9 symptoms that can show up days after a crash

Car accidents are not something that anyone wants to experience. And yet, even the most careful drivers in the world can be involved in a crash that wasn't their fault.Unfortunately, they occur all too often in Utah.In 2021, the Utah Highway Safety Office reported 61,406 total crashes, resulting in 26,437 injuries and 332 fatalities. According to the statistics, a person was injured in a crash every 20 minutes.The thing about these injuries is that they don't always show up right away. As the peer-reviewed journal Psychiatry Investigation explains, your body's sympathetic nervous system triggers a surge of adrenaline after a crash. This is your body's fight-or-flight response to post-traumatic stress, which can temporarily relieve pain.But then, several days later when all of the excitement and adrenaline have worn off, that's when you notice it. A pain in your neck. A headache. A bruised rib. Dizziness. Confusion.If this happens, it's your body's way of telling you that something's wrong — and you shouldn't ignore it. Here are several symptoms that can show up days after a car crash, what they might mean and what you should do next. Photo: Jacques Durocher - stock.adobe.com DizzinessOf all of the post-car crash injuries, anything involving your head deserves special attention. Dizziness is a big one and a very common symptom following an accident.As Kristeen Cherney writes in an article for Healthline, "Dizziness is an umbrella term that describes lightheadedness or feelings of faintness or loss of balance. Depending on the underlying cause, dizziness may be temporary, or it can be a sign of a more serious condition."It may be the result of anxiety, vertigo, a neck injury or a traumatic brain injury. Whatever the cause, Cherney writes, "As a rule of thumb, it's always a good idea to see a healthcare professional following a car collision."HeadacheWhile dizziness is something to take seriously, headaches are another symptom to watch out for."It's also important that you consider seeing a doctor if you're experiencing headaches or fainting episodes accompanying dizziness," Cherney explains.Though not always the case, a headache might point to something serious, like a concussion."Headaches after a concussion most often feel like migraines," The Mayo Clinic explains. "The headaches also might feel like tension-type headaches, which may be related to a neck injury that happened at the same time as the head injury.&