Neck pain may go away after a few hours, however it often comes back or even persists for a long time after a car accident.
You may experience a lot of potential pains after a car accident. Depending on the severity of the impact, it’s only natural for a few areas of your body to feel sore and generate some discomfort, but long-lasting pains may be indicative of something else.
Neck pains after a car accident can last just a few hours and they’re gone. However, they can also persist for several weeks, even months. If the condition is serious, you can even face permanent neck pains. It all depends on what condition you have.
What Can Neck Pain Mean?
If it’s just a small blow to the area, neck pain can go away after a few hours, which may indicats nothing too severe. However, if the pain comes back or persists for a long time, it could mean there is something else going on. You’ll need further medical investigations to determine the cause of the pain.
There are several types of injury that can present neck pain as a symptom, the most common one being whiplash. This occurs when your body aggressively moves forward and backward and shakes the head and spine. This movement causes the neck tendons and ligaments to stretch and sometimes tear, which is how you get pains in this area.
Whiplash symptoms can present the next day, or even later, and can have different levels of severity. It does not go on its own, and you will generally require medical treatment to get better. Unfortunately, some cases of whiplash can leave a long-lasting mark and impact your quality of life, because the pain can travel to your head or even limbs.
Other injuries that can give pain in the neck area is a slipped or herniated disc. The discs that protect your spine bones move out of place, and no longer support your back and neck, causing the pains. It’s possible to treat this condition with medication and physical therapy, but more serious cases can require surgery to fix the damage.
What Can You Do?
Some pains after a car accident are normal, but if they persist long after the incident, it may be cause for concern. It’s why you should always see a doctor right after the accident takes place. They are the only ones who can clear you, and potentially spot a condition before it gets worse.
No matter what type of injury you have, if you were the victim of someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to compensation for the costs you have incurred for medical treatment. You’ll typically need to file a claim with the other driver’s insurance company.
Note that in these cases, the burden of proof falls on you. As a result, you’ll have to present evidence of your injury and link them to the accident. To ensure your rights are protected, speak with an experienced St. Louis car accident lawyer as soon as possible after an accident. Call The Hoffmann Law Firm, L.L.C. 24/7 at (314) 361-4242 for a FREE case evaluation.