How Soon Should I See a Doctor After an Accident?
Getting into a car accident is such a stressful experience, whether or not the accident was your fault. If you experience any pain or discomfort in the hours and even days after the accident, you might want to visit a car accident clinic to make sure these aren’t symptoms of something more serious. The stress of a car accident alone is enough to give you a headache, but it can also be a sign that you have been injured. Scrapes and bruises are easy to identify, but some injuries can happen on the inside and take hours or days for you to fully experience all the symptoms. But that doesn’t mean you should wait to see a doctor until then!
A car accident doctor is specially trained to recognize early symptoms of car accident injuries and can help you get started on a treatment plan so you can start healing sooner. If you wait to get treatment until after the pain becomes too much, it can take even longer to experience a full recovery. There is no such thing as seeing a doctor too soon after a car accident, so you can feel comfortable knowing you are choosing to take care of you.
Following Up After the Accident
In some serious cases, paramedics may be called to the scene of a car accident. If paramedics ask you if you are okay, it is important that you let them take a look at you and make an initial assessment. In the stress and confusion after the accident, you might feel so overwhelmed that you don’t even realize you are injured. Paramedics are trained to notice key symptoms of common car accident injuries and can help patch you up. They may even recommend you go to the emergency room or follow up with a doctor as soon as you can. You might be tempted to accept that initial treatment and hope that everything is okay. However, following up with a doctor after a car accident is so important to your healing and recovery process.
The 72-Hour Rule
A general rule of thumb with car accidents is to follow up with a doctor within 72 hours of the accident. Symptoms of common car accident injuries like whiplash can develop in the hours and even days afterward. The reason some symptoms don’t show up right away is that any swelling or inflammation can actually hide something more serious going on. Taking pain medication at home can also mask symptoms and delay your treatment. To some people, 72 hours may seem like such a short amount of time when you are also balancing work and family obligations. Remember that your health is important and you want to take care of yourself so you can fully enjoy spending time with others.
Importance of Car Accident Doctors
Many people consider reaching out to their primary care doctor after an injury and because you have developed trust with them over time. However, primary care physicians are not best equipped to treat complex car accident injuries. Scheduling and waiting on an appointment with your primary care doctor may do more harm than good because it can end up delaying the treatment you need. The best type of doctor to treat your car accident pain is a car accident specialist. Doctors who specialize in car accident injuries have the knowledge, training, and experience in how the body is affected by car accidents and how to treat these types of injuries. Common car accident injuries like whiplash affect the head, neck, and spine, all of which require safe treatment options. In addition to minor scrapes, bruises, and broken bones, the spine is commonly affected in the event of a car accident.
An initial appointment at a car accident clinic can be like a test drive to make sure you feel taken care of and can trust in their approach. This is the time to be very specific about your experience in the hours and days after the accident, including any symptoms you experienced, when you started noticing them, and their severity. A quality car accident specialist will develop a treatment plan that is individualized to your specific injuries. A comprehensive approach to your care works much better than a one-size-fits-all approach because it takes your specific experience and medical history into account. Call today to schedule an appointment with the caring and skilled team of doctors at Fox Integrated Health and get started on your road to recovery.