Even a minor car accident can leave your body feeling sore. Owing to adrenaline, you may not feel that you have initially been injured in an accident, only to learn that you have suffered significant personal injury. Someone in a car accident often wonders how long they will be sore after the collision. Soreness after a car accident can require a tedious recovery process, and everyone is different. Your soreness after a car accident will depend on the following factors.
Common Recovery Time for Injuries after a Car Accident
Usually, the recovery time before you stop feeling sore after being involved in a car accident differs. Certain factors can play a role in your soreness, including the severity of the collision and the parts of the body that sustained injury from the impact.
Everyone is also different, as two people involved in a car accident suffer different injuries to their body. How long soreness will persist for parties of a car accident depends on the severity of the accident.
If you have been in a minor car accident such as a fender-bender and you still feel soreness after six or more weeks since the incident, you should be concerned.
If residual pain, soreness, and discomfort have been impacting your life for over six weeks, this can be a sign that you have sustained a serious, and potentially injury hidden, injury. You should see a doctor for a comprehensive medical examination. A medical examination will diagnose your injury, along with establishing whether you will need physical therapy and your recovery timeline.
Another important step is to contact a lawyer experienced in car accidents and personal injury.
Common Sore Areas after a Car Accident
The form of injury you sustained will determine how long you will be sore after your car accident. You may have sustained broken bones or have soft tissue injuries. If you have been involved in a car accident, you should always seek medical attention immediately.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Arm pain, back pain, leg pain, shoulder pain, and headaches are common symptoms of car accidents.
A contusion or bruising often occurs after a car accident. It is natural to feel sore if you have bruises on your body. Additionally, you can suffer marks after impacting the seat belt, airbags, or other items inside the vehicle. Although physically recovering from these injuries takes time, your soreness eventually goes away.
Muscle weakness or muscle soreness happens when an individual gets jolted by the impact of the collision when they tense up. As a result, you can experience soreness in the muscles of your arms, back, legs, or even stomach. Typically, the symptoms should go away after a few weeks.
Whiplash is a common symptom after being involved in a rear-end collision, and the effects of this injury may not appear until a day or two later. Feeling soreness in the neck, shoulders, and arms are common symptoms of whiplash. A tingling sensation and muscle weakness in the arms and neck are also possible. The symptoms of whiplash usually clear up after a few weeks. It is worth noting that whiplash can also cause more severe, hidden injuries that require a doctor to diagnose.
Other common car accident injuries are sprains and strains. Motorists in car accidents often suffer limb injuries that result in damage to the tendons or ligaments. Generally, these injuries will go away after a few weeks; however, soreness can persist for a few weeks longer.
Finally, traumatic brain injury (TBI) can occur during car accidents such as a concussion. The nature of the injury tends to be serious and is quite common in car accidents, so it is best to seek emergency care. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that car accidents are responsible for more than 20 percent of all TBI hospitalizations. If you believe that you hit your head during a car accident, see a doctor right away.
Common Broken Bones in Car Accidents
If you have broken a bone in a car accident, your soreness depends on which bone was broken. Broken bones may require surgery to set with pins or rods utilized to set the bone. How long you will be sore after a broken bone is contingent on what bone you broke and how long it takes to heal.
Common broken bones in car accidents are arms, ribs, sternum, and legs.
If you have suffered a broken tibia, you need surgery to fix it and will be sore for quite some time. If you sustained a broken rib, you are going to seek relief by sleeping in a recliner after medical care. Broken ribs can stay sore for four to six weeks. A fractured rib takes up to six weeks to heal on its own under medical care as long as it did not puncture into soft tissue. Fractured ribs can be very painful, with soreness persisting for quite some time during the healing process.
Factors that Define When Soreness Disappears
There are a number of factors that will determine how long you may feel the soreness associated with a car accident. Experiencing pain is typical after a car accident, and the following factors can determine how long you feel sore:
- Your position in the car
- Whether you wore a seat belt
- The speed at which the crash occurred
- The size of the car
- The size of the other vehicles involved in an accident
- Whether the airbags were deployed
- Any preexisting injuries
Mount Laurel Car Accident Lawyers at the Law Office of David S. Rochman Fight on Behalf of Clients in Car Accidents
If you are sore after a car accident for which you believe the other driver was responsible, you will need legal representation to provide you excellent medical care and adequate compensation for your injuries. The Mount Laurel car accident lawyers at the Law Office of David S. Rochman can help you with your case. Call us at 856-751-2345 or contact us online today to schedule a free consultation. Located in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, we serve clients throughout Mount Laurel and surrounding areas.