Why does my body ache after an accident? Almost every car accident can be traumatizing. Whether you suffer from minor or major injuries, emotions are always running high right after an accident. Most of the time people are unaware that they are hurt in an accident. It is common for symptoms to appear days or even weeks after an accident. Even if you have not showing signs of injury, we advise that you see a medical professional to make sure that there are no underlying problems. Many people do not respond to common signals that the body gives when they have been injured. Pain that is left unattended can create scar tissue and fiber adhesions.
Why Does My Body Ache After an Accident?
Muscle pain and tension are the most common symptoms after an accident. There are a few reasons as to why your muscles start hurting after your accident. the first reason is because your muscle fibers overstretch, therefore inflammation and swelling develops. Think of a time you maybe injured your ankle; your ligaments have been stretched and then swelling occurs. Oftentimes the pain can start immediately after an accident or begins a few days after. Once your nerves become irritated they begin to swell and the body does what it can in order to protect the damaged areas. Inflammation and swelling build up and can irritate the nerves that are around your muscles. Remember, you can experience everything from a head injury to leg pain after an accident.
Once your nerves around your muscles become irritated, it sends a signal to your brain to protect the damaged muscle. So, the contact inflammation and irritation causes your muscles to tighten and spasm.
What Do I Do If Body Aches After an Accident?
The second reason your body will start to feel sore after an accident is due to counterforce. This happens when see are preparing your body for the accident and you brace and tighten the muscles in your body. This kind of muscle injury is commonly seen in the neck, shoulder, and arms of the body of the driver in a car accident who likely braced the steering wheel.
Common Injury Symptoms After an Accident
- Neck or shoulder pain and stiffness – Whiplash is the most common symptom in car accidents. Most whiplash injuries are due to the result of rear-end collisions. You may require x-rays, CT scans, or MRIs to get a proper diagnosis.
- Headaches –Headaches typically develop several days after the car crash. Oftentimes they can signal a potentially serious problem, such as, blood clots, injury to the neck or head, or a serious concussion.
- Back Pain – Back pain is generally caused by the tensing up of the muscles in your back before and during the accident. Lower back pain is most common in more than half of rear impact collisions.
- Abdominal Pain and Swelling – This could indicate a sign of internal bleeding or bruising. Other symptoms include large areas of bruising, dizziness, and fainting. Internal bleeding can remain undiscovered and untreated for days; yet it can be a life-threatening condition that needs treatment right away.
Treatments for Muscle Aches and Pain
- Therapeutic Exercises – Rehabilitation of damaged muscles is treated in three phases – retiring motion, endurance, strength. When muscles begin to heal, scar tissue forms around the areas that are healing. Scar tissue fills in the areas just like scar tissue on the outside of the body. That is what it is like to heal muscle tissue. Most people will want to see a physical therapist in order to help their muscles heal.
- Chiropractic Care – A lot of people will go to a chiropractor after they have been in an accident. This is because a jolt of the body can cause your body, spine, neck, hips, shoulders, to become misaligned. a lot of our clients have benefited from chiropractic care after their accidents.
In addition to the physical trauma, a lot of people suffer from mental and emotional trauma as well. We always encourage our clients to seek treatment right away.
Seeing a doctor for your injuries will help your case tremendously. Most people do not know that seeing their doctor right away not only helps with healing, but it is wonderful for your case. It shows that you took the initiative to take care of yourself and that your injuries are legitimate.
Your car accident lawyer will be able to use your medical bills to get you the settlement that you need to help you recover any monetary loss.