post-1-min Symptoms to Watch for After a Car Accident

Every car accident is a traumatic event. It makes no difference whether it was a frightening situation or a mere inconvenience. Each person involved in a car accident responds differently, this experience could result in a variety of symptoms such as mental disorientation, physical damage, PTSD, migraines and tensions.

Vehicle accidents can cause physical harm that is difficult to detect in the days or weeks following the accident. Some of the most common symptoms of a car accident will not appear for several days or weeks.

Headaches

Headaches are very common in the days following an injury. They can occasionally indicate a potentially dangerous condition, such as a blood clot in the brain, a neck or head injury, or even a severe concussion. A headache could be an indication of a traumatic brain injury. Experiencing headaches following a car accident should not be neglected.

Shoulder Pain

Do you have shoulder pain as a result of a car accident? In car accidents, shoulder injuries are very common. You could be suffering from a rotator cuff tear, bursitis, or a bone fracture.

Shoulder injuries can cause a frozen shoulder, which is a condition in which the person loses the ability to move their shoulder joint. A frozen shoulder may require extensive physical therapy.

Knee Pain

If your shinbones or bent knees collided with the dashboard during a car accident, your Posterior Cruciate Ligament, or PCL, may have been damaged. A PCL injury, also known as "dashboard knee," causes pain and instability and can keep the person inactive for months.

Loss of Appetite

Due to emotional distress, you may lose your appetite or overeat. A change in appetite may appear insignificant, but it can have a substantial impact on your mental and physical health.

Back Pain

Back pain can be caused by injury to the muscles, ligaments, or nerves in the back, as well as damage to the vertebrae. Back pain could also indicate a torn muscle or a more serious injury that could result in lifelong disability.

According to the Mayo Clinic, one of the symptoms of spinal cord damage is severe back pain. If you are suffering from backache as a result of a car accident, you should seek medical attention. Victims and participants in a car accident may fail to notice spinal cord injury.

Abdominal Pain or Swelling

Abdominal pain or swelling could be caused by internal bleeding. Other symptoms include large patches of deep purple bruising, dizziness, and fainting.

Internal bleeding can go unnoticed for hours or even days. If not treated promptly after a car accident, internal bleeding can be fatal. This is why abdominal pain should never be overlooked.

Fatigue and Irregular Sleep Patterns

It is common for your sleep habits to be affected after a car accident. You might experience insomnia or nightmares.

Alternatively, you may struggle to stay awake during the day. Sleep disturbances could be the result of psychological stress or a more serious injury, such as a traumatic brain injury. If your sleep habits have been disrupted as a result of an accident, It is advised that you consult your doctor.

Bruising

Having your seat belt buckled during a car crash helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle, but seat belts may potentially cause abdominal and torso injuries. Even if you don't feel pain, bruising from your seat belt indicates a higher risk of stomach or spinal damage and should be evaluated by a doctor. Pregnant women and children are especially vulnerable.

Nausea

There are several reasons why you might feel nauseous after a car accident. Some people experience nausea as a result of the seat belt's strain on their stomach. Nausea can be caused by both anxiety and vertigo. Nausea and vomiting are both common symptoms of a head, neck, or brain injury.

Impaired Vision

Vision impairment, such as blurred vision, double vision, or sensitivity to light, may indicate a traumatic brain injury or eyesight impairment. In severe cases, a head injury can cause retinal detachment or damage to the optic nerve, resulting in lifelong blindness.

Hearing Loss

As a result of a car accident, hearing loss can range from minor ringing in the ears to complete deafness. Any hearing loss you experience after the collision could be caused by the loud noise of the airbag bursting or by head trauma.

Disorientation

As a result of a car accident, you may also experience difficulty focusing or a cloudy and foggy mental state. Concentration difficulties may be the result of a traumatic brain injury, so don't ignore them or expect them to go away on their own.

Numbness

Loss of sensation in the arms and hands is another symptom of whiplash. This numbness in the arms and legs is caused by damage to the neck or spinal column.

As fluid build-up increases in the injured area, sensation loss may develop slowly and gradually. One of the factors that may contribute to the severity of a spinal cord injury is swelling.

Personality, Behavior or Physical Function Changes

These symptoms may indicate traumatic brain damage caused by a concussion. Alzheimer's disease is characterized by impaired brain or memory functions, slow mobility, visual or hearing problems, personality changes, or depression. Mood swings, for example, may appear in the days and weeks following an injury. These signs could indicate that you have suffered a traumatic brain injury.

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

Patients suffering from PTSD frequently replay the traumatic event in their minds in an extremely vivid manner, which can manifest as nightmares, flashbacks, daydreaming, and other symptoms. Children, who are more vulnerable, are particularly affected in such situations.

PTSD symptoms can also manifest as:

  • Mood swings
  • Sleeping pattern changes
  • Eating habit changes
  • Depression
  • Difficulties concentrating
  • Edginess
  • Severe anxiety
  • Carelessness

If you've been in a car accident, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Some injuries are not immediately detected and, if not treated properly, can result in life-long impairment. If you do not seek medical attention following an accident, you may lose your right to compensation.