Auto accidents can be traumatizing, no matter what the extent of it is. From total collisions to small fender benders, everyone’s bodies react differently, and the force of vehicles colliding into one another is extreme. When people are involved in a car accident, they sometimes will not notice their symptoms after the wreck. Not noticing symptoms can happen for many reasons, the most common being the release of adrenaline in the body. When adrenaline is released, it can seem like you have no injuries, but once it wears off, pain can start to occur.
Auto accidents can cause physical injuries that are hard to notice. Some symptoms of injuries can occur several days after the crash even happened. Here are some common symptoms that can appear several days later that correlate with an injury:
Auto accidents can be traumatizing, no matter what the extent of it is. From total collisions to small fender benders, everyone’s bodies react differently, and the force of vehicles colliding into one another is extreme. When people are involved in a car accident, they sometimes will not notice their symptoms after the wreck. Not noticing symptoms can happen for many reasons, the most common being the release of adrenaline in the body. When adrenaline is released, it can seem like you have no injuries, but once it wears off, pain can start to occur.
Auto accidents can cause physical injuries that are hard to notice. Some symptoms of injuries can occur several days after the crash even happened. Here are some common symptoms that can appear several days later that correlate with an injury:
- Headaches: it is common for headaches to occur several days after a vehicle crash. Sometimes they can signal a severe problem such as a blood clot in the brain, injury to the neck or head, or a severe concussion.
- Neck or shoulder pain: these are symptoms of whiplash, which can be severe. It may require x-rays, CT scans, or MRI’s for diagnosis. Whiplash is one of the top delayed symptoms after an auto accident. Stiffness around your head, neck, or shoulders can also occur along with pain.
- Back pain: this can be a sign of an injury to the muscles, ligaments, or nerves in the back. Damage to the vertebrae may even occur. Lower back pain is found in more than half of rear impact crashes.
- Abdominal pain or swelling: these symptoms could indicate internal bleeding. Other physical symptoms could be large areas of bruising, dizziness, or fainting. Internal bleeding can remain undiscovered for hours or even days. It is a life-threatening symptom that must be diagnosed as soon as possible.
- Numbness: a loss of feeling in the arms and hands can be another sign of whiplash. The numbness is a result of damage to the neck or spinal cord.
- Changes in personality or physical function: these symptoms could signal a brain injury resulting from a concussion. Other signs include impaired thinking or memory, movement, problems with vision or hearing, or personality changes and depression.
- PTSD: post-traumatic stress disorder is common after a car crash. Victims often have vivid and disturbing memories of the event and nightmares. Sometimes victims can also have flashbacks. These symptoms can be written off as less serious, when in fact it is a legitimate disorder that can occur after a traumatic event, such as an auto accident.
- Soft tissue damage: these injuries affect the muscles, discs, joints, ligaments, and nerves. These symptoms can take several days to surface.
It is essential to be aware of any symptoms that may occur after you are involved in an auto accident. It is also important to seek medical help to get the correct diagnosis and treatment for the injury.
At Gonzaba Urgent Care in San Antonio, we are always here to help. Open every day from 8 am to 8 pm, we have an outstanding medical staff that can offer walk-in care for injuries sustained from an auto accident. Every Gonzaba Urgent Care Center has the necessary x-ray abilities and can also do testing at the next level such as CT scans and MRI’s.
Once you come to our urgent care center, it is essential to follow up with a doctor a couple of days or weeks after treatment. If you have a significant injury that we are unable to resolve, then a referral for emergency care will be made. For more information call 210-921-6600.