How Long is Too Long When it Comes to Soreness after a Car Accident?

A car accident can turn your entire world upside down. Even if you don't immediately feel you have been injured, a collision can result in significant trauma to your body. You may not notice until hours or even days later that you have indeed been injured, as you may not feel anything out of the ordinary until later. If you have been in this situation, you may wonder how long you would have to soldier through your suffering. We might sound like "Captain Obvious" here, but soreness after a car accident can be complex, and everyone is different. So let's see today how long is too long when it comes to post-car accident soreness.

What is the Average Recovery Time for Injuries after a Car Accident?

Generally, the amount of time it takes before you stop feeling sore after being involved in a car accident varies. This is because certain factors can come into play, including the severity of the accident and the body parts that suffered from the impact.

Of course, every person is different as well. For example, if two people are in the same vehicle when that vehicle gets into an accident and one suffers much worse injuries than the other, there's no telling how long soreness will persist for either party.

The issue of post-car accident soreness concerns both medical experts and attorneys. If you have been in a fender bender or a small collision and you still feel pain after six or more weeks since the accident, you should start worrying.

According to our expert car crash lawyer in New York, residual pain, soreness, and discomfort affecting your life for more than six weeks in a row might be an indication that you have more serious (and even hidden) injuries. In other words, a thorough medical exam and a discussion with your attorney might be in order. Prolonged pain and soreness have a tremendous impact on your quality of life. You might also require medical interventions, recovery therapy, etc. Also, talk to your legal representative about filing a compensation claim because the bills will most likely pile up shortly.

In conclusion, the severity of your injuries usually indicates how long you will feel pain, soreness, stiffness, etc. Such symptoms can last from a few hours to a few weeks. However, keep the six weeks threshold in mind. After that period, it is of utmost importance to seek medical and legal aid.

All legal experts will recommend you to see a doctor or a specialized vehicular accidents chiropractor within three days after the accident. Otherwise, your insurance company might not even want to grant you a meeting, let alone pay for anything. If you start feeling pain, soreness, stiffness, or other symptoms a few weeks or months after the accident, your attorney can prove you sought medical attention.

What are the Most Common Injuries After a Car Accident?

Certain types of injuries are very common after a car accident. The following are the most commonly experienced among drivers and passengers. You should check out all of them, even if you are engaged in a minor collision.

• Whiplash: Whiplash is the most common injury following a rear-end collision, and many victims seek a personal injury lawyer after developing it. The effects of this injury also don't usually show up until at least one or two days later. Soreness in the neck, shoulders, and arms is very common with whiplash. There may also be a tingling sensation and muscle weakness in the arms and neck. The symptoms of whiplash usually clear up after a few weeks. However, whiplash can also cause more severe, hidden injuries. For this reason, it is necessary to have a doctor supervise your case in the long term.
• Muscle soreness: Most car accidents result in muscle soreness. It occurs when a person 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. However, like the soreness associated with whiplash, the symptoms should dissipate after a few weeks.
• Bruising: Bruising can often happen following a car accident. If you have bruises, it's only natural to feel sore. In addition, you can be left with marks after impacting the seat belt, airbags, or other things inside the vehicle. These injuries may be slow to heal physically, but your soreness may go away faster.
• Sprains and strains: Other injuries that are common after a car accident are sprains and strains. Often, drivers of vehicles in accidents suffer limb injuries that result in damage to the tendons or ligaments. Usually, these injuries clear up after a few weeks, but you can notice continuing soreness for a few weeks longer.

You can experience one or more of these symptoms even after a mild car accident. So the first thing you need to do is get a clean bill of health (or an appropriate treatment).

Factors That Determine When Soreness Fades

You should know that some factors determine how long you may feel the soreness associated with a car accident. While pain is normal after you have experienced such trauma, 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 car or cars involved in an accident;
• Whether the airbags went off;
• Your pre-existing injuries, if any.

Seek Medical Attention

Unfortunately, there is no telling how long your soreness will last after your accident. Therefore, it's essential to seek medical attention immediately after an accident to get examined and assess your injuries. Even if you feel completely fine, your injuries may take hours or days to manifest. Comprehensive and diagnostic tests can also determine whether you have any internal injuries that need treatment. You can also use the evidence of your medical records in a personal injury case if you choose to file one. If your soreness and pain persist for more than a couple of weeks, it is time to schedule a doctor and a lawyer appointment.

Author Bio: Early in his journalism career, Kerry L. Tucker had a revelation: there were not enough experts reporting on law issues. Legal matters are part of daily life. Yet, there seems to be a general aversion towards them. One of the main reasons for this is that the convoluted legal language is difficult for many people to follow. Therefore, he decided to change how the law is perceived by the public. Throughout his career, he met with many people who shared their personal stories with him. Some of these hit him harder. One of the cases that stayed with him and influenced his future career development was a car accident case involving a child. From then on, he decided to zero in on car accident lawsuits.

(Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)