many physical therapy clinics will reduce their bill depending on the size of your settlement.
Click here for more information on paying medical bills after a car accident generally.
How Does Physical Therapy Increase Settlement Value?
Physical therapy provides evidence to support a higher settlement demand value. It does this by:
- Showing that you are not malingering (faking disability): Attending PT sessions is a time commitment. Therefore, the insurance company will have difficulty arguing you are “milking” your injuries if you have committed to recovering by attending sessions regularly. In contrast, skipping physical therapy after an auto accident may result in a lower settlement offer from the insurer.
- Creating objective documentation of your post-accident impairment and ongoing pain and suffering: The PT visit notes should include a narrative discussing the movements you struggle with and your pain levels. These reports will show a track record of pain and diminished quality of life that will boost your credibility and help you get a better settlement.
- Providing a witness: In some jurisdictions, the physical therapist can testify or provide reports and letters concerning legal and medical causation, level of disability, work restrictions, and recommended future care. And the judge, jury, or deputy commissioner (at a workers comp hearing) can rely on this testimony to award benefits or monetary damages. Indeed, at least one workers comp judge has told me during a mediation he finds the physical therapy notes more valuable than the doctors’ reports.
- Increasing medical expenses: You can (and should) submit your medical bills as proof of damages at trial. Your PT bills, therefore, serve as evidence of the amount of money damages sought.
How Much Is the Average Auto Accident Physical Therapy Settlement?
In my experience, attending physical therapy increases the average car accident settlement by $15,000 to $50,000 or more.
This settlement amount attributable to physical therapy after a car crash is in addition to money damages for wage loss, other past and future medical expenses, diminished quality of life, and punitive damages.
Personal Injury Lawyers Who Can Help You Find a Physical Therapy Clinic and Increase Your Auto Accident Settlement Amount
Physical therapy is expensive.
But it can help you heal physically and recover more financially in a settlement.
You didn’t cause the accident.
But you can take steps now to put yourself in a better position.
Call us today (804-251-1620 or 757-810-5614) for help building your case and scaring the insurance adjuster into offering more money to get closure and move forward with your best life possible.
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