Did you know over 50% of people may still experience pain or symptoms 3 months after their accident? Delayed symptoms after a car accident can appear hours, days or weeks after your car accident. Whether you experience symptoms right away or they’re delayed, don’t wait to get treated. Waiting to treat symptoms can allow them to become worse or even chronic.

WHY YOU MIGHT NOT FEEL SYMPTOMS RIGHT AWAY?

If you’ve just been in a car accident or suffered some type of injury you might not feel immediate pain. This is because your body goes into its fight or flight response to trauma or perceived danger.

When your body goes into the fight or flight response the nervous systems stimulates the adrenal glands. This triggers the release of catecholamines, which include adrenaline and noradrenaline. This results in an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate.

When your body is in this stress response, your ability to feel pain is compromised. When the nervous system is triggered you might not feel your injuries until you have had time to calm down. You may begin to experience pain or soreness once your body has returned to a more normal state.

GET CHECKED OUT RIGHT AWAY

If your body’s ability to feel pain is compromised, you might walk away and think you are fine. You may not realize that you’ve suffered a significant injuries. However, as time goes by, you might begin to become sore or feel symptoms.

Many people will often begin to feel pain hours following their accident. The pain can continue to get worse or if left untreated potentially become chronic. Here are the six most common delayed symptoms after a car accident:

6 COMMON DELAYED SYMPTOMS AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT

Neck pain

The neck can be strained during the impact of the accident. One of the most common car accident injuries is whiplash.

Whiplash occurs when the head and neck are thrown forwards and backwards in a rapid motion due to impact. This is most commonly felt in rear-end collisions. It can leave you feeling extremely sore with limited range of motion in your neck. It can also cause headaches, dizziness and blurred vision.

Wrist pain

Another common injury in car accidents is wrist sprains and strains. When the other vehicle hits your car, it can send your body in a forward motion while your hands and arms are still outstretched on the wheel in a driving position. The impact of your wrist driving into the steering wheel can cause strain on the tendons or fractures in the bone.

Back pain

Sprained backs, herniated discs, and fractured vertebrae are all common back injuries. Due to the impact of an auto accident, significant trauma may occur to the spine’s soft tissues. The trauma of the soft issues manifests through pain, limited mobility, tension, and irritation in the back.

The most common back injury to come out of an auto accident is a herniated disc. A herniated disc refers to a spinal disc (circular fluid structures between the vertebrae of your spine) that has pushed out of the spine and pinched a spinal nerve. These injuries are not usually felt right away. You should monitored for them in the following hours and days after a car accident. Left untreated, a herniate disc or other back injury can become severe. It can affect your ability to do every day tasks and become more complicated to treat.

Shoulder pain

Shoulder dislocations, tears and separations are all common auto accident injuries. These injuries occur when a seat belt in strapped over one shoulder to hold the body in place and the rest of the body is thrust forward by impact. Shoulder injuries are also common in T-bone type accidents. When the other car hits you from the side, it impacts the shoulder most directly.

Headaches

Headaches are also common following a car accident. They can result from several reasons. A headache might be a symptom of whiplash or impact. They can also manifest as a trauma response from the accident. Headaches can also indicate that there is misalignment in the body following.

Knee pain

Knee pain is another common symptom follow a car accident due to the impact felt during the crash. If your body is thrust in the dash, your knees might be one of the first things to hit. Impact to the knees can cause potential dislocations or extreme bruising to the joint.

HOW A CHIROPRACTOR CAN HELP WITH DELAYED CAR ACCIDENT SYMPTOMS

If your injuries are severe or life-threatening, seek emergency care right away.

If you begin to experience any pain or soreness in the hours, days or weeks following an auto accident, we recommend seeking the care of a highly trained chiropractor. A chiropractor is an industry leader in car accident injuries and symptoms.

Chiropractors provide natural and holistic ways to reduce pain. They work to restore the body to optimal function. They use treatments such as manual adjustments, dry needling, cupping, soft tissue work and rehabilitative exercises. These treatments help heal the body from injuries suffered from a car accident.

And remember, just because your injuries might not appear right away does not mean they don’t exist or need treatment. The longer you wait to seek treatment for any type of pain or injury the worse they can potentially become.

Get Treated at Kaizo Health  

Our goal at Kaizo Health is to always get you back to feeling 100%. Our doctors provide treatment to help you be pain-free. We also have a dedicated team that will work with you and your insurance. We want to make sure you get the most from your benefits. You should experience relief for as little cost to you as possible. If you are ready to experience relief from the pain, make an appointment to see us now.     

Kaizo Health offers locations in Rockville, MD; Landover, MD; Fort Washington, MD; and Fairfax, VA. Our doctors an evidence-based approach by combining chiropractic care and individualized rehabilitative exercises. We provide the treatment and resources you need to recover your health. We are here to help! If you’d like more information, check out our blog. You can also take our free virtual self-assessment on app here.