How Long Should You Be Sore After a Car Accident?

Just as every car accident is different, so are the injuries. When your body experiences a traumatic event like being involved in a crash, you’ll likely experience pain and soreness to some extent. But what pain is normal after a car accident and how long should the soreness last?

Keep reading to find out.

Common Injuries After a Car Accident and How Long You Can Expect to Be Sore

After a crash, persistent injuries and pain keep people from putting difficult events behind them. Understanding the scope of your injury, and how long should you be sore, depends on your injury, getting prompt medical care, and your doctor.

Though only a medical professional can accurately diagnose you, here are some common injuries you might experience after a car crash.

Whiplash

Whiplash is extremely common, especially in rear-end collisions. A sudden jolt forward causes the tendons in your upper back, shoulders, and neck to be strained, resulting in pain and soreness. In some cases, you might have a headache, blurry vision, ringing ears, or trouble sleeping.

It’s common for whiplash to set in either instantly or within a few days of the accident. Most people are sore for a few days or weeks, but if you are experiencing prolonged or increasing pain, see a doctor.

Neck and Back Injuries

Since the spinal cord is so essential to life functions, neck and back injuries can be very serious. Like whiplash, they are very common in car accidents as your body reacts to sudden force. However, not all neck and back or spinal cord injuries are appear immediately, so soreness after the fact is normal.

In addition to back pain and soreness, you might also experience dizziness, confusion, disorientation, lack of balance, and general weakness. Soreness from sprains and strains can take four to six weeks to heal, but we always recommend that people go to the doctor right away if they have a back injury.

Internal Bleeding

Caused by damage to your organs, internal bleeding can be hard to externally diagnose. You may experience faintness or dizziness or see big dark bruises. If left unchecked and untreated, internal bleeding can be fatal.

Most internal bleeding issues are serious injuries that require immediate medical attention. Additionally, the type of injury you have will impact how long you experience soreness after a crash, so get medical help as soon as possible.

Concussions

Your brain isn’t immune to damages from an auto accident, and concussions are actually mild traumatic brain injuries. Due to the sudden jolt from a car crash, concussions are very common, but difficult to pin down as they present differently in everyone.

Some symptoms of a concussion are headaches, blurry vision, trouble focusing, sensitivity to light or sound, trouble sleeping, and ringing ears. Concussions may heal on their own over a week or two, but in severe cases, symptoms can linger. To avoid lasting damage, you should always see a doctor if you suspect you have a concussion.

RELATED: I Just Had a Car Crash—What Do I Do Now?

Emotional and Mental Trauma

Healing mental and emotional trauma is just as important as physical trauma. After a car crash, it’s normal for you to experience hesitancy and fear toward driving, but that should slowly dissipate as you become comfortable on the road again.

However, car crash victims are susceptible to developing PTSD, depression, and anxiety from the trauma of their accident. People with depression especially experience soreness and fatigue, even if you don’t have any physical injuries. If you are experiencing mental or emotional pain that disrupts your normal life functioning, seeking the help of a professional can help you heal. Left unaddressed, emotional pain and its related conditions can last for years.

General Pain and Soreness

Depending on where you were in the car during the time of the accident, you might experience pain and soreness in a different way. Drivers commonly have pain and soreness in their hands, wrists, and arms from holding the steering wheel during the impact. Anyone in the vehicle is susceptible to pain and soreness or minor sprains and strains in their back, legs, arms, or abdomen.

These types of injuries should gradually heal in six to eight weeks, however if you notice sharp pain or your pain does not lessen over time, see a doctor.

When to See a Doctor After a Car Crash

Many of the common injuries we reviewed in this blog can take days or weeks to appear, meaning that their damage may be irreversible by the time you discover the injury. Even if you don’t think that you are injured after an accident, we always recommend getting checked out by a medical professional after a car accident. Though we’ve offered some common injuries and healing timelines, only a medical professional can accurately diagnose you and give you the support you need to heal as quickly as possible.

In addition to your health, seeing a doctor can also help your legal case if you are collecting damages for the accident. It doesn’t take long for medical bills to begin piling up. If you’re not at fault for the accident, you shouldn’t be responsible for the damage it caused. If you see a doctor after your accident, you will have documentation for the medical injuries you’ve endured because of the car accident. Any future injuries or pain that occurs because of this accident can be traced back through doctor’s notes and you can be compensated for your current medical bills and any future medical bills as well if your healing and care is long-term.

When to Contact a Lawyer After a Car Accident

Taking care of your physical and mental health is essential after a traumatic accident. You deserve to heal without the financial burden of medical bills. An experienced legal team can help you to prove that your injuries were caused in the accident so you can receive compensation for current and future medical bills. In addition, with a traumatic injury, your daily lifestyle might have changed, impacting your daily functioning.

Just because your suffering isn’t quantifiable—as objective costs like lost wages or medical bills are—doesn’t mean that you can’t be compensated for it. Subjective loss (such as the impact of a crash on your life functions) is called “pain and suffering” in the court of law. If you are experiencing daily chronic pain and suffering after a car accident, you may be eligible to collect damages for the hardships that you face day-to-day. By working with an experienced lawyer, you will have the knowledge and experience on your team to help you recover damages from a car accident. You can only claim damages from a car accident up to two years after the event, so don’t hesitate to contact a legal team.

Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys Are Here Ready to Support You

You shouldn’t carry the financial burden of a car accident that wasn’t your fault. At Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys, we are here to fight for you and your case and ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. No one should have to live with chronic pain and suffering from a car accident injury all while trying to juggle medical treatment and bills. With almost decades experience of fighting and winning for injured people like you, our team of car accident attorneys is here to handle the financial and legal burdens for you so you can focus on your healing.

If you don’t know where to start with your legal case, or are ready to work with a team that fights for you, get started with a free consultation with our personal injury law firm. Contact us at 251-888-8888 or fill out our online form today!

The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.