March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 51 F

Car Accidents And The Impact On Your Physical Health

Route 450 AccidentAccidents usually occur when we least expect them, and they have minor to severe consequences. According to WHO, car accidents kill almost 1.35 million people annually. Approximately 102 people die every day due to different types of road accidents. When it comes to non-fatal injuries, these can be treated in a month or can drag on for years. There are different types of injuries one might sustain in a car crash, from bodily to brain injuries and mental health problems. Read on for more information on the physical impacts of a car accident.

Bodily Injuries

Car accidents can range from minor bumps to brutal crashes, but in both cases, they have adverse effects on the human body. Here are some of the most common physical damages one can sustain during a car accident.

●     Whiplash

Whiplash is a neck injury caused by the sudden back and forth movement of the neck, just like the cracking of a whip. This is mostly caused by rear-end collisions. Whiplash usually heals within 6 months, but in some cases, it can cause permanent damage to your neck.

●     Neck Strain

This is also a form of whiplash. It damages the tendons and tissues in the neck and can cause severe damages to the neck.

●     Spine/Back Injury

Spinal cord injuries affect your whole spine rather than just one portion of it. The vertebrae can be pushed out of place or damaged by heavy pressure or a sudden, jarring impact. The sudden force can damage the spine, which often has disabling, long-term effects.

●     Disk Damage

Due to the sudden force of the crash, the inner portion of a disk is pushed towards the outer ring, which is a condition called disk displacement or slipping. It causes a variety of problems and if it escalates to the point where one of your spinal nerves is compressed, you will feel numbness and pain in your spine and the affected nerve.

Brain Injuries

During a car accident, your head might collide with the windshield or any other hard object, which causes numerous brain injuries that vary in severity. Here are the most common brain injuries caused by road accidents.

●     Open-Head Injuries

These types of injuries occur when the head or the skull suffers from a blunt force trauma. This usually happens when the head of the victim is bashed against the windshield, any of the doors, or the steering wheel of a car.

●     Closed-Head Injuries

These injuries also occur when the head is bashed hard against anything. The difference between these two types is that in closed-head injuries, the skull is not fractured. This may seem less serious but is actually more dangerous, as the brain usually swells, which can cause severe internal damage that can be permanent as well.

●     Concussions

Concussions are not as dangerous as other brain injuries. They happen when the head is suddenly and violently shaken. A concussion may have various symptoms such as dizziness and nausea.

Late-Appearing Injuries

Some injuries show on the spot but there are others that take some time to show symptoms. What many people don’t know is that experiencing delayed pain after a car crash is not uncommon; however, they can be equally as dangerous as on-spot injuries. Delayed injuries can manifest both physically and mentally. The two most common types are listed below.

●     PTSD

PTSD refers to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It makes the victim relive the traumatic event all over again when hearing triggering sounds or visiting similar sites to that of the accident. A patient with PTSD can be walking peacefully in a street and suddenly, they start panicking after hearing a car horn because it may have been the last thing they heard before a major car accident, which forces them to relive the event.

●     Internal Brain Injuries

The brain is a very complex organ of the human body. After an accident, the victim may seem fine on the outside but some things take their time to leave their toll, and an internal brain injury can gradually escalate into a serious problem. One small hit can cause the victim to hemorrhage later on, which may lead to memory loss. In severe cases where brain functions stop, the patient’s whole body can sustain long-term or permanent damage.

Car accidents are more common than we would like to think, and they can happen anytime. They have a major impact on the victims’ physical wellbeing and mental state. You may get into a minor fender bender or you may have a near-death experience. The severity of your injuries will depend on that of the accident; they range from minor concussions to permanent disabilities. Speed thrills but kills, so drive safe as you never know what may happen.

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