What you should know: What if I feel okay after my accident?
Some people who experience a car accident may not immediately seek medical disgnosis or treatment because they “feel okay” the day the accident occurs. However, some injuries are not as immediately obvious as others. Broken bones may be obvious and painful as soon as they happen. But in this blog post, we’ll discuss some injuries that aren’t as immediately obvious, and why seeking medical diagnosis and screening after a car accident is always a good idea.
Immediate shock response
Right after a collision, the body releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones increase your heart rate, which can distract people from injury symptoms. In addition, these hormones can dull or block pain signals – this is your body’s response to an emergency, so you can focus on survival and getting to safety.
Because of this, someone can genuinely feel “not that bad” at the scene even with real soft‑tissue, spinal, or head injuries present.
Pain delayed by inflammation
Many crash injuries are to soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, tendons) and the spine, which develop inflammation and swelling over hours to days, making stiffness and soreness peak the next morning or several days later. These injuries can involve micro‑tears that only become very painful once the inflammatory response ramps up and you’ve rested. That is why neck and back pain from whiplash, for example, commonly feel much worse 24–48 hours after impact. Weight-lifters experience this phenomenon because lifting weights can cause micro-tears in the muscles, leaving weight lifters feeling “okay” the day of a workout and much more sore a day or two later.
Brain and internal injuries
Some more serious problems have delayed symptoms, and those symptoms may change over time. Concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries may show up later as headache, dizziness, confusion, or sleep changes rather than immediate knockout‑type symptoms.
Internal injuries (like internal bleeding or organ damage) may start as vague discomfort and escalate over hours or days. These delays can give a false sense of security, which is risky if needed treatment is postponed.
Psychological trauma and stress from a collision may build over time. Especially if symptoms go untreated. Some people avoid emotional and psychological treatment because they are embarrassed. Don’t be one of those people – PTSD is common and it is treatable!
If you are involved in an auto accident, make sure you get checked out immediately after the accident. Even if you feel okay. Don’t play “tough guy” – always disclose your aches and pains to medical professionals, even if they’re minor (because they may escalate over time). The car accident lawyers at Ward & Simms, PLLC can make this process easy for you. Let us do the work talking to insurance adjusters, police, and building your case. You focus on getting healthy! Call Ward & Simms, PLLC at 502.654.9977.
