Why Your Car Accident Symptoms Show Up Weeks Later

Car accidents can be terrifying, and it can feel like a miracle when you walk away from one without serious injury. But for some people, injuries resulting from an auto accident don’t show symptoms until weeks later.   

Here at Injury and Health Urgent Care, we take car accident injuries very seriously. Even if you think you’re fine, you could notice symptoms down the road. Melissa Kempf, MD, and Shannon Wait, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, as well as the rest of our team, want you to seek out a proper evaluation as soon as you experience these symptoms, or even if you don’t.  

Common car accident injuries

Walking away from a car accident can make you feel very lucky. The CDC reports that nearly 2.6 million emergency department visits resulted from car crashes in 2022, and more than 120 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents every day. 

These numbers are chilling, so we know that being safe and sound after a crash means the world. 

However, there are many common car accident injuries that don’t always result in immediate trips to the ED. These can include:

• Muscle tears
• Joint damage
• Nerve damage
• Concussions or TBI (traumatic brain injury)
• Whiplash

You might notice pain or discomfort, but chalk it up to minor bruising. Trust us; this isn’t a safe way to manage the problem. 

What’s more, some people feel no symptoms after an accident, which can lead them to believe that they’ve escaped completely unscathed. But the truth is, it’s common to experience no symptoms until weeks after the crash. 

Why you might not realize you’re injured right away

How could you experience no symptoms for weeks and then suddenly start feeling:

• Pain, soreness, stiffness
• Headaches
• Decreased sensation in affected areas
• Decreased range of motion in joints
• Mood disturbances

 All of these symptoms can occur much later, leaving you understandably confused.

This happens for a number of reasons. For one, people experience a rush of adrenaline during an accident that can mask painful symptoms for some time afterward. 

The adrenaline rush doesn’t last weeks, but combined with your body’s inflammatory response and your brain’s ability to shut off its experience of pain, it can create delayed symptoms. You’re also more likely to ignore minor issues when you’re grateful to be alive. 

However, minor issues can worsen without treatment, getting more painful and more difficult to ignore. When this occurs, you might notice pain or strange symptoms like blurred vision or mood disturbances weeks after the incident. 

This can make it difficult to pinpoint what is driving the symptoms, making it hard to diagnose accurately and begin an effective treatment plan. 

How to avoid worse injuries down the line after a car accident

Don’t put yourself in a position where you need to backtrack to your accident to find the reason for pain or other symptoms. This can make it harder to treat the problem and keep you from getting help. 

Insurance companies expect you to reach out right after an accident to ensure the claim is documented correctly. If you don’t, your claim might be denied. 

To avoid this, even if you have no symptoms, even if you think you’re fine, it’s always best to see a medical provider as soon as you can after an accident. 

Prompt care allows us to identify possible injuries, even those that have yet to produce symptoms, and we’ll use our resources to help you get the care and assistance you need. 

Don’t wait until you feel pain weeks later

Get checked out immediately after being in an accident. Trust us; it is possible to feel fine right afterward and to find out weeks later that you’re dealing with a serious injury. We don’t want you to be stuck with this, and we’ll do everything we can to help you.

Our Injury and Health Urgent Care office in San Antonio, Texas, is taking appointments. Just call today or schedule online. You’ll be so glad you did.