Why You Should Seek a Medical Evaluation After a Car Accident: Pain is Often Delayed

Some six million automobile accidents happen each year in the United States, which cause an estimated 2.6 million injuries. If you’re among these individuals, scheduling an exam as early as possible after the incident is important. Because symptoms such as pain are often delayed, chiropractic care, in particular, may bring significant long-term benefits.

Learn more about chiropractic care soon after a car accident by contacting Bodyworks Medical Center or scheduling an appointment.  

Purpose of a medical exam after an accident

After a car accident, regardless of the severity, a prompt examination by a medical professional is important for assessing your overall health and well-being. Given how common car accidents are, many providers are trained to look for certain injuries. Discovery and assessment of any injuries allows for early treatment, which can not only help you feel better faster, but lower your risk from long-term complications.

Pain is often an indicator of an injury after an accident, but not all injuries produce immediate pain. And, your body’s natural defense mechanisms work to mask pain during high-intensity events like car accidents. Sometimes, the pain only comes days after the incident. However, a prompt medical evaluation could have spotted the injury early.

Another reason to seek medical care immediately after a traffic accident is for professional documentation of your injuries. In many cases, this ends up being helpful for insurance or legal purposes. The more time that passes after your accident before you seek medical attention, the more this complicates any future proceedings.

Common car accident injuries

Car accident injuries vary in type and intensity and many people experience multiple injuries at once. Some of the most common conditions that result from car crashes include:

• Broken bones, such as ribs, arms, legs, and hips
• Head injuries, such as a concussion, bleeding, or skull fracture
• Herniated discs
• Knee trauma
• Internal bleeding
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Spinal cord damage
• Whiplash

And although some injuries, such as broken bones, are pretty obvious right away, issues such as internal bleeding, head injuries, whiplash, and PTSD may take time to reveal apparent symptoms. By this time, they can become quite serious. If left untreated, these injuries and conditions are more likely to lead to disability.

Chiropractic care after a car accident

While numerous forms of treatment can be helpful or necessary following a car accident, seeing a chiropractor may be especially important in some cases. Your chiropractor can treat “invisible injuries,” such as whiplash that have not yet caused severe symptoms, before they worsen.

Chiropractic care can also minimize pain and inflammation throughout your body, reduce scar tissue, and prevent or lower your need for pain medication. All of this can bring long-term benefits and may help with insurance claims.

If you’ve recently been in a car accident, contact Bodyworks Medical Center by booking an appointment online or calling our office at 630-517-5674. We’d love to help ensure your safety and well-being, both short-term and into the future.