Every year, around 3 million Americans endure non-fatal injuries in motor vehicle accidents. Learning how long car accident soreness lasts will let you know what to expect and when to get help.
In 2019 alone, over 290,000 older adults received emergency room treatment due to injuries they sustained in road accidents. Once the dust settles, it’s understandable to want answers regarding how long your soreness will last
Your body helped you survive this accident. Learning about how long the soreness will help you make better medical decisions down the line. After all, you’ll know when it’s time to see a doctor.
Lots of our readers are asking “How long are you sore after a car accident?” Here’s what you should know about how long soreness lasts after a car accident:
Car Accident Soreness 101
On average, soreness lasts for 6 weeks after an accident. Some recover before that average, but many people experience soreness for longer periods of time.
Whiplash is a common cause of post-accident soreness. Its sore symptoms don’t appear until a day or 2 after an accident.
Neck pain from whiplash goes away anywhere from a few days to 3 months or more. If you experience persistent neck pain and other symptoms, tell your car accident doctors ASAP.
For instance, if you experience neck pain and tinnitus, report it to your doctor immediately so it’s on record. When it comes to accident injury law, it’ll support your case.
Nonetheless, the matter isn’t as clearcut as averages make them out to be. Car accident specialists know to always take the following into consideration:
Biological Factors
People experience pain differently even if they’ve been involved in similar car accidents. There are factors that affect how long you feel soreness afterwards.
Age plays a big role in determining how much pain someone experiences and for how long. Younger people tend to bounce back from accidents quicker than older people and experience less pain.
Your general health at the time of the accident also comes into play. A person with a pre-existing back problem will be in more pain for longer than an individual without one.
Let’s face it: A slipped disc hurts a lot more when your back wasn’t doing so well in the first place.
Car Factors
Your position inside of the car affects how sore you feel after an accident. In a front impact accident, the driver will experience more soreness and injuries, especially if the airbag goes off.
Generally speaking, the closer you’re sitting to the actual point of collision, the more soreness you’ll feel after the fact.
In a car accident, wearing a seatbelt makes the difference between experiencing soreness for 2 months and having pain from a car accident injury for years. Let this be a reminder to always wear your seatbelt.
What To Do After a Car Accident Injury
If you’re injured in a car accident, there are some critical steps you need to take right away to protect yourself and others involved, and some steps you must make as a follow-up measure.
Here’s what you need to know:
If You’re Injured in a Car Accident, Stop Right Away
If you’re involved in any kind of car accident, however seemingly small, stop right away. If you’re in the middle of the road and able to pull off to the shoulder, that’s as far as you should move. Never drive away from the scene of an accident.
Once you’ve stopped, make sure you’re safe to exit the car and then protect the scene by putting your flashers on and setting up flares if you have them.
If it’s dark out and your lights aren’t working, hopefully, you have a flashlight on hand to shine about to alert others of your presence while you wait for help.
Call the Police
Even if you think that no one has been injured, it’s always a good idea to call the police so they can file a police report. This report will be important to have on file if you need to make a claim with your insurance company, even if the only claim is for damage to your vehicle and not for injuries.
Keep in mind that many injuries don’t show up right away so a police report can help you prove any injury claims later on.
Make a Detailed Record
Once the police have arrived on the scene, give them a detailed, accurate report of what took place. If you don’t know certain facts, make that known to the officer. It’s important that you don’t speculate or give incorrect statements to the officer.
If the officer asks if you’re injured in the car accident, it’s best to say you aren’t sure rather than state that you aren’t only to find out later that you did sustain an injury.
Sometimes it takes hours, days, or even weeks for injuries and pain from an accident to become apparent. Be aware of the statements made by others that were involved in the accident to make sure they are also accurate.
Take Photos and Exchange Information
If officers show up on the scene, they’ll likely gather all the necessary information from everyone involved. But if they don’t respond to the accident, you should get the name, telephone number, and addresses of everyone yourself.
This includes passengers as well as drivers. Gather witness information so they can be contacted in the future by your attorney should it come to that. If an officer does show up, you can request a copy of the police report.
Get Medical Attention
Unless you can be absolutely certain that you haven’t been injured in a car accident, you should seek some type of medical attention at your local emergency room or by seeing your family physician. Even accidents that were minor in impact can result in spinal cord injury, concussion, or internal injury.
Take a Look at the Bigger Picture
According to the World Health Organization, about 1.35 million people die every year due to car accidents around the world. Look on the bright side: Although dealing with car accident soreness isn’t fun, it proves you’re still alive and safe.
Around 20 to 50 million people experience non-fatal injuries from car accidents worldwide. If you’re in pain, you’re not alone. That’s why finding a doctor who has your best interest in mind is so important.
Be smart—call (888) 590-4030 and let us help you find a doctor near you as soon as possible.