How Long Does Neck Pain After a Car Accident Last?

Neck Pain After a Car Accident 

If you are experiencing neck pain after a car accident, it is due to an injury you have sustained.

Whiplash is the most common form of serious neck injury in accidents. This type of injury is caused by the damage being done to the ligaments, muscles, and bones of your neck.

The sudden stop of a vehicle doesn’t stop your body from moving forward. When your seatbelt restrains you, your head snaps forward. This forward snapping, especially during rear-end collisions, is what causes whiplash.

Whiplash is the most common serious injury, but it isn’t the only common injury associated with collisions. Swelling and soreness of the neck are very common after an accident but aren’t considered a serious injury.

If you didn’t sustain a whiplash injury to your neck, you can expect that the pain you are feeling will go away within two weeks. If the pain doesn’t lessen during the first few days after your wreck, you should seek medical attention. You may have injured yourself more than you thought.

Injured on the Job 

If you drive for a living, you may be entitled to worker’s compensation.

Even if you don’t drive for a living, but if you were driving for work, this could apply to you. If that is the case, you will need to go through the policies provided to you by your company, and you may want to contact additional medical professionals.

It never hurts to have more than one opinion, and visiting a doctor on your side can help you with your worker’s compensation case. Remember that the doctor who works with the company you are employed by may be motivated to treat your injury with a minimal amount of expense.

Whiplash and Recovery 

If you sustain a neck injury during your auto accident, you need to see a medical professional.

Treatment should begin as soon as possible, and so should the management of the pain you experience. Neck injuries can result in not just pain but other effects like blurred vision, difficulty concentrating, and other problems.

The standard accepted time for a whiplash injury to stop hurting significantly is six weeks. This is only a guess for the most part because each patient is different. The more severe and less in shape you are, the longer your symptoms will last, on average.

Whiplash can cause pain that could last your entire life, or for ten years or for only a few days. The severity of the injury and the steps taken to treat it are critical to reducing the amount of pain you feel. There is no scientifically proven single treatment for whiplash, but there are a lot of treatment options.

Some patients feel relief by using anti-inflammatories, and others find more relief from icing, traction, or even ultrasound massages. What works for you is what is important, so make sure to be open and honest with your doctor when discussing your neck injury.

This is not a comforting thing to hear, because the recovery time is so different in each patient. The best ways to protect yourself form a neck injury are to be as in shape as possible. This will help your body because the muscles and ligaments in your neck will be stronger and more used to damage.

Even the most in-shape person in the world can suffer a whiplash injury. The healing time it takes will be something that you need to discuss with a physician once you have been diagnosed. They will know the severity of your injury and can offer you more specific guidance.

Finding a Doctor

If you are in an auto accident that results in injury, you need to be treated. If you are in the New York City area, there are many options available to you. Understanding your rights and coverage during a time like this is important because depending on the wreck, you may not be covered by auto insurance.

Injured Call Today is a service that helps you find accident doctors in the New York area to treat your injury. The sooner you seek treatment, the sooner the neck pain after a car crash will be taken care of. One of the worst things you can do is try to suffer through and let the injury heal on its own.

While we have covered the usual culprit of neck pain, remember that auto accidents cause injuries all over the body. From the seatbelt that keeps you alive to the airbag that cushions your head, everything in a car accident can cause injury.

Not All Symptoms Appear Immediately

The injuries you sustain in a car accident don’t always start hurting right away.

You may get home and realize that you are starting to feel pain in various parts of your body. If you refuse treatment and evaluation at the scene of the accident for whatever reason, don’t be afraid to go to the hospital if the pain starts to get severe.

Injuries Make Life Harder

No matter what type of injury you sustain in a car wreck, remember that functioning while injured can be very difficult. The pain will keep you concentrating, and limitations in mobility can make it difficult to accomplish even simple tasks.

If you’re experiencing neck pain after a car accident, call 1-800-897-8440 book an appointment with an experienced whiplash doctor and get the help you need. Figuring out the severity of the injury, and getting treatment started are the only ways to get your life back to normal.