Car accidents happen unexpectedly. The pain that follows isn’t always predictable, but it is your body’s way of telling you what’s wrong. Pain can be useful if you use it to determine what could be wrong and how to treat it. Our Atlanta orthopedic doctors can help you interpret what your pain is telling you. As soon as you experience any type of an automobile accident, call us to schedule a consultation. The sooner we see what is going on, the sooner we can begin a treatment plan to help you feel better.
Timely Treatment is Necessary After a Car Accident
If you are injured in a car accident, the chances are that the pain won’t just go away by waiting a few days. Waiting it out or “toughing it out” is a bad idea, and could actually leave with injuries that are permanent instead of fixable. Waiting often makes receiving monetary compensation for your injuries less likely, as well. You need to come in as soon as you can in order to give your body the best chances of a full recovery.
From the insurance company’s point of view, the longer you wait to seek medical care after a car accident, the more likely it is that your injuries could be attributed to something unrelated to the car accident, such as falling down the stairs. If you were to get seen immediately after the accident, your symptoms can be fully documented and properly attributed to the accident itself.
Even if you don’t have pain in the first day or two, you should still seek a medical evaluation. Chemicals in your body can mask the pain for a period of time after the accident. If the car didn’t get damaged, you may feel like you shouldn’t have sustained any injuries, but even small accidents can cause an injury to the spine or head. We often see patients who sustained minor injuries that turned into larger medical problems down the line, even from minor accidents.
Consider the Injuries After a Car Accident
In a car collision, your body is subject to forces that greatly exceed what it was built to handle. This can result in pain from a number of injuries. One area of your body tends to take the most damage during auto accidents, and that is your spine, from your neck to your tailbone. The following are some of the injuries that are commonly caused by car accidents and should receive treatment promptly.
Concussion
Concussions happen when your brain hits your skull. This can happen when you hit your head against a window, the steering wheel, or headrest in a car accident. What many people don’t realize is that a concussion can also happen even if your head doesn’t hit anything. This can occur if your head is jerked around during an accident. Your head may have moved side-to-side just enough to damage the super-sensitive tissues that surround your brain. It only takes a little jolt to cause a large problem.
Nausea, vomiting, fatigue, loss of consciousness, and slurred speech are all symptoms of a concussion after a car accident. After an accident, you may also notice that your sense of taste and smell feel off. These can be serious symptoms and are good reasons to see a doctor. If you are not sure what type of doctor to see, then call our office. Our specialists can help with all types of injuries following a car accident.
Whiplash
Some symptoms of whiplash overlap with that of a concussion. Whiplash comes primarily from rear-end collisions when your car is hit from behind. The impact of being hit pushes your body forward, but your head falls behind and then snaps forward. Ligaments and muscles can easily become over-extended in both directions. This can cause intense pain and stiffness in the days following an accident. Neck movement may be inhibited, and dizziness and blurred vision may result. Whiplash treatment often requires a combination of chiropractic adjustments and physical therapy.
Back Injuries
Back injuries are common in accidents. They tend to manifest themselves in sharp pain that gets aggravated when you move a certain way. Bulged disks, fractured vertebrae, and torn or stretched ligaments can all result from a car accident.
The pain that stems from any of the above injuries is telling you that there is a problem. These problems need specialized treatment from doctors, physical therapists, and orthopedic specialists who are familiar with auto accident injuries. Proper diagnostics and imaging get to the heart of the problem so that injuries can be properly treated, and compensated.
Where to Find Treatment After a Car Accident
AICA Orthopedics has physical therapists, chiropractors, and orthopedic specialists at each of its accident and injury treatment centers. It is all part of our plan to serve you better. Having all these specialties under one roof means that you will be able to recover more quickly. In addition, you will have the peace of mind that your injuries are well documented so that you can get adequate compensation for them from the insurance company of the offending party. AICA Orthopedics is committed to treating patients and aiding them in recovery. Contact us today about your auto accident injuries, by calling (404) 855-2141 and let us help get you well on the road to recovery.
