How Long Should You Be Sore After a Car Accident?

Motor vehicle accidents come in many different forms. Some car accidents might be multi-car pile-up while others might be fender-benders. Even minor car accidents can lead to significant injuries. Therefore, even if your car accident in Florida appears relatively minor, do not be surprised if you are sore following the accident.

If you are experiencing soreness after a car accident, how long is this going to last? Will your soreness get worse before it gets better? There are several important points you should keep in mind.

Soreness Doesn’t Always Show Up Immediately After a Car Accident

After a car accident, it is not unusual to feel “fine.” This is because you have a lot of adrenaline flowing through your body after a moment of trauma. A motor vehicle collision is a stressful experience. The natural response of your body is to release adrenaline. This adrenaline can often prevent you from feeling sore.

A day or two after the accident, you may begin to feel waves of pain. This usually happens after your body has a chance to relax. Your body has had a chance to evaluate what happened. Then, your body mobilizes inflammatory responses to locations of injuries to begin the healing process. This is what causes you to feel sore. Even though over-the-counter pain relievers may help you at first, it is always important to seek medical care.

Always Seek Medical Care After a Car Accident

Because you may not be in much pain following a motor vehicle accident, you may feel like you do not need to see a doctor. Ironically, some serious injuries may not cause noticeable symptoms at first. It is important for you to identify these injuries as quickly as possible. The sooner they are treated, the faster you can recover.

If you delay your medical care, you may have a hard time making a full recovery. Furthermore, if your car accident is evaluated later, you want to make sure you can directly tie any injuries, symptoms, or complications you are experiencing to the car accident. The only way to do this is to seek medical care immediately.

How Long is Your Soreness Going To Last?

If you are feeling pain following a car accident, you may have a hard time going through your daily routine. You may have difficulty going to work, school, or even getting out of bed in the morning. So, how long is this going to last? The answer is that it depends.

There are several factors that will play a role in how long your soreness will last. These include:

• The Severity of the Injury: If you have a relatively minor injury, you may recover in a few days. On the other hand, if you have severe injuries, you may feel sore for several weeks or months. In rare cases, individuals may deal with chronic pain for the rest of their lives.
• Your Overall Health: Your overall health is also going to play a role in how quickly recover. If you do not have any chronic medical conditions and are in relatively good shape, you are likely to recover faster than someone who has chronic medical problems.
• Your Age: Age is also going to play a factor in how quickly you recover. Someone who is younger is going to recover faster than someone who is older if their injuries are similar.
• How Quickly You Seek Medical Care: Finally, how quickly you seek medical care following a motor vehicle accident will also play a role in how long you feel sore. If you seek medical care as soon as possible, your soreness will probably go away faster because treatment can begin sooner.

These are just a few of the many factors that will play a role in how long you are going to feel sore following a motor vehicle accident. What are a few reasons why you may feel sore?

Why Do You Feel Sore Following a Motor Vehicle Accident in Florida?

There are several reasons why you may feel sore following a motor vehicle accident. Some of the most common reasons include:

• Whiplash: Without a doubt, this is the most common reason why people feel sore following a motor vehicle accident. Whiplash leads to a cervical ligament sprain in the neck. You may have trouble moving your neck from side to side.
• Paraspinal Muscle Strain: If you are feeling back pain after a motor vehicle accident, you may have strained at the muscles on the sides of your spinal column. This is called a paraspinal muscle strain.
• Dashboard Knee: If you are feeling pain in your legs, particularly in your knees, you may have suffered something called dashboard knee. This develops when you strike your knee on the dashboard, leading to a sprain of the PCL ligament.

There are countless reasons why you may feel sore following a motor vehicle accident. To address this soreness, you need to seek the care of a healthcare professional.

Rely on a Trained Chiropractor in Florida

If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident in Florida, you need to seek medical care as quickly as possible. That way, you can recover as quickly as possible. A chiropractor can identify the root cause of your soreness, not only treating the symptoms on the surface by preventing them from coming back in the future.

That is where we can help you. At Seminole Chiropractic Center, we always place your needs first. Contact us today if you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident!