Guides
After a car crash: what hurts, and what it usually means
Most pain after a crash comes from the spine. The neck and the lower back take the force of a collision, and the injuries they get are the ones most likely to show up a day or two later.
These guides take the common problems one at a time: what to notice, when it is worth being examined, and what a physician-directed plan for it looks like.
If it's an emergency, always go to the ER. If you're not sure whether you need to, you can call us — and we may decide, after talking with you, that you do.
Go to the ER or call 911 right away if you have any of these after a crash — or if it feels like an emergency:
- New or worsening weakness in an arm or leg
- Numbness that is spreading
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- New difficulty walking or keeping your balance
- Severe or worsening headache, confusion, repeated vomiting, or loss of consciousness
- Chest pain or difficulty breathing
- Severe abdominal, neck, or back pain
- Severe or uncontrolled bleeding
We are not an emergency room.
- Car crash injuries: what to watch forWhat needs the ER now, what tends to show up over the next few days, and what is worth having examined.Read the guide
- Back pain after a car crashWhy it often starts later, what usually causes it, and the signs a nerve is involved.Read the guide
- Whiplash and neck pain after a car crashWhat whiplash actually is, why neck pain often arrives late, and the pattern that shouldn't wait.Read the guide
- Headaches after a car crashWhy a headache after a crash often comes from the neck, and how it differs from a concussion.Read the guide
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