There are a few reasons why you may not notice any pain from your injuries soon after an accident. The first is your adrenaline pumping. When you get into an accident, your body’s natural response is to pump adrenaline out which does a very good job at masking the pain and effects that an injury can have on you in the short term. This is the same reason that boxers and MMA fighters look fine when they are in the ring, but then clearly have pain when the fight is over. The adrenaline is pumping through their bodies which makes you not realize that your body is actually badly hurt and needs medical attention. Once the adrenaline starts to wear off, you will start to notice these injuries and the pain may become unbearable.
The second reason you may not notice your injuries right away is that your body is in shock right after the accident. When you’re in shock, blood flow is directed towards your crucial organs as a way to protect your body. This means that other parts of your body like your arms and legs won’t have as much blood flow, reducing your ability to feel as much pain in those areas. Shock also affects your mental state because it creates a mental separation from your body’s pain receptors which can also limit the amount of pain that you notice directly after the accident. Shock can last for hours, so it is very common to not notice injuries for a few hours after an accident due to this reason.
The third reason you may not feel your injuries right away is that inflammation doesn’t always start to happen right away. Most of the time, the adrenaline and shock are reducing blood flow to certain areas which prevents inflammation from happening quickly after the accident. But once the adrenaline and shock wear off, your blood will start to flow to these areas and cause inflammation. Once the inflammation starts, you will start to notice the pain increasing. This can take hours, days or weeks to fully play out and once it is in full effect, you’ll really notice the pain because there is a lot of blood in those areas and the excess blood can cause swelling which pushes on your nerves and makes any pain in those areas much more definitive.
The last reason you may not notice your accident injuries right away is that some injuries just take some time to develop symptoms. This can be things like internal bleeding, abdominal pain, concussions, bone fractures, spinal injuries, whiplash, back or neck injuries, brain injuries and more. These injuries all have various reasons for taking a long time to start becoming painful and can sometimes take months or years to really become noticeable. Especially back and neck injuries because your lifestyle can cause these issues to get worse over time and lead to the injury becoming much worse. For example, some back injuries may seem mild or non-existent at first, but if you sit all day at your job, this can cause the injury to become inflamed and start to cause a lot of pain on a regular basis. When these things aren’t fixed and you continue to do things that don’t help the problem, then they will gradually get worse and start to really affect your overall well-being.
Given these factors, it’s a good idea to let a doctor check you out if you’ve been in an auto accident. Even if you don’t think you’re hurt, it’s better to get medical attention right away from a trained professional than to just shrug it off. Many people decline medical attention at the scene of an accident only to have a loved one rush them to an emergency room a day or two later when they realize the extent of their injuries.
When filing a personal injury lawsuit, one of the main costs that will be compensated for is the medical expenses that you have from treating your injuries. For many injuries this can take months or even years to fully recover from. You want to make sure that you reach maximum medical improvement before filing your lawsuit to ensure that all of your medical costs are included in your compensation package so you don’t end up getting stuck with the extra costs associated with your treatments.
It is very important to pay close attention to how your body is feeling in the months following an accident. If you start to feel back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, changes in your behavior or movements, tingling, numbness, dizziness, headaches, chest pain, stomach pain or anything else that you have it checked out right away. Make sure to let your doctor know that you were involved in an accident and give them as many details as possible so they can accurately assess your pain and figure out what exactly the underlying issue is. The more specific you can be, the better they can diagnose your injuries.
If you were involved in an accident a while ago and are just now starting to notice your injuries, don’t worry, this is very common. Our law firm has handled many accident and injury claims that had delayed injuries and we know how to build a lawsuit around your specific case to ensure that you get the maximum amount of compensation. We believe that you should be able to get back to life as normal as quickly as possible after an accident and our goal is to help you achieve that by holding the negligent party accountable for their actions that caused your injuries.
With decades of experience winning injury claims, you can be sure that your case is in good hands with the personal injury attorneys at Rector Stuzynski LLC. Our long list of 5 star reviews prove that our results are amazing and our service is second to none. If you’ve been in an accident, feel free to reach out to us for a free case consultation. We are available over the phone 24/7 or stop by our office from 8-5 during the week and speak with our lawyers directly.
