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A car accident is an awful experience for anyone. Depending on the severity of the collision, some individuals may incur serious or even fatal injuries. However, there are also many car accident victims who only experience minor injuries.
If you’ve been involved in a car crash and you think you’re completely unharmed, you might still want to consider undergoing a medical exam. If you’re unsure about whom you can turn to for that, visit injuredcalltoday.com or other similar websites. What you need to know is that one’s body reacts to trauma differently, which may delay your response to injuries. Adrenaline may also mask any symptoms of injuries from car accidents for the time being.
So if you don’t want to end up suffering from serious injuries in the future, it’s best to be aware of the following signs of delayed injuries after an auto accident:
1. Headaches
Among the common signs of delayed injuries are headaches, which can be due to a serious traumatic brain injury aside from concussions, blood clots, and whiplash.
However, head injuries can be challenging to diagnose, and the symptoms don’t always appear instantly. You may not even realize the extent of your injuries several weeks after the accident happened. Often, a head injury is accompanied by dizziness.
Since head injuries are quite complicated to diagnose and the symptoms may vary, it’s crucial to get immediate treatment. You may assume that your headaches are due to stress, but if you hit your head during the car accident, it’s wise to get yourself evaluated by a doctor for brain injury. In doing so, you’ll be able to get treatment options or a potential diagnosis, which can be helpful if you take legal action against the responsible party and possibly end up going to court.
2. Behavior Change
If you’ve been recently involved in a car crash and you start to notice subtle behavioral changes, it can be your brain telling you that something’s wrong. Concussions from car accidents may result in memory problems, personality changes, depression, and hearing or vision problems.
One of the leading injuries related to car accidents is brain injury. The sooner you’re diagnosed, the sooner you can start the recovery process, so make sure to schedule an appointment with your doctor if you notice any changes in your behavior after an auto accident.
3. Numbness
Source: betterpt.com
Numbness after a car accident may indicate possible injuries. It might be a spinal cord injury, head injury, whiplash, or internal bleeding. However, tingling or numbness may often indicate a pinched nerve or slipped disc. Since it can be hard to determine the real cause of numbness, you might want to consult your doctor immediately after experiencing numbness to get a proper diagnosis.
4. Abdominal Pain
Penetrating or blunt trauma in a car accident may cause a person to suffer damage to their vital organs that can result in internal bleeding. Without medical attention, bleeding may become fatal and lead to organ failure.
One of the signs of internal bleeding is swelling or pain in the abdomen. The reason behind this is that internal bleeding may put pressure on the organs and irritate your tissues. Typically, abdominal pain is accompanied by symptoms such as bruising, nausea, dizziness, numbness in the feet and hands, changes in vision, and shortness of breath.
5. Shoulder Or Neck Stiffness
Source: theprofessionalmassageacademy.com
The jolt from a car accident may cause damage to the muscles, nerves, tendons, and ligaments in your shoulders and neck, which doesn’t reveal itself immediately.
If you develop stiffness in those areas after the crash, it might be a sign that you have a rotator cuff injury, whiplash, or another form of soft tissue damage. If you brush off such symptoms, your condition may get worse and result in debilitating and chronic pain that prevents you from doing tasks around the house and hinder your daily work activities.
To get a proper diagnosis, see your doctor as soon as possible so they can examine your condition and perform lab tests like X-rays.
6. Back Pain
A car collision is one of the primary causes of chronic back pain. The pain you feel could be due to pinched nerves, muscle injury, or worn-down ligaments. There are instances where the bones that make up your spine could be damaged. If you experience back pain after an accident, get in touch with your doctor to know the underlying cause.
Conclusion
Delayed injuries are more common than you think. Although you may feel fine after a car accident, you might just end up with symptoms in the hours or weeks after the accident. So if you’ve been in a car crash, always watch out for the above signs of delayed injuries.
If you notice some health problems, don’t hesitate to visit the nearest doctor’s clinic or hospital in your area. Take note that your injury might be serious and immediate treatment and diagnosis are crucial to ensure your overall health.
