Common Hidden Car Accident Injuries You Should Know About

There is hardly anything on earth without accompanying risks. Be it investments, relationships, or jobs. Everything that has advanced humanity hitherto carries its own hazards.

Transportation is as old as humanity itself. We have always had reasons to move from one place to another. As we advanced in civilization, we advanced in means of civilization too. We once moved from place to place via trekking on foot. Soon, we had camels, horses, donkeys, chariots, and ships. Historically, these new means carried majorly the risks of banditry on land and pirates on sea.

In contemporary times, we have cars, trains, planes, helicopters, better ships, and other means of movement from place to place. We even have rocketed. With these advancements, however, are accidents that occur from time to time across the globe.

Global Road Crash Accident Statistics

• Globally, approximately 1.35million people die in road crashes each year.
• 3,700 people die everyday on roads.
• 20-50 million people suffer non-fatal injuries often resulting in long-term disabilities.
• Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among young people.
• More than 90% of all road fatalities occur in low- and middle-income countries.
• Road crashes may cost countries 2-8% of their gross domestic product.

Hidden Car Accident Injuries You Should Know About

Whiplash

You can guess what the injury is about from its name. Whiplash is a cervical strain or sprain in neck muscles. It occurs when there is a sudden and rapid forward and backward movement of the head during accidents. This rapid movement can also lead to the stretch of neck muscles and tendons.

Whiplash symptoms are usually delayed. It is not uncommon for these symptoms to manifest days or even weeks after an accident.  However, there are indications and pointers. The indications include sharp neck pain, stiff neck, and back pain.

Numbness

Numbness is a loss of feeling or sensation in an area of the body. Numbness, after an auto crash, can be partial or impartial. Due to uncontrollable movements that occur in an auto crash, the nerves in an area of the body can be affected, leading to loss of sensation.

Numbness can also occur if the spinal column or neck is injured in an accident. It is not normal to lose sensation in the body. Make sure to meet medical personnel, especially a doctor, if you are experiencing numbness after an accident. 

Herniated Discs

Herniated discs are another injury that affects the back after an auto crash. The traumatic impact of a crash could be so much that the discs in the spine bulge. When discs in the spine bulge, pressure is exerted on spinal nerves. This pressure then triggers inflammation and pain.

Like whiplash, herniated discs symptoms can take a few days or weeks to show. A bulge in spinal discs requires urgent medical attention. If not tended to properly, herniated discs can lead to permanent disabilities.

Brain Injuries

In car accidents, the head tends to strike different objects at random. These strikes are mostly uncoordinated thereby leading to strong impacts. The steering wheel, airbag, window, or dash are some of the few places the head hits. These impacts cause the brain to experience random movements in the skull, leading to brain injuries. These injuries are traumatic most of the time.

Brain injuries are not usually detected quickly but there are symptoms you can look out for. Headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, sleep problems, blurred vision, and cognitive problems are the symptoms to look out for in severe traumatic brain injuries.

Brain injuries, if left untreated, can lead to permanent brain damage or death.

Shoulder Injuries

Shoulder injuries are common in auto crashes. The chances that a person will sustain shoulder injury are high if there is a side impact. In addition, the design of the seat belt, which tightens it around the shoulder, also increases the chances of a shoulder injury.

Shoulder injuries involve damaged ligaments, tendons, and muscles. The pain caused by shoulder injuries is usually severe.

Knee Injuries

Often, car accidents cause the driver and occupants of a vehicle to hit their knees against objects in the car. This strong impact tends to affect the patella, tibia, and femur. Except bones are shattered, knee injuries are not usually obvious. Damage to the cartilage, ligament, or tendon is usually hidden.

Psychological Injuries

These can also be called mind injuries. They cannot be touched because they are emotional injuries. Being involved in a car accident can be traumatic. This trauma tends to lead to an emotional disorder called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sleeplessness, fear, anxiety, and depression.

Spotting Hidden Injuries Early

Since these injuries lead to permanent disabilities or even death, it is important to spot them early. There is no better way to do this than to consult a doctor. Even if an auto crash seems insignificant, it is not enough reason not to seek medical help. If you or anyone you know gets involved in an auto crash, make sure to get them to the hospital even if there are no obvious injuries to the body.