While no accident is the same, and accidents can lead to many different injuries, some common injuries frequently occur in almost all road accidents. The speed of road accidents is often the determining factor in how serious injuries may be, but even at low speeds, injuries can occur. It is important to seek medical advice from your doctor if you have been injured in an accident.
A visit to the doctor will protect your health, happiness, and legal rights after an accident. For some of the more common injuries, there are things you can do at home that will help the healing process. If you have been injured in a road accident, you may find yourself suffering from one or more of these common injuries, and looking for ways to treat them.
Neck Injury
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Whiplash is one of the most common and well-known injuries that can occur during an accident. Whiplash can be incredibly painful and can compromise your ability to move after being involved in a collision. It doesn’t matter whether you were involved in a car accident or in a truck accident, neck injuries such as whiplash are almost always involved. While there is not much you can do to cure this injury, you can take steps to mitigate your pain and discomfort.
Rest is the number one treatment for neck injuries, supporting your neck and not moving a lot will go a long way to ensure you heal properly without aggravating your neck injury more. Icing the area and taking over-the-counter or prescription medication can also be beneficial. When suffering from whiplash pain, your doctor may suggest immobilization for a while, and it is important to follow all medical advice to ensure proper care and healing of your neck.
Back Injury
Back injuries due to accidents are often a silent stalker, with many injuries not immediately showing up. In the case of high-impact accidents, fractures in the back can be exposed immediately, however, back strain and pain caused by accidents can sometimes take years to fully show and be diagnosed.
If you have been involved in an accident it is a good idea to see your doctor or chiropractor and get your back checked out, whether you are feeling serious pain or not. Daily stretches and a healthy amount of exercise can go a long way to ensuring your back and spine are healthy and strong following an accident. If you feel tension or pain, taking an over-the-counter pain killer and relaxing in a nice Epsom salt bath can relieve a lot of the strain you may be feeling.
Facial Injuries
Facial injuries are common in accidents that involve airbags going off. While airbags are designed to protect you, they can cause bumps, bruises, and lacerations on your face, especially if you are wearing glasses. Facial injuries can also be caused by broken glass and the impact itself. Facial injuries from accidents can be treated in different ways, depending on their severity.
For deep cuts and lacerations, stitches may be required. For broken noses, splints may need to be applied. For black eyes and bruised cheeks, there are not many treatments available other than applying cold compresses and plenty of rest. Facial injuries can often look worse than they are, and they take a mental toll as well. If you have had a facial injury from an accident, be sure to give yourself grace, rest as much as possible, and take care of any wounds following doctors’ advice.
Hand and Wrist Injuries
When you are driving and your hands are on the steering wheel, the impact can often cause hand and wrist injury. From muscle strains to broken bones, the severity of this injury often depends on the collision location and speed.
Your hands and wrists absorb much of the impact when involved in a collision, and putting so much force on your hands almost always leads to some type of hand and wrist injury in an accident. Treatments may include writ braces, tensor bandages, and limited use of the affected hand for several days or weeks after your accident. Alternating ice and heat, and ensuring your get plenty of rest will go a long way in helping to heal your hands and/or wrist injury.
Foot and Ankle Injuries
Just as hands are prone to injury due to being on the steering wheel, so too are feet, ankles, and knees prone to injury in road accidents. Due to their location in the vehicle, and the fact that they are pressed against the floor, at the moment of impact in a collision this can cause muscle tears, broken bones, twisted ankles, and any other number of injuries to your lower extremities.
Foot and ankle injuries can often lead to limited mobility, and it is important to seek X-rays to ensure no bones have been broken after your accident. Alternating heat and cold, relaxing in a bath, and keeping your feet up for a few days will help to reduce pain and swelling in the affected areas, and plenty of rest will allow you to heal faster from these injuries.
While many other injuries can come to pass in vehicle accidents, these are some of the most common injuries encountered after vehicle accidents. If you have been involved in an accident, it is important to see your doctor promptly after the incident, to ensure that all your injuries have been checked, documented properly, and the correct treatment plan has been devised. Don’t allow your injuries to become worse by pushing yourself after an accident.
Rest is one of the most important treatments you can give your body after suffering any type of impact, so stay off your feet for a couple of days to ensure your body has the time it needs to heal. Accidents can be devastating, but they don’t have to be debilitating, so make sure that any and all injuries you have sustained from impact are properly assessed and treated.
