Your car barely looks damaged. You walked away without a scratch. Maybe you even felt fine for the rest of the day. So, could a minor fender bender really have caused an injury?
It can. The amount of visible damage to your vehicle doesn’t necessarily tell you how your body responded to the collision.
Our team at True North Chiropractic and Wellness, led by Nampa Chiropractor Dr. Zach Reidinger, sees patients after all types of auto accidents, including seemingly minor collisions. Deciding what to do next includes considering how your body responded to the collision.
“Patients are sometimes surprised that a relatively minor accident can leave them sore a day or two later. I always tell them we’re evaluating the person, not the condition of the car. How your body responded to the collision is what matters to us.” – Dr. Zach Reidinger, D.C.
How a Minor Collision Can Affect Your Body
During a collision, your vehicle may stop or change direction suddenly while your body continues moving. Your seatbelt helps restrain you, but your head, neck, shoulders, and other areas can still experience sudden forces.
One possible result is whiplash, which commonly affects the neck and surrounding soft tissues. Depending on the collision, people may also experience back pain, headaches, shoulder discomfort, or soreness elsewhere.
Symptoms don’t always match how dramatic, or undramatic, the accident appeared.
Why Whiplash Symptoms May Start Later
It’s not unusual to feel relatively normal immediately after an accident and notice symptoms later.
The stress response surrounding a collision can temporarily affect how you perceive pain. As the hours pass, you may begin noticing stiffness, soreness, headaches, reduced range of motion, or discomfort that wasn’t obvious at the scene.
Pay attention to how you feel over the next several days, even if you weren’t hurting immediately.
What Should You Do After a Minor Accident?
Seek prompt medical care for severe pain, new tingling, weakness, or difficulty walking after a collision. If you believe you’re having a medical emergency, call 911.
For musculoskeletal symptoms such as neck or back pain, stiffness, headaches, or limited movement, a follow-up evaluation may help determine what’s contributing to your discomfort.
Dr. Zach takes a detailed history of the accident and evaluates the spine and other affected joints. His advanced certification through the International Board of Extremity Chiropractors (IBEC) also allows him to assess extremities such as the shoulders, wrists, knees, or ankles when they may have been affected by the impact or by bracing during the collision.
Don’t Judge Your Injury by Your Bumper
A small dent doesn’t necessarily mean your body wasn’t affected. If something doesn’t feel right after an accident, even if symptoms don’t start immediately, pay attention to what your body is telling you.
Learn more about our Auto Accident Chiropractic care, including how we evaluate accident-related injuries, or contact True North Chiropractic and Wellness to schedule an evaluation.