A car accident can result in a wide range of physical and emotional injuries with varying healing times. Physical and emotional harms can last anywhere from a few days to a lifetime of permanent and debilitating injuries. Your doctor will decide how bad an injury is and how long it will last, but the following can give you an idea of what to expect:
Soft Tissue Injuries
The most common injuries in a car accident involve soft tissues. These injuries include bruises, sprains, and strains of muscles and ligaments. Soft tissue injuries will typically last from a few days to five or six weeks. Major soft tissue injuries that involve severe stretching or tearing of the issues could take several months to fully recover.
Whiplash
Whiplash is the name for a soft-tissue injury involving the neck. Whiplash occurs when an impact causes a violent jolt and sudden movement to the head and neck during a car accident. The best analogy that describes whiplash is a sprained ankle, where the tendons and tissues become stretched beyond their normal capacity. Like sprained ankles, whiplash injuries can be extremely painful. The duration of whiplash varies depending on the severity of the injury. Mild cases of whiplash may heal within several days; however, severe cases may take weeks or months to heal.
During the healing process for whiplash, it is important to see a doctor or other qualified health care provider. The body lays down scar tissue during the healing process. Undergoing physical therapy during this process will help to minimize future effects of the scar tissue generation process.
Bone Fractures
Bone fractures often occur after a car accident and, depending on severity, may take many months to fully recover. In most instances, the bone itself will heal within five to six weeks depending on the severity of the fracture. Many bone fractures require the permanent placement of titanium plates, rods, and screws, which may also lengthen the recovery period.
Although the bone fracture may heal within five or six weeks, there is often a much longer recovery period to fully regain muscle and ligament strength in the affected area. Muscles quickly atrophy when not used in daily activities. Extensive physical therapy may be required to rebuild strength in the affected area.
Psychological and Emotional Injury
Car accidents can also result in emotional and psychological damage, such as anxiety, sadness, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In contrast to bone fractures, which have well-documented healing times, the duration of psychological and emotional injuries varies greatly depending on the individual and the severity of the injury. Emotional injury may also persist indefinitely for individuals who sustained a permanent and debilitating injury during a car accident.
Intervertebral Disc Injuries
Another type of common injury caused by car accidents involve the intervertebral discs. Intervertebral discs are fluid filled sacks existing between the bones in the spine. These discs allow the spine to flex and bend. During a car collision, these discs may become compressed, and the sudden increase in fluid pressure ruptures the outer lining. The jelly-like material inside the discs may escape from the outer lining and cause an impingement or touching of the nerves in an around the spine. This may cause severe pain and debilitating neurological disorders.
Common symptoms involving intervertebral disc injuries include pain, numbness, and tingling in the upper or lower extremities. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is imperative that you seek immediate medical attention from a qualified healthcare provider. Medical treatments include physical therapy, chiropractic care, steroid injections near the spine, and surgical intervention depending on the pain and neurological effects.
Conclusion
The length of time an injury will last after a car accident depends a lot on what kind of injury it is and how bad it is. Most soft tissue injuries heal in a few days to a few weeks, while fractures and psychological damage can take several months or even longer to heal. If you were hurt in a car accident, you must get medical help and follow your doctor’s instructions for recovery.