Here’s how to deal with the after-effects and sore muscles.
Suddenly, the sound of screeching tires, breaking glass and metal crunching fills your ears. You feel yourself slammed into the side of your car as you hit the brake. You have just been in a car accident. The most dangerous moment is over, but you will still have to contend with the after-effects like sore muscles.
Unnatural Movement
During a car accident, the body moves in unnatural ways. This is why whiplash is almost exclusively a car accident injury. These unnatural movements can injure bones and muscles.
Tensed Muscles
Muscles can be sore after an accident if the driver or passenger tenses them to brace for the impact. With adrenaline rushing through the nervous system, the muscles are able to perform beyond normal capability.
Pulled Muscles
If the soreness is not caused by tensing or holding on to an object in the car, it may be the result of a pulled muscle. Pulled muscles can occur when the body works beyond its normal abilities.
Pain Source
Make sure the pain and soreness is caused by a muscle and not something more serious, like internal bleeding or a broken bone. Often, pain can radiate from one area, making it difficult to pinpoint its exact location.
Whiplash
Whiplash is one of the most common neck and back problems associated with minor car accidents. When a vehicle is struck from behind the force will throw the occupant violently forward and then again backward. This is called hyperextension and hyperflexion and tends to be most serious when a victim’s head is turned sideways at the moment of impact. Whiplash can cause severe neck and back pain, muscle spasms in the upper back and neck area, and chronic pain that is increased with movement.
Herniated Disc
The impact of a vehicular collision may also cause a herniated disc in some instances. A herniated disc is essentially a section, disc, in the spinal cord that has been knocked out of place. Because the spinal cord is effectively a protective barrier for the nerves that run from the skull to the pelvis, when a herniated disc occurs nerves in the spine may become compressed. Compressed nerves in the spinal column may result in weakness, numbness, and severe lower back pain. Other symptoms of a herniated disc following an auto accident may include pain or numbness in the hip, legs, buttocks, calf, or foot.
Spinal Contusion
Spinal cord contusion, or bruising, is one of the most severe injuries associated with auto collisions. When spinal bruising takes place considerable nerve damage may occur causing loss of reflexes, loss of feeling in certain bodily areas, and temporary or permanent paralysis. Secondary afflictions of a spinal contusion may include; sexual dysfunction, decreased bladder control, and hypersensitivity in certain bodily areas.
Warning
Even a minor car accident warrants a trip to the doctor or emergency room. Only a doctor can accurately diagnose or identify an injury caused by a car accident. Often, the adrenaline released by being in this high-stress situation can mask the pain of a serious injury. Some injuries may not appear or effect the victim immediately and surface days, or even weeks after the accident.
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