After a rear-end crash, you are probably feeling fortunate. Considering the serious injuries caused by many motor vehicle accidents, you could have had it much worse. However, a day or two after your accident, you are starting to feel sore and stiff. Like many victims of rear-end collisions in Texas and elsewhere, you are likely suffering from whiplash.
No big deal, right? Most people who get whiplash recover fully on their own. This is not always the case, though. Sometimes, whiplash can cause pain for weeks or months. You might need treatment to reverse the damage or prescription pain relief, at the very least, to manage your symptoms until you heal.
Symptoms of whiplash
Whiplash is an injury to the soft tissues of your neck and back when your head is thrown back and forth – in a whiplike motion – during an impact. This injury is often the result of rear-end crashes. The most common symptoms are stiffness and pain in your neck, shoulders and upper back, which typically show within 24 to 48 hours after the collision. In the following days and weeks, you might also experience numbness or tingling in your arms and hands, headaches, sleep disturbances, confusion and difficulty concentrating.
Ongoing pain and treatment
You might be tempted to tough it out and get over your whiplash pain on your own. However, this is not something you have to do, nor should you. It is important to see a doctor after any crash, no matter how minor, to rule out injuries not currently bothering you but can cause complications down the line. Your doctor might suggest massage, physical therapy and painkillers to treat your whiplash.
Injuries from a minor crash might not be serious, but can cause you long-lasting aggravation if you do not take care of them. You should not feel as if you have to suffer without treatment.