Car accidents may take a few seconds to play out but can leave lasting effects on you and your loved ones. Regarding accidents, most people assume that if you are hurt in a car accident, you will know it immediately. This is a big misconception because symptoms of injury may not appear for several hours, or days, after the accident. How soon after a car accident might you experience pain? Here are some examples and some signs of what you should look out for.
Headache
When an accident happens, the last thing you often think about is an injury. If you have a headache, you might attribute that to stress or a tiny bonk. In fact, it may take anywhere from two hours to two days before you get a headache due to a car accident. This is because some injuries associated with headaches take a while to develop, or you might have sustained a traumatic brain injury, bruising, or fractures.
Whiplash
Whiplash occurs when your neck muscles and tendons get stretched unusually during the accident, resulting in tears. Usually, the preceding event was some sort of hard jolt that you may, or may not, have felt. Whiplash takes several hours to develop and you will likely not notice it after the accident. Common symptoms are stiffness and pain in the neck.
Concussion
Similar to whiplash, symptoms of concussion can take a few hours to a few days to appear. You might actually present symptoms before that, but chances are you might have dismissed them for something, such as anxiety or stress. That’s because symptoms of concussion are similar to other symptoms, for instance, nausea, dizziness, exhaustion, and dilated pupils. If you notice pain, sensitivity to light and noises, and feel dizzy, you may have been concussed.
Spinal injury
Back and neck pain is a sign of spinal injury. The spine is made up of discs that can become damaged or inflamed. In serious injuries, the back pain will likely will start immediately. However, if a disc is misaligned during a mild or moderate accident, you may not feel pain or soreness until a few days later. If your back pain is mild, you may end up ignoring this for a while. However, spinal injuries need immediate attention.
Bruises and Contusions
Depending on the age and health of the victim, you may see bruising or discoloration right away. But often times, a bruise will take days to develop into its deepest shades, indicating that your body is working to heal. Other bruises may indicate some deeper injury below.
If you have been a victim of a car accident, the best thing you can do is to see a doctor as soon as possible. A medical professional will be able to assess if you have any injuries that are going unnoticed and can treat them before symptoms kick in.
The board-certified physicians at the Brooks Clinic specialize in treating all kinds of injuries and specialize in car accident injuries, specifically. If you were injured in a car accident or in another way, call 405-400-0877 to make an appointment today.
