While car accidents are avoidable, when they happen you cannot anticipate them or do much during the impact. Therefore it is important that you take all the necessary precautions when you are in a car and if you do get in an accident, seek appropriate medical help immediately. Since Lithia Springs car accident doctors are competent and easy to find, you will likely be fine in most scenarios if you take the appropriate measures.

However, it still pays to know what kind of injuries and health complications you can face after a car accident. So here are some of the most common car accident injuries and what you can do to prevent them:

Head and Brain Injuries

Head and brain injuries are by far the worst complications that can arise from car accidents. Brain injuries can have life-altering impacts as well even though many times the affected persons can get away with minor muscle injuries as well.

The problem with injuries to the brain is that they can be difficult to diagnose. Sometimes even serious brain injuries don’t display any severe signs and symptoms. People can go to bed with a minor headache one night and the situation worsen over the days.

This is why it is crucial that your doctor tests you for all possible injuries. If you feel headaches, tingling, or burning sensations or experience other symptoms like ringing in the ears, you might want to consult with a neuro physician as soon as possible.

Prompt diagnosis and management of the symptoms are imperative for recovery from head and brain-related injuries. Do not self-diagnose or self-medicate under any circumstances.

Whiplash

Whiplash is also a very common injury that results mostly from car accidents. The symptoms of whiplash can range from very minor that resolve on their own to quite severe that need proper physio-therapeutic care.

Whiplash occurs when the head is jerked violently out of its usual range of motion, which is quite common in car accidents – even minor ones. It most commonly occurs when a person is in a stationary car and a moving vehicle hits that car from the rear end, even at a low speed.

Symptoms of whiplash include pain and stiffness in the neck, most commonly. But other symptoms like headaches, dizziness, pain and stiffness in the shoulder, and pain in the arm can also arise in more serious cases.

Fortunately, whiplash is not a debilitating condition and you can easily recover from the effects if you take the appropriate measures.

Seek medical help if you believe you have whiplash. The doctor will ask for X-Rays to make a conclusive diagnosis and you will be given a collar to keep your neck from moving for some time.

However, when the collar comes off, you need to slowly move your neck or do appropriate exercises to bring your neck back in shape. To relieve the pain you can also take painkillers and anti-inflammatory medicine.

Internal Bleeding

Internal bleeding can be very dangerous and also difficult to catch at first because you cannot see it, unlike cuts and scrapes on your skin. Internal bleeding can also have debilitating complications that can last for a person’s lifetime if it is not treated promptly.

Internal bleeding usually results when the body is forced into an object or heavy debris is forced to crash into the body. It can only be ruled out as a possibility in extremely minor accidents.

Rest and following instructions from your doctor are enough to recover from mild cases of internal bleeding. However, severe cases of internal bleeding may require the patient to undergo surgery as well.

Herniated Discs

The force from an accident can also cause herniated discs to occur. These occur when one or more of a person’s vertebrae either rupture or shift out of their original position.

Most cases of herniated discs are not very severe either and can often resolve on their own. You can take painkillers and do heat or cold therapy on the herniated disc area to make it better as well. However, you need to consult your doctor to rule out the possibility of a severe problem since some cases of herniated discs may also require intensive care or surgery.

Broken Bones

Broken bones are also extremely common in car accident cases. The most fragile bones and the ones that break the most often are the ribs as you are pushed violently in any direction and they take all the impact.

Many kinds of fractures can resolve by taking enough bed rest and keeping the affected area secure in a cast; however, serious cases of fractures do require surgical intervention.

Unfortunately, we cannot predict the kinds of complications we might undergo during a car accident so there is no way to say what kind of fracture a person might undergo.

Spinal Injuries

Spinal injuries can be very debilitating since the spine is the control center for most of our autonomous functions. If a person suffers from spinal cord injuries, they might get paralysis and lose function in one or more areas of their body.

Again, it is imperative that you seek appropriate medical care to rule out the possibility of spinal injuries. The effects of minor spinal injuries can also be reversed by physiotherapy, rest, and medication.

Cuts

Cuts, scrapes, and most kinds of wounds are very common during car accidents because of crashing into objects and flying debris.

Have your wounds checked by a doctor so they can ensure that the area does not get infected. Wounds may require stitches and other kinds of intentional healing as well. Make sure you get your wound dressing changed often to minimize the risk of infection. You can also use topical anesthetics and painkillers to relieve the pain.