Injuries caused by car accidents typically reveal themselves right away. However, they occasionally take days or even weeks to become obvious. In certain cases, a serious injury may persist for weeks before an individual realizes that the problem stems from an accident.
According to County Line Chiro, a Lauderhill car accident doctor, “the injuries to the head and neck may take a significant amount of time to show up following an accident.” This is so because such injuries do not exhibit their symptoms quickly. On the other hand, an individual may mistake the symptoms of an injury for a minor medical condition and not think much of it. In the end, the particular nature of the injury governs how long after an accident its symptoms may develop and become obvious.
Common Types of Car Accident Injuries to be Aware of
Injuries resulting from car accidents can differ in significant ways based on the victim’s state of health at the time and a range of other factors. Some injured parties may experience only minor bruises or lacerations. However, others might have to be hospitalized for days or weeks. The effects depend on the specific details of the accident and how it occurred.
Some common kinds of injuries that may result from a car crash include cuts, scrapes, and injuries to the soft tissue, head, arms, and legs. In terms of how long they can take to become evident, each type of injury is different. If an accident victim walks away feeling no obvious neck or back pain, they might feel they’re out of danger. But it may just be that a soft tissue injury like whiplash is taking longer than normal to become noticeable.
The following is some basic information on how long it may take for certain post-accident injuries to show up.
Soft Tissue Injuries
The National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) states that after a car accident, soft-tissue injuries such as whiplash may take days to show up. If a person leaves the scene of a car crash feeling no apparent pain in the neck or back, they may think they’re in the clear. But it may just be that the whiplash they suffered is taking longer than usual to manifest. Soft tissue injuries are among the most frequent types of physical damage that can result from even minor crashes. They involve connective tissue such as the muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
Whiplash affects the back and neck and occurs when one vehicle is struck by another, causing quick repositioning of the connective tissue in that region. The ligaments and muscles in this area become stretched, leading to damage and pain. This condition can continue long after the crash occurred. More severe whiplash cases can lead to serious mid- or lower-back damage that could persist for a lifetime. Such serious cases can give rise to back spasms and sprains that are difficult for physicians to care for.
Head Injuries
Head injuries resulting from a car crash can be of either the mild or serious variety. They’re caused when an individual’s head strikes part of a vehicle’s interior or is struck by a moving object in an accident. Bruises, cuts, and scrapes to the head happen frequently, but more severe types of injuries aren’t outwardly apparent.
Serious head injuries take place within the skull, and may cause extensive physical and psychological harm. Certain symptoms may show up right away after an accident, whereas others might take days or weeks to appear. With such injuries, the tissue and fluid in the skull are affected. In less severe instances, a concussion occurs. But more serious injury to the head may cause lasting brain damage, and in turn long-term disability.
If you think you’ve experienced a concussion after a vehicle collision, it’s essential that you see a doctor immediately. Make sure to have the concussion treated properly so that the affected areas of your head are able to heal quickly and you can avoid added harm to the brain.
Medical professionals can help you recover from car accident injuries such as back pain and whiplash. If you experienced an injury in a car accident, they will begin your treatment by assessing the nature of your case with cutting-edge equipment. From there, they will formulate an individual treatment strategy to help alleviate persistent pain and get you back to your normal way of life as soon as possible. You never want to ignore any type of pain or discomfort following an accident. It could be worse than it appears.
