Any vehicle crash can leave you with lingering medical issues. Even a so-called low-speed, low-impact collision can cause painful, severe and lingering damage.
It may behoove you to take a trip to the doctor after any motor vehicle accident and receive a proper medical exam. You may find that those aches and pains mean a lot more than you first believe.
Neck injuries
The most common crash injury is whiplash, a painful condition caused by your neck snapping from the force of impact. Whiplash causes microscopic tears in the neck that are often undetectable to imaging studies. The most significant symptoms of whiplash include radiating pain through the shoulders and upper back, stiffness and limited motion of the neck. Whiplash treatment often involves medication, such as muscle relaxers, used in combination with physical therapy to effectuate a full recovery.
Hand and foot injuries
When one vehicle strikes yours, the shock of the impact travels through the car and into your body via the floorboards and steering wheel. This can leave your nerves in both extremity groups surging with pain and damage. You may also suffer microfractures in the bones and ligaments that may require intervention.
Brain injury
The sudden and violent snap of the neck may rattle your brain, causing it to hit the skull. This can cause bruising and bleeding that may lead to a whole host of symptoms you may dismiss as nothing. Should you experience any of these in the hours or days after a crash, seek medical attention for a brain injury immediately:
Persistent and worsening headache
Dizziness with or without movement
Vomiting
Memory loss
Cognitive decline
If you wind up in a crash, do not bypass the medical check. Failure to do so may result in some longer-term damage to your body.
