The pain may not show up right away

Here is something I tell every accident patient. You might feel okay right after the crash. That is normal. After an accident, the pain and stiffness often do not show up for a while. It can take days, or even a few weeks, to feel how hurt you really are.

This happens because your body is full of adrenaline right after a crash, and that hides the pain at first. The injury is still there. It just takes time to show. That is why it is smart to get checked even when you feel fine.

What whiplash is

Whiplash is the most common car accident injury, and it is easy to miss. In a crash, your head gets thrown back and then forward, fast and hard, like the crack of a whip. That quick motion stretches and tears the muscles and soft tissue that hold your neck together.

Here is the tricky part. Your neck bones can look just fine on a normal X-ray while the soft tissue around them is hurt. So if the ER took an X-ray and said it looked “normal,” that does not mean you are okay. It only means nothing is broken.

Why whiplash is serious

Those muscles and ligaments are what keep your neck steady. When they get stretched or torn, the neck gets weak, stiff, and swollen. If it heals the wrong way, scar tissue builds up and the neck stays tight and sore.

Left alone, whiplash can turn into months or even years of neck pain, headaches, and trouble turning your head. What starts as a small injury can become a problem you deal with for a long time.

Why you should get treated right away

The sooner we start care, the better your neck heals and the less scar tissue builds up. Early treatment helps the injury heal the right way instead of settling in and getting worse.

Waiting can also hurt you in another way. If you put off care, the insurance company can claim your pain was not really from the crash, and that can hurt your case. Getting seen early puts your injury on the record from the start, so there is a clear paper trail that ties it to the accident.

The injuries we treat after a crash

Even a small fender bender can hurt you. The ones we see most often:

• Whiplash and neck pain
• Upper back and shoulder pain
• Headaches that start at the base of the skull
• Low back pain and stiffness
• Pain along the seatbelt line
• Numbness or tingling down an arm, which can mean a nerve is involved

How we treat whiplash

Dr. Becker is a Certified Whiplash Expert, which means extra training in how the neck gets hurt in a crash and how to fix it. We use gentle adjustments to get your neck moving the right way again, hands-on muscle work and dry needling to calm the tight, injured muscles, and simple steps you can do at home so you keep getting better between visits. See more on how we treat whiplash.

What to expect at your first visit

1. We listen. You tell us how the crash happened, where you were hit, and what hurts now.
2. We examine you. We check how your neck and back move and run simple tests to find what got hurt.
3. Digital X-rays, right here. We have digital X-rays in our office, so we can take a look the same day if you need it. If your injury needs more advanced imaging like an MRI, we work with imaging partners who let you use your personal injury case to pay for it.
4. We make a plan. We explain what is hurt, what we will do about it, and how long we think it will take. Then we write it all down for your records.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Whiplash
• Back Pain
• Headaches
• Pinched Nerves