Car accident injuries can happen suddenly but you may not feel the full extent of the damage right away.
For this reason, it is important to give adequate time after an accident to figure out the extent of your injuries, even if you’ve visited the emergency room. This includes paying attention to injuries with delayed pain and getting checked out by one of our Atlanta orthopedic doctors.
Pain After A Car Accident
Damage to your car after an accident is instantly recognizable, but damage to the body sometimes only becomes obvious later. When you’re in an accident, your body produces endorphins that create a pain-masking euphoria, which slowly fades over time. As the endorphins taper off, underlying pain becomes evident.
Knowing which injuries the pain is bringing to awareness is an important part of accident recovery. Diagnostic imaging plays a key role in determining the extent of injuries so that accident victims can get the proper treatment and compensation. This includes basic diagnostics like X-rays, as well as CT scans and MRI’s.
Types of Delayed Injuries After a Car Accident
Here are some specific injuries that sometimes don’t become obvious for hours or even days after an accident.
Whiplash
Whiplash is an acceleration and deceleration of the head. This puts a strain on the muscles, ligaments, and vertebrae in the neck. Symptoms like headaches, reduced range of motion, slowed reflexes, numbness, and muscle spasms are all a part of whiplash. Whiplash can occur even in low-speed accidents, especially if you’ve been rear-ended, so don’t discount it as a potential cause of neck pain.
Back Injury
Your back can also experience injury to muscles and ligaments, which occurs commonly in rear and side impact crashes. Because all the important nerves run through the back via the spine, it is especially important to pay attention to a back injury. Often deeper problems become evident with recurring back pain after an accident.
Concussions
The impact of a car accident can cause your brain to hit the inside of your skull, resulting in a concussion. This can happen even if your head doesn’t hit anything in the car when rapid deceleration occurs. Serious symptoms can arise from a concussion. The brain controls all the parts of your body, so things like balance, vision, and hearing can be affected. Injuries to the brain can go beyond just the physical, affecting cognitive functions such as reasoning and concentration, which can be evidence of a serious problem.
The Right Steps to Take for Injury Treatment After a Car Accident
Because the body is so much more complex than a car, it is important to not be quick to settle with the insurance company after an accident. This could lead to injuries being untreated or undocumented. Contacting an accident and injury center is important to your wellbeing.
AICA Orthopedics can give you the care you need with a dedicated team of chiropractors, orthopedic specialists, and physical therapists. Our state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging equipment allows for detailed analysis and treatment of your injuries. Call AICA Orthopedics today at (404) 855-2141 for an evaluation.
