Why Am I Having Delayed Pain After My Car Accident?

Boom! All of a sudden, your whole day — and potentially your whole life — changed. A car accident can be a scary situation. If you walk away from it unscathed, you probably consider yourself lucky. 

Don’t assume you’re entirely off the hook, though. In some cases, pain from a car accident might not show up as quickly as you’d expect. 

Fortunately, whether your pain is immediate or delayed, Patrick S Hill, MD, can help. With extensive experience treating car accident patients at our office in Beverly Grove, Los Angeles, California, Dr. Hill can assess your injury and develop a treatment plan. 

In fact, even if you’re not in immediate discomfort, you might want to visit our office after a car accident. Why? Because some pain can take some time to appear. Let’s take a look at two of the most common causes of delayed car accident pain. 

Shock

Sure, you might be thinking, of course, I’d be shocked after a car accident. We’re not talking about mere surprise here, though. Shock is a physical state that affects everything from your organ function to your mental state.

Severe shock requires immediate medical care, but even mild shock can make your body feel different. Add in the adrenaline that floods your body after an accident, and you’re feeling far from normal.

That can prevent you from sensing pain from any injuries you sustained right away. Usually, the shock and adrenaline wear off after a few hours. You might only notice that you’re hurt at that point. 

Consider this a lesson to always get the other driver’s information, even if you think you’re fine. You never know when your car accident pain is being masked by your body’s immediate response to the traumatic situation. 

Spinal problems that worsen over time

In other cases, people don’t get pain right away because the accident was just the first step in a sequence of events. The accident may have been enough to start a problem with one of the discs that cushion your spine, for example. You don’t have true discomfort, though, until you go to lift something heavy the next week. 

Your spine relies on a complex network of components surrounded by ultra-sensitive nerves. It doesn’t take much to cause spine pain. Sometimes, the accident sets something awry, but the problem doesn’t reach a nerve until it worsens to a certain point. Only then do you learn there’s an issue.

How to avoid delayed car accident pain

Make sure you get the at-fault driver’s contact and insurance information. If the accident was significant, you may want to schedule an appointment with Dr. Hill even if you aren’t in discomfort. He can assess your spine to see if issues are being masked by shock or they simply haven’t worsened to the point of reaching a nerve yet. That way, you can start getting care before you badly need it. 

Ideally, you’ll never find yourself facing a car accident. But if you do, we’re here. Whenever you need car accident care, you can call our office or schedule your appointment online.