Top 6 Delayed Symptoms After Car Accident (April 2025)

Delayed Stomach Pain After Car Accidents

Experiencing stomach pain after auto accidents can point to inflammation or internal bleeding issues. A collision can cause blood vessels to burst and can bruise internal organs in your abdomen.

Seat belt injuries can cause stomach pain, too, especially if the accident involves high speeds. The seat belt can press forcefully against you, leading to tissue damage. This is called seat belt syndrome, and it typically requires medical care.

Delayed Neck Pain After Car Accidents

One of the most common injuries accidents can cause is whiplash. Whiplash occurs when your head moves rapidly back and forth on impact, like a whip, straining your neck muscles. It’s an injury that doesn’t make itself known until a few hours or even a few days after the collision.

Delayed symptoms after car accidents that involve your neck can also point to slipped or herniated cervical discs. Between the vertebrae that make up your spine, you have discs filled with a substance similar to jelly. If these discs slip out of place or the jelly pushes outward, you can experience pain and mobility issues.

Often, it takes a day or two to notice the symptoms. Once they start, though, they can be debilitating.

Another potential result of delayed neck pain after car accident injuries is cervical spondylolisthesis. This occurs when one of the vertebrae slips forward over the one below it. It can result in severe pain in the neck.

It can cause nerve compressions and could even impact your spinal cord. This condition could occur as a result of a herniated disc.

Delayed Lower Back Pain After Car Accidents

Delayed back pain is very common after a collision and can be the result of muscle strains and sprains. You can overstretch or even tear tissues during the collision, and the inflammation a day or two later can result in pain.

The impact of the crash can trigger sciatica pain, too. The forces exerted during an accident can put pressure on the sciatic nerve, leading to discomfort that radiates down your lower back and to your legs.

The most severe back injuries you can experience are spinal cord injuries. If anything impacts your spinal cord, you could be left with partial or complete paralysis. If you’ve found yourself searching for what “back pain after car accident” means, have a doctor assess you to prevent the problem from getting worse.

Delayed Chest Pain After Car Accidents

Just as the seat belt can cause bruising and pain in your lower abdomen, it can cause chest pain. Your ribs can be bruised, and you may have damaged some tissues.

In more serious accidents, delayed chest pain can point to rib fractures. People expect that broken bones will cause pain from the start, but it can take a few days for ribs to start hurting. Getting medical care is important to ensure that there are no punctures to organs that could put your life at risk.

Delayed Leg Pain After Car Accidents

During a collision, you can brace your legs during impact, and that can result in numerous injuries, including the stretching and tearing of muscles and other tissues. These are typically not noticeable immediately after the crash, and you can experience pain once the swelling starts.

You can also develop delayed knee pain after car accidents. It can point to issues with ligaments like the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which can make walking very difficult and could require significant rehabilitative care.

Delayed Shock Symptoms After Accidents

Car accidents are traumatic experiences that can lead some people to feel physical stress right away. Others, however, experience delayed shock. Your body can respond to these events with a sudden drop in blood pressure, which is meant to protect your vital organs but can also be very dangerous.

You can experience severe chest pain, dizziness, and agitation, among many other symptoms. As soon as you notice any of these symptoms, get immediate medical attention.

Receive the Guidance You Need After a Collision

If you’ve been in a car accident and have begun to experience delayed symptoms, including any type of pain, getting medical attention should be your first focus. Your second, however, should be to contact an attorney who can help you begin a claim to recover the losses you’ve sustained.

At ConsumerShield, we can put you in contact with some of the most experienced attorneys in your area. Fill out our form to begin the process of getting assistance after a car accident.