5 Common Post-auto Accident Injuries

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are more than 3 million people in the United States who are injured due to vehicular accidents each year. The estimated economic cost of car accidents is costing $277 billion each year or around $897 per person. Getting into an auto accident is a traumatic experience that may change the course of a person’s life in an instant. Its symptoms don’t usually manifest immediately in the first days, weeks or even months. If they are left untreated, they may get worse and cause several health problems over a period of time.

For your overall health and well being, it is important to immediately visit an auto injury clinic in Spring hill, so your post-auto injuries can be properly diagnosed and treated, and to allow your medical insurance claims to be properly utilized.

While auto accidents injuries vary depending on the circumstances, there are some common accident injuries you should know about. This article will give you a general overview of common post-auto accident injuries you should watch out for.

• Traumatic brain injuries

Traumatic brain injury is caused by back and forth head whips and head strikes that occurred during the car accident. The brain trauma can cause long-term damage to brain functions. This kind of injury does not show its symptoms right away. After a few months the symptoms may include:

• Becoming forgetful
• Gradual personality change
• Getting easily irritated or angry

Headache pain and pounding painful migraine concept as a human head brain made of cement being destroyed or renovated by a group of wrecking ball objects as a symbol for personal change as a 3D illustration.

It is necessary to seek neurological consultation after a car accident, especially when the person suffered from concussion, headaches or has experienced a series of unconsciousness.

• Psychological injuries

When a person experiences a traumatic event the damage doesn’t only show physically, but also psychologically and emotionally. Going through a traumatic accident can cause “phobia”, which means a person can develop an extraordinary fear of driving or staying in a car.

If the phobia becomes severe the person can eventually become housebound, making them unable to use a car for any purpose. If phobias have developed, it is important to immediately seek psychological help. Psychologists are highly trained in performing techniques that can help patients overcome their phobias.

• Whiplash

Neck and back strains are very common in auto accidents, they are generally known as whiplash. But, this kind of injuries is more serious than a mild strain. Often,  the force that is caused by a collision can cause the tissue between the vertebrae of the spine to rapture, which results in herniated discs. This will eventually put pressure on the nerves in the spine, causing chronic to severe pain, numbness, and loss of control of muscles in your arms or legs.

The symptoms may show up right away, but can also develop and over several weeks or months after the auto accident. This type of injury may require surgery or other treatment options. If left untreated it can cause a long-term disability.

• Shoulder injuries

Since shoulder belts only wrap over one shoulder, the thrown away impact brought by the collision is only focused on one shoulder. The collision can result in a twisting motion to your body. The force itself may cause different injuries to the shoulder such as deep bruising, shoulder strains, severe tears of the shoulder ligaments.

Shoulder injuries can become worse with time, which can eventually become chronic when ignored. Consult an auto injury clinic to prevent this from happening.

• Knee injuries

A person is thrown forwards in a collision and strikes their knee on the dashboard or jams the breaks hard. This can cause direct trauma to the knee, resulting in different types of knee injuries such as shattered patella, torn meniscus or patellar chrondromalacia.

Over a period of time, if left untreated, the injured knee will be inflamed until the injury symptoms become obvious.

Seeking medical treatment at an auto injury clinic in Spring Hill is recommended if the condition of the injured person is not life-threatening. The waiting time is minimized compared to ER rooms. The consultation and treatment is guaranteed to be affordable, compared to exorbitant amounts on hospital bills.

The material contained on this site is for informational purposes only and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PROVIDING OF MEDICAL ADVICE, and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.  Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health.