Delayed Injury Symptoms: Importance of Seeking Medical Care Immediately

After an accident often your adrenaline is rushing and this along with other hormones in your body may mask the pain.

It is common for people to not immediately feel pain, but then later the same day or the next morning start having pain, stiffness, soreness, etc. The most important thing to do is to immediately seek medical care by going to urgent care, the emergency room, or your family doctor if you can get in immediately.

Failing to seek medical care and treatment right away can result in the value of your claim being reduced or in some cases completely denied.

Below are some examples of when the injuries do not show up until later such as:

Herniated discs

If you have been injured in an accident and have back pain or neck pain, you may develop leg pain or arm pain immediately or days or even weeks after your injury accident.

This is because sometimes swelling can increase and cause impingement on the nerves coming out of your spinal cord causing leg pain for back injuries or arm pain for neck injuries which is medically called sciatica or radiating pain into an extremity.

There are other medical explanations as to why you may not immediately develop leg or arm pain, but it is crucial that if you start having pain radiating into your buttock, leg, foot, arm, hand, etc. you immediately notify your doctor of this problem and also make sure you tell all other medical providers that you are seeing such as a physical therapist, chiropractor, massage therapy, etc.

Sequela injuries (Injuries that follow another)

It is common for injured people to develop other conditions as a direct result of their original injury.

For example, if you have sustained an injury to your leg, foot, or ankle often the injury will cause you to walk differently which is called medically an “altered gait”.

Sometimes walking differently can cause low back pain, hip pain, and other injuries. There are other times when an injured person is required to use crutches which causes arm, shoulder, and/or neck pain. It is crucial that if you develop other injuries while you are recovering from your original injury you immediately report these problems to your doctors and other medical providers.

If you wait weeks or months to report these problems, then you are likely causing damage to your case. If your additional injuries are not documented in your medical records, it will be difficult for you to make a financial recovery for them.

Concussions (brain injuries)

While most concussions heal within a few months, sometimes symptoms persist or can even get worse over time.

The person who sustained the concussion often is not conscious of some of the problems they may be having such as changes in personality, memory loss, and fatigue. If family members or friends are telling you that you are acting differently after sustaining a concussion it is important to contact your medical providers.

Often it is helpful to have a friend or family member who has noticed the differences attend the appointment.

Carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS)

This is generally caused by repetitive work activities but can also be caused by trauma caused by a personal injury like a car accident.

CTS symptoms can progress over time and start causing you to wake up at night and have worsening numbness and/or loss of use of your hands. It is important that you promptly report any changes in your symptoms to your doctors and other medical providers.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

This is a very painful and debilitating condition most commonly affecting hands, arms, legs, and feet that often does not start right away.

Sometimes people start having CRPS symptoms while they are healing from an injury or after surgery. Things such as discoloration, change of temperature, and hair growth of your injured extremity compared to your non-injured extremity along with severe pain may be evidence of CRPS.

There are some effective treatments for CRPS, but it is better for the treatment to be done as soon as the symptoms begin. Waiting to report these symptoms is a very bad idea for many reasons so if you notice changes between your injured body part and your non-injured body part make sure to tell your doctors and other medical providers of the symptoms you are having.

Mental injuries

It is well known that physical injuries sometimes lead to mental injuries like PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), depression, and/or anxiety.

There is no surprise that there is a significant link between pain and injured Iowans dealing with mental health issues. Symptoms caused by PTSD often show up immediately after an injured Iowan has been involved in a life-threatening personal injury event (car crash, work injury, etc.).

If you are having mental health issues after being injured, it is normal, and you need to report your problems and seek treatment right away. Whether your mental health problems start immediately or months later, you need to tell your medical providers about the problems and seek mental health treatment if recommended.

We Are Here To Help

Remember, you are not alone in recovering from your injuries. We have helped thousands of Iowans through their physical, emotional, and financial recoveries. If you have questions about what you are going through, feel free to call our office for your confidential injury conference. We will take the time to listen to you and give you our advice concerning your injury matter at no cost or risk to you.

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