What should I expect?

Immediately after a traumatic concussion of forces, (an auto accident), passengers experience a kaleidoscope of possibilities from no injury whatsoever to a fatality.  As a result there is no easy answer to the above question but typically after a rear end collision, a whiplash or a T-bone accident, patients are usually shaken up, feel nervous and sometimes have immediate symptoms.  Frequently however, the patient feels Ok until later in the day or the next day when the adrenalin wears off.

How one feels at the time of the accident is usually not a good indicator of the severity of injuries that may have taken place.  It may take several days and even weeks until many of the symptoms begin to appear after an injury of this nature due to weakened supportive structures like the muscles and ligaments being sprained, strained and overstretched.  As a result, most patients notice increased fatigue and begin to wear down easier than prior to an accident.  It is common for patients to notice neurological symptoms like headaches, ringing in the ears, dizziness, tingling or numbness in the extremities and nausea weeks after the accident.  That is typically in addition to increased neck, upper and lower back complaints.

These are some of the reasons that we recommend getting checked immediately after an accident in order to avoid some of the above mentioned problems.  The sooner one is properly evaluated and treated, the more likely his condition will be resolved.