How Long Should You be Sore after a Car Accident?
Posted on: October 13, 2021
After any injury, you may experience lingering pain and soreness. The same is true of car accidents. Even if you did not suffer serious personal injury, you may still have soreness that sticks around for a long time. If your soreness becomes a problem, see your doctor right away.
Immediately after a car accident, you may not notice any injuries or pain. That is because your adrenaline is running high, masking your pain, so you can deal with the situation at hand. It may not be until hours or days later that you start to feel soreness or pain in certain areas of your body. Once that soreness appears, you may wonder how long it will last. Although there is no one-size-fits-all answer, how long you will be sore depends on many factors.
Average Recovery Time
The amount of time it takes you to stop feeling sore after a car accident will depend on many factors. Two people could experience the same car accident and end up with very different injuries and recovery times.
If you are in a minor accident and you are still feeling pain several weeks after the accident, it would be prudent to see your doctor and try to get to the root of the problem. If you have been in a more serious car accident, a few weeks might not be enough time for your body to completely heal, so you may need to wait longer.
Prolonged pain and soreness can severely affect your quality of life. You may miss out on important life events and be unable to work, hindering your ability to support yourself.
Common Injuries Leading to Soreness
After a car accident, victims receive countless injuries. Some injuries last longer than others, and some end up making you sorer than others. Even in minor or slow-speed collisions, you could end up being sore for a long time. What follows are the most common car accident injuries that lead to ongoing soreness.
Muscle injuries. When you get into a car accident, your body reacts by tensing up. This can cause muscle injuries as your body gets jolted by the impact of the collision. Because of this, you may experience muscle pain and soreness for some time after the accident. The soreness, however, should go away within a few weeks. If it does not, speak with your doctor right away.
Whiplash. Whiplash is one of the most common car accident injuries, especially in rear-end collisions. The pain and soreness associated with whiplash often do not show up for several days after the accident. Victims commonly experience pain and soreness in their neck and shoulders, a clear indicator of a whiplash injury. If you have experienced whiplash, you should see your doctor right away, as ongoing soreness could be an indication of a more serious injury.
Sprains and strains. Depending on the type of car accident, you may have suffered joint injuries in the form of sprains and strains. The driver often receives these injuries because their feet are pushing the gas or brake pedal and the impact of the collision could cause the joints to bend abnormally. Although sprains and strains will often go away on their own, if you experience soreness for several weeks after your car accident, you should see your doctor for additional evaluation.
Bruises. Bruises happen frequently, even in minor car accidents. Your knee could hit the dash, or a side airbag could hit your shoulder with such force that you get a bruise. These injuries often go away on their own in a few days. However, if they do not or the bruise changes color, you should see your doctor, as it could be indicative of additional or more serious injuries.
Factors that Determine How Long Soreness Lasts
Every car accident is different. Even if two people are both involved in a rear-end collision, they may experience very different injuries and ongoing soreness. Because of the unique factors of car accidents, you may suffer soreness longer than someone else.
The most common factors in determining how long you will feel sore after a car accident include:
- Where you were seated in the vehicle
- The direction of impact
- The speed of impact
- The size of your car
- The size of the other car
- Whether you were wearing a seat belt
- Whether airbags deployed
- Your preexisting injuries
Car accident victims may suffer more soreness if they already have an injury. Because of the force of even minor car accidents, if you have an existing injury, that impact of the collision may exacerbate that injury and result in ongoing soreness.
Getting Compensation
After a car accident, the last thing on your mind is probably a lawsuit against a negligent driver. Your focus is on your health and wellbeing, working to reduce the soreness you feel, and not worried about any legal issues.
Unfortunately, that could leave you in financial trouble. Many car accident victims grossly underestimate the amount of money they will need to recover for their injuries. Even minor injuries can result in tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses. With ongoing soreness and medical appointments to treat your soreness, your medical bills will pile up quickly.
Depending on the severity of your injuries, you may also be out of work for extended periods. This reduces your ability to earn a living and support yourself. Without a paycheck, paying your regular expenses becomes a challenge.
That is why your lawyer will fight to protect your rights and may try to get you compensation for:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Lost income
- Lost earning potential
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of life enjoyment
- Present and future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation costs
Without a trusted legal advocate at your side, you risk missing out on your chance to collect maximum compensation from the at-fault driver in your car accident. If you do not fight to get the money you need to cover your expenses, you could end up having to pay out of pocket for your medical bills and other financial losses. This adds insult to injury because you should not bear the financial burden of someone else’s mistake. The sole responsibility for your car accident injuries should sit with the negligent driver or person who caused your accident.
Soreness may not seem like much, but it can be debilitating. If you work in a warehouse, lifting heavy items, and your back is sore because of your car accident, that could impact your ability to do your job correctly. In fact, doing your job could even make your soreness worse. You must give yourself the time to heal and getting compensation from the negligent driver can help you focus on your soreness and getting better, not stressing over how you pay your bills.
Monmouth County Car Accident Lawyers at Ellis Law Help Victims Get Better
Getting into a car accident presents numerous challenges. How long you are sore after a car accident depends on many factors, not the least of which is how bad your car accident was and the type of injuries you suffer. No matter what, you need to focus on your recovery while your legal advocate fights to protect your rights. The Monmouth County car accident lawyers at Ellis Law can help you collect the compensation you need to get better. For a free consultation, call us at 732-308-0200 or complete our online form. We are in Freehold, New Jersey, and help clients throughout Freehold, East Brunswick, Toms River, Middletown, Jersey City, Neptune, Hudson County, Union County, Essex County, Monmouth County, Marlboro, and Ocean County, as well as Brooklyn, New York, and New York City.
