The damage caused by car accidents car far beyond the physical and can include emotional trauma.
Even if the accident is minor, it can still have a significant impact on your life.
No two people will react the same way to a car accident. Some people may bounce right back, while other people could need weeks, months, or even years to recover completely.
Some people might feel pain immediately while others might not have any injury symptoms until days or weeks later.
There are even severe injuries, like internal injuries, that might not start showing symptoms until several days after the accident.
Most people will have a rush of adrenaline after a car accident and could feel little to no pain with even the most apparent injuries.
With less obvious injuries, they could walk away from the accident feeling fine, but over the next several hours or days, they'll finally start feeling like they were in a car accident.
For that reason, it is recommended that everyone receives medical attention immediately after a car accident, no matter how you feel.
It's in the best interest of your health as well as your personal injury claim.
Want more information about what happens during a car accident? Read our blog post: "10 Shocking Car Accident Statistics You Didn't Know"
In the article below, we've compiled a list of five prevalent delayed car accident injuries to keep an eye on if you're ever involved in a car accident.
Table of Contents
- Numbness
- Headaches
- Back Pain
- Neck and Shoulder Pain
- Abdominal Pain
- Always Get Medical Treatment After A Car Accident
1. Numbness
Numbness and tingling in your arms and hands can be an indicator of damage to the neck or spinal column.
These symptoms typically won't present themselves until several hours after the accident.
If you suffer a herniated disc in a car accident, you might experience numbness and tingling in your limbs before you feel any back pain.
A herniated disc presses on the spinal nerves causing the numbness and tingling to appear in your hands and arms.
Seeing a doctor after your car accident will allow them to perform imaging tests to help identify this injury and begin treatment as soon as possible.
2. Headaches
Headaches are a very typical injury after a car accident and usually take several days to be noticed.
By the time they show up, most people don't associate them with the car accident right away.
Because of how common headaches are, you likely won't think anything of a headache a few days after your accident and will probably take a painkiller and hope for the best.
However, headaches can be a sign of a potentially serious problem like a blood clot on the brain or a serious concussion.
You don't have to hit your head in your accident to develop headaches from it either.
Never blame your headaches on stress from the accident or something unrelated to the accident without getting it checked out.
You need to be seen by a medical professional to make sure you aren't suffering from a more serious injury.
3. Back Pain
Back pain is another very common delayed symptom of a car accident.
Back pain can include things like sprains, strains, and herniated discs.
Back pain can also signal that there is damage to the ligaments, muscles, or even your vertebrae.
It's also not uncommon for people to experience sciatica or other symptoms like tingling or numbness if the spinal cord is damaged and pressing on the nerves.
Back pain is common in rear-end and side-impact collisions.
Even accidents at very low speeds can produce back pain; you don't need to be hit going 85 mph to suffer a back injury.
See a doctor no matter how insignificant the accident was just to be sure you haven't injured your back.
4. Neck and Shoulder Pain
Whiplash is the most common delayed injury in car accidents, and neck and shoulder pain is usually a sign you're suffering from it.
Whiplash occurs most in rear-end collisions when the nerves, joints, and muscles in the neck are overextended beyond their normal range of motion.
People tend to shrug off whiplash, but it can be very serious and require imaging tests like x-rays and CT scans to be correctly diagnosed.
Whiplash is detected by chiropractors even before you feel pain.
If your chiropractor catches your whiplash that early, you can begin treatment right away to prevent long-term pain.
5. Abdominal Pain
Pain in your abdomen can go unnoticed after a car accident for several days, and it can be life-threatening if it goes untreated.
Abdominal pain is often a sign of internal bleeding. To go along with the abdominal pain, you may also experience:
- deep bruising and purplish skin
- dizziness
- headaches
- lightheadedness
- fainting
Internal bleeding isn't something you can detect on your own after an accident.
You have to go to the doctor to get it diagnosed, and you should go at the first sign of abdominal pain.
Always Get Medical Treatment After A Car Accident
While there are countless injuries you can sustain during a car accident that will be obvious right away, there are still several that you might not notice until days afterward.
Even if you didn't sustain any obvious broken bones, wounds, or lacerations, there very well may be severe issues lying dormant under the surface - for now.
It's in your best interest to see a doctor immediately after a car accident no matter how you feel.
If you do have a delayed injury, the sooner you begin treatment, the better off you will be.
Seeing a doctor right after an accident will also make your personal injury case stronger during negotiations.
If you've recently been involved in a car accident, and have yet to see a doctor or contact an attorney, reach out to the Car Wreck Doctor.
At Car Wreck Doctor, their mission is to connect car accident victims with the very best medical professionals, chiropractors, and attorney's in your area.
To let them make sure you get the best treatment possible, click the button below.