Chest Pain After a Car Accident

After a car accident, you may feel sore all over your body. Whiplash and concussions are common injuries in car wrecks. However, some also experience chest pain after an auto accident. You might experience discomfort right away, or symptoms may appear a little while later.

Chest pain can be caused by broken ribs, injury to your internal organs or other serious injuries. If you’re experiencing chest pain, immediately see a medical professional who can help you understand your symptoms, offer a diagnosis and begin treatment. While some causes of chest pain aren’t serious, others can be life-threatening — seeing a trusted doctor will bring you greater peace of mind and ensure your body gets the care it deserves. 

Is Chest Pain After an Accident Serious?

After you’ve been in an accident, it’s normal to have sore muscles all over your body. If you’ve experienced a sudden impact, you may have whiplash symptoms, including tender muscles in your neck, shoulders and chest. 

Most of these ailments will go away with time, although you can speed up your recovery with the treatment. However, if you experience any of the following symptoms, you need to see a medical professional: 

• Worsening chest or abdominal pain
• Sharp pains while breathing in
• Visible swelling in your chest
• Dizziness, fainting or a rapid pulse
• Nausea and vomiting
• Blood in vomit, urine or stool

These signs could mean that you have internal organ damage or other serious injuries. You need a medical professional to diagnose and treat the underlying issues for a good outcome. If you’re experiencing some of these symptoms after an accident, don’t wait — contact a doctor today to get checked out. 

Signs of a Heart Attack

Most people do not have a heart attack after a car accident. However, here are the primary symptoms so you can recognize them just in case: 

• Pain and tightness in your chest
• Difficulty breathing
• Pain in your jaw, neck, arm or shoulder

Some people, usually women, may also feel nauseous, tired or light-headed before a heart attack. If you believe you’re having heart attack symptoms, call 911 immediately. Don’t wait to see if your symptoms get worse — the faster you get treatment, the better.

Why Does My Chest Hurt After a Car Accident?

Sometimes, chest and sternum pain after a car accident can be caused by the protective mechanisms in your car — your airbags and seat belt. These features are designed to protect your life by breaking the force of impact. However, they can cause broken ribs or other injuries while preserving your life. 

Here’s more about the negative impact your seat belt and airbags can have during a collision.

Seat Belt Injuries

It’s much safer to be wearing a seat belt when in a car wreck. However, this mechanism can cause injuries like: 

• Soft tissue damage: Your seat belt can compress your chest or abdomen during an impact. Often referred to as seat belt syndrome, your muscles and skin may be bruised and sore where your seat belt held you in place. Your skin may also swell temporarily.
• Rib or sternum fractures: If you experience a hard impact, the lack of give in your seat belt can cause rib or sternum fractures. Broken bones in your chest can make it difficult to breathe without pain. 
• Organ injuries: Insome cases, the tight seat belt across your lap can cause trauma to internal organs like your liver, spleen and intestines. The belt across your chest can cause heart damage in serious accidents. 

To avoid seat belt injury, adjust it so it’s not too tight. You should always wear it down around your hips instead of directly across your stomach. Although seat belts can cause serious injuries, failing to wear them properly can lead to much worse consequences.

Airbag Injuries

Airbags are designed to inflate immediately when an impact occurs, protecting you from hitting the inside of your vehicle or anything else during a collision. However, the force with which airbags deploy can sometimes cause injuries. These injuries include: 

• Bruises and cuts
• Broken bones 
• Organ damage 
• Internal bleeding
• Neck injuries

Children are more likely than adults to be injured by airbags during an accident. That’s why not letting any child under 13 sit in the front seat is advised. Because children are generally shorter than adults when they sit down, the airbag can direct too much force on their bodies. 

As an adult, the best way to prevent airbag injury is to wear your seat belt. That way, you aren’t propelled into your airbag by the crash as it’s rapidly expanding. 

What Causes Delayed Chest Pain After a Car Accident? 

People often experience an adrenaline rush in a car accident. This chemical change acts as a natural painkiller, so your focus is narrowed and you can handle danger in the present moment. After the adrenaline wears off, the pain of your injuries often starts surfacing.

It can take days to weeks for every injury to present itself. For example, inflammation can cause pain as your body heals itself. You may also experience delayed chest pain from internal bruising. Damage to internal organs may not cause pain until the situation has had time to get worse. 

Signs that your delayed pain is serious include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Severe or unrelenting pain
• Abdominal tenderness or bruising

Because not every injury is painful right away, being thoroughly evaluated by a medical professional after an accident is important. With the right care, you can understand your physical condition and deal with injuries before your body tells you about them. 

How Do You Treat Chest Pain After an Accident?

Before you can appropriately treat chest pain, you must understand its root cause. 

Here’s how an injury doctor can help you heal chest pain after an accident: 

• Diagnostic tests: X-rays and other scans can help a medical professional identify broken bones, damaged organs and any other injuries.
• Pain management: Once the cause of pain is determined, your doctor can offer over-the-counter pain relievers or prescription medications.
• Surgical procedures: If you have internal bleeding or organ damage, you may need surgery to heal and prevent further injury.
• Rest and support: Healing takes time. After you receive a diagnosis and plan of care, it’s important to rest, eat nutritious foods and give yourself plenty of time to heal. 

Calling a doctor is the most important thing you can do if you’re experiencing chest pain. Once a medical professional examines you, they can help you create a plan of care that’s right for your injuries and lifestyle needs. Never ignore these ailments or rely solely on over-the-counter pain medications.

Choose Complete Care for Post-Accident Chest Pain

At Complete Care, we offer affordable injury care for residents of Florida. It’s our mission to make injury care accessible for you — we offer telehealth appointments, walk-ins and same-day appointments to accommodate as many people as possible. At our clinic, you can access everything from diagnostic services to neurology and chiropractic care. 

Request an appointment today and see a doctor for chest pain after an accident!