Just about 3 million people are injured in car crashes every year.
And, if you have to commute to work every day, I bet you aren't surprised because you probably feel like you get stuck behind a car accident just about every day.
Most of the time, people can just pull off to the side of the road and wait for the police to arrive. Their injuries are no worse than a stubbed toe or a sprained ankle you'd get playing basketball.
They heal relatively quickly and don't require much medical intervention if they require any at all.
But other accidents can be much worse, even life-threatening. These are the accidents that leave you stranded on the interstate for hours trying to get to or from work.
The injuries people sustain in car accidents vary depending on numerous factors, including seat belt use, area of impact, speed, and whether or not the airbags deployed upon impact.
The injuries can also be broken down into two broad categories; impact injuries and penetrating injuries.
Impact injuries are caused when part of a person's body is slammed against the interior of the car upon impact.
Penetrating injuries are typically cuts and scrapes caused by glass or loose objects flying around inside of the car.
Related post: common soft tissue injuries after a car accident.
There are a few injuries that occur with frequency during car accidents, and in the article below, we will talk about seven of them.
Table Of Contents
Whiplash
Scrapes and Cuts
Brain and Head Injuries
Broken Bones
Chest Injuries
Psychological Injuries
Internal Bleeding
What You Should Do After A Car Wreck
See A Chiropractor
Start A Treatment Plan
Boost Your Recovery Time
Whiplash is the name given to muscle, ligament, and tendon injuries that can happen in a car accident.
When you're involved in an accident, your body is moved suddenly due to the impact from the other car or object.
This forces your body to move faster than it ever would on its own.
The trauma this causes can strain muscles and other soft tissues without breaking bones.
Whiplash is often very painful and can take some time to heal.
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In a car accident, any loose objects inside the car immediately become projectiles thrown around your car's interior.
Cell phones, coffee mugs, book bags, sunglasses, and groceries can all turn into weapons and easily cut your skin or cause other injuries during a car accident.
Sometimes these cuts and scrapes are minor and won't require any medical attention.
However, for the unlucky, more severe injuries can result in substantial blood loss, requiring stitches and sometimes even surgery.
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These injuries can be terrifying but are unfortunately seen after many car accidents.
Head and brain injuries sustained during car accidents are impact injuries caused by your head hitting the steering wheel, windows, or any other object of your car's interior.
TBIs, or traumatic brain injuries, occur when brain function is disrupted by a traumatic event and range from mild to severe.
Mild TBIs include concussions that can heal itself within a few weeks, while more severe TBIs could result in long-term and sometimes permanent cognitive impairment.
Other head injuries caused by car accidents could include skull fractures, broken bones, or facial lacerations and bruises, potentially causing more permanent or long-lasting injuries.
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It is very common to suffer a broken arm, leg, hip, shoulder, or a combination of all of them in a car accident.
Because of the unnatural force that your body undergoes in a car accident, and it's sometimes more than your bones can withstand.
This results in painful breaks and fractures that can take weeks to months to heal.
Broken bones are common in every type of car accident, including rear-end, side-impact, and head-on collisions.
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Chest injuries, in particular, are very common after car accidents.
Chest injuries usually take the form of contusions or bruises, but can also be more severe injuries, like broken ribs or internal injuries.
Your position behind the steering wheel is why chest injuries are so prevalent because there is little freedom of movement before your chest collides with the steering wheel.
When your body is thrown forward during a collision, even though you might not hit the steering wheel or dashboard, your chest area will still experience a high level of force against your seat belt.
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These are rarely talked about, but still somewhat common after car accidents.
Psychological injuries such as PTSD may manifest after a severe or even minor car accident.
Studies performed by the National Center for PTSD have found that about 9% of car accident survivors develop PTSD as a result of their crash.
Other psychological disorders, like depression and anxiety, can result from physical injuries sustained during a car accident that limits your daily functioning, preventing you from performing tasks you once did with ease.
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Although not quite as common as scrapes and cuts, it's not surprising to suffer from internal bleeding after a car accident.
Internal bleeding can be especially dangerous if it's not treated quickly after the accident.
It's important to seek medical attention immediately after any car accident so the doctors can rule out things like internal bleeding that can be detected by the naked eye.
If there's even the slightest chance you have internal bleeding, it is absolutely critical that you seek medical attention to make sure you don't have a life-threatening injury.
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There are a few things you should do immediately after a car accident to lessen the impact these injuries can have on you, both physically and financially.
The first and most important thing to do is to seek medical treatment as soon as possible after the accident.
Even if you think you're fine, it can sometimes take injuries days or even weeks to show themselves. You could be seriously hurt and not realize it until it's too late.
Getting evaluated by a doctor after your accident can uncover injuries that you might not have been aware of that can get progressively worse without treatment.
Or, they could give you a clean bill of health and peace of mind.
No matter how major or minor the accident is, always see a doctor afterward.
Even if you've been given a clean bill of health, you might still feel the effects of the accident for days or weeks after it occurs.
That's where a chiropractor comes in.
A chiropractor will give you a thorough examination and will work out a treatment plan just for you to get you back into tip-top shape.
They will return your body to its proper alignment so it can heal itself quickly and naturally.
If you've been injured in a car accident and need to see a chiropractor, click the button below.
The Nashville Chiropractors at Advanced Injury Care will get you back to normal.