Symptoms From Car Accidents Can Be Delayed Days, Weeks, Even Months – Doctor
(Watch Video for Full Explanation)
Orange County, CA Car Accident Expert Dr. Barry Marks, DC Explains the Delay…
After a Car Accident in Orange County you may feel relatively minor symptoms in the first 24-72 hours. You got the all clear, given ibuprofen and told to rest when you visited the ER or your family doctor.
Then one day you wake up and you can barely move your neck!
How can that be possible? Your x-rays were “normal” Even your CT scan was negative.
The answer lies in two different mechanisms
Adrenaline Rush
Immediately after an accident you feel excited, scared, nervous shaky… these are all signs of adrenaline. Your body dumps adrenaline into your system when it feels threatened triggering the “fight or flight” mechanism. During this period you will feel little pain. Adrenaline has your body too amped up. Once it tapers off then you may begin to feel things.
Delayed Triggering of Pain Receptors
Connective tissue pain is triggered by inflammation, which takes time to ramp up. If a ligament is catastrophically damaged it will cause inflammation to hit fast and result in pain more quickly. But if it’s a mild or moderate amount of damage it can be delayed by days or longer.
The Tissues Damaged in Whiplash Associated Disorder (WAD):
- Muscles
- Tendons
- Ligaments
- Joint surface cartilage
- Discs
- Nerves
- Brain
Many people, and most likely your doctor, mistakenly believe “whiplash injuries” are just muscle strains. Nothing could be further from the truth. Injury to the muscles is the least concern because those injuries heal quickly.
The problem is when you suffer damage to the other structures. A damaged ligament, tendon, cartilage or disc cannot repair itself with original tissue. Muscles and bones heal with muscle and bone tissue so they recover well in most cases.
The other “connective” tissues do not have that ability. They heal with scar tissue. Scar tissue is weaker, less flexible and more prone to inflammation that original connective tissues.
What Does That Have to Do With a Delay in Symptoms in Whiplash?
At the scene and the day after, adrenaline can be masking your pain.
Connective tissues like ligaments, cartilage and discs repair through the inflammation process. Chemicals are released by the injured tissue that attracts scar tissue. It can take a few days for this chemical reaction to occur. And it keeps building up over a period of time. So at first, you might not feel much pain. However, once inflammation kicks in after a few days you begin to notice pain.
You may also suffer from muscle spasms or “splinting.” This isn’t from injured muscles. Spasms are triggered by damaged ligaments or discs and the inflammatory response signals the muscles to protect the joint through spasms. It’s your body’s way of putting a splint or brace on you so you don’t make your injury worse.
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