A car accident, even with minor injuries, can cause a great deal of trauma to your body. Most people expect to experience soreness for a few days after an accident, even if they did not suffer injuries severe enough to require a trip to the emergency room. However, when that soreness does appear, you want it to go away as soon as possible. Show How long should you suffer from soreness after a car accident? When should you expect a full recovery and the ability to return to normal activity? The answer depends on the extent of your injuries. Read below for more information from skilled auto accident attorneys. Seeing A Medical ProfessionalYou can prevent many of these concerns simply by ensuring that you always seek medical attention after any car accident – even if you do not think you have suffered serious injuries. All too often, people experience symptoms of major injuries many days or even weeks after a crash. Seeing a doctor much later than the date of an accident can lead to an insurance company questioning if the accident caused the victim’s injuries. Medical attention will diagnose your condition and create an invaluable medical record for an injury claim. If you are fine, a doctor will clear you, and you should have nothing to worry about. Still, it is also possible that a physician may uncover a condition you didn’t notice that requires immediate treatment. In general, after any motor vehicle crashes:
Average Recovery TimeAfter a minor fender bender, most people experience mild soreness for a few days to a few weeks. If you saw the accident coming, you might have tensed up, which probably caused more trauma to muscles, tendons, and ligaments than had you not had time to tense up before the collision. Many accident victims struggle with soreness for up to six weeks after a car accident. Some of the most common injuries that often result in long-term soreness include:
Other, more serious injuries may take longer to heal. If you have broken bones, for example, you may need to wear a cast for six to eight weeks to allow the bones to heal. If you need surgery to repair those broken bones, the countdown to recovery may start with the surgery rather than with the accident itself. Injuries like traumatic brain injury and spinal cord damage may leave you with symptoms that last for the rest of your life. Talk with your doctor about the expected recovery time for more serious injuries so that you will have a better idea of the healing process and when you can expect to return to normal. A traumatic brain injury can be devastating because a victim does not exhibit any signs or symptoms that people with major injuries often display. As a result, very few TBI victims are even aware of their serious injuries. Traumatic brain injuries can result in:
Roughly half of TBI patients will require surgery to remove or repair hematomas (ruptured blood vessels) or contusions (bruised brain tissue). Common disabilities associated with a TBI include problems with communication (expression and understanding), cognition (thinking, memory, and reasoning), sensory processing (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell), and behavior or mental health (depression, anxiety, personality changes, aggression, acting out, and social inappropriateness), while certain cases can involve intracranial hematoma (ICH), which involves several types of blood clots in or around the brain. Spinal cord injuries are generally incomplete or complete, with incomplete spinal cord injuries meaning the spinal cord can still transmit messages to and from the brain to the rest of the body. In contrast, complete spinal cord injuries result in no nerve communication and motor function below the trauma site. Spinal cord injuries can frequently result in paralysis, the loss of the ability to move a portion or all of the body. Paralysis can affect any part of the body, including the face, hands, one side of the body (hemiplegia), one arm or leg (monoplegia), both legs (paraplegia), or both arms and legs (tetraplegia or quadriplegia). When Should You Go Back to the Doctor?Many people go straight to the emergency room or an urgent care facility from the scene of a car accident. Some people, however, choose to avoid that trip for medical attention, whether because they are worried about the expense or feel that they do not have injuries serious enough to worry about medical treatment. Whether you choose not to seek medical attention at the time of the accident or you did but feel that the doctors might have missed something, seek medical attention immediately if:
When Your Injuries Show up Well After the Accident?Some auto accident victims do not have signs of injuries at the scene but discover serious injuries long after the accident. You might have what you think is a minor case of whiplash, only to discover that symptoms linger, causing you pain that prevents you from returning to work for weeks or months after the accident. You might have walked away from the accident scene, only to discover a broken bone well after the accident. Many people fail to notice serious injuries, including the full extent of injuries from chest contusions, until a day or two after the accident, when swelling occurs and pain sets in. When your injuries show up well after the accident, you may wonder how to seek compensation for medical expenses and pain and suffering related to those injuries. Keep these steps in mind:
If you suffered injuries in a car accident, you should contact an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible to learn more about your rights after an accident. How long does your body ache after a car accident?After your car accident, in general, expect soreness to linger for up to six weeks. Normal pain after a car accident usually includes minor soreness. Commonly, car accident victims experience pain in the neck or back.
What should you do if your body hurts after a car accident?Fort Myers Auto Accident Doctor Explains How to Relieve Muscle Pain After a Car Crash. See a Doctor. Seeing a doctor should always be your first option after an accident. ... . Rest. The benefits of rest don't just apply when you're tired or stressed. ... . Stay Hydrated. ... . Yoga. ... . Physical Therapy. ... . Massage Therapy. ... . Eat a Healthy Diet.. |