In the hours and even days after a car accident, you may notice some uncomfortable symptoms that can’t be easily ignored. A broken bone is an obvious car accident injury that needs treatment right away, but what about other things that aren’t as easy to identify? Symptoms like stomach pain and diarrhea might seem like a coincidence or something that will go away on its own, but these can actually be signs of something more serious going on inside your body. Any time you’ve been in an accident, visit a car accident doctor in Conyers as soon as possible to get checked out and take every precaution to make sure you are okay.
5 Common Causes of Stomach Pain and Diarrhea After a Car Accident
- Stress and Anxiety: Accidents can be traumatic, leading to significant stress and anxiety. The body’s natural response to stress can trigger gastrointestinal issues, including stomach pain and diarrhea. Experiencing diarrhea after a car accident can be an alarming symptom that should not be ignored.
- Internal Injuries: An accident can cause internal injuries, such as bruising or damage to internal organs. This can lead to severe abdominal pain and gastrointestinal distress.
- Medications: Pain medications or antibiotics prescribed after an accident can have side effects, including stomach pain and diarrhea.
- Dietary Changes: Changes in diet post-accident, either due to hospital food or a restricted diet, can affect digestion and lead to gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Pre-existing Conditions: An accident can exacerbate pre-existing gastrointestinal conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or Crohn’s disease.
How Your Body Responds to a Car Accident
What should you expect physically after a car accident? When you’ve been in a car accident, it is possible that your body will respond like you have experienced a trauma. That’s because the accident can sometimes cause your body to send waves of adrenaline through you as a precautionary measure. Adrenaline keeps you alert and able to take care of yourself in the event of an accident, but it will eventually wear off, and you may start to feel the strain and stress of such a traumatic experience. It is also possible to experience shock or other forms of stress responses to a car accident, especially if it was a serious accident.
Car accidents can result in tricky injuries that you may not notice right away because of adrenaline, shock, or stress afterward. It may not be until you’ve had a chance to rest or relax that you start to truly experience some painful or uncomfortable symptoms, like headaches, nausea, and even stomach pain and diarrhea. Different types of injuries come with their own delayed symptoms, often referred to as hidden injuries because of how they can take hours or even days to fully show up.
What Causes Stomach Pain and Diarrhea After a Car Crash
Your seat belt is there to protect you from being ejected from the vehicle in the event of a car accident, but in doing its job, it is possible that you might get some scrapes, bruises, or something even more serious. When worn properly across your chest and waist, your seat belt is designed to do as little harm as possible. But if worn improperly, it can actually do some harm, including pulling too tightly across your abdomen and even causing bruising, inflammation, and other serious injuries.
It is easier to point out scrapes and bruises to your doctor, so you might not think to mention if you’ve been having stomach pain if you think it might just be related to something you ate. However, any time you experience abdominal pain after a car accident, you should get checked out by your doctor just in case. In more serious cases, stomach pain and diarrhea can be a sign of damage to the internal organs in your abdomen.
Car accident injuries to your abdomen can also affect the soft tissues in your body, like your muscles and tendons. If you are jolted or jerked around during the force of impact, it could cause strains or sprains to your soft tissues. When injuries to muscles or soft tissues occur, they can become inflamed. Inflammation and swelling inside your body can put pressure on nearby organs and lead to uncomfortable symptoms like nausea, stomach pain, and even diarrhea.
Immediate Steps to Take After a Car Accident
When dealing with stomach pain and diarrhea after a car crash, it’s crucial to assess the severity of your symptoms. If the pain and diarrhea are mild and manageable, they might be a temporary reaction to stress or medication. However, severe or persistent symptoms require immediate medical attention to rule out serious internal injuries. In some cases, even seemingly unrelated injuries like a broken bone can cause diarrhea because of how the body responds to trauma.
Check with your Conyers car accident doctor to discuss your symptoms. Be honest about the accident, any medications you’re taking, and any pre-existing conditions. It’s also important to monitor your symptoms and note the frequency, duration, and any potential triggers. This information can be valuable for your healthcare provider.
Staying hydrated is essential since diarrhea can lead to dehydration. Drink plenty of fluids, such as water, herbal teas, and oral rehydration solutions, to maintain hydration. Additionally, follow a bland diet, sticking to easy-to-digest foods like bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast until your symptoms improve.
Long-Term Management Strategies
For long-term management, review your medications with your doctor. They may adjust your dosage or prescribe alternatives if your current medications are causing gastrointestinal issues. Incorporate stress-reducing activities into your daily routine, such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, yoga, or walking, to help manage stress.
If the accident caused physical injuries, participating in physical therapy can help improve your overall physical health, which may, in turn, alleviate some gastrointestinal symptoms. Physical therapy can be an effective way to address the underlying issues contributing to your discomfort and support your overall car accident recovery process.
How a Car Accident Doctor Can Help
It is always in your best interest to get checked out by a car accident doctor in Conyers as soon as you can after the accident. At best, they can check you over and make sure you are healthy and don’t have any injuries. In many cases, though, they can help catch injuries that you might not yet be aware of because of those delayed symptoms you might be experiencing. You also want to demonstrate to your insurance company that you took your healthcare seriously and sought out a car accident doctor soon after the accident. That way, you and your doctor will have documentation readily available to demonstrate how your injuries directly correlate to the car accident.
Immediate Health Assessment
When visiting your Conyers car accident doctor, you will undergo a thorough health assessment. This includes a physical examination and may also involve diagnostic imaging tests such as X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans. The goal is to identify any injuries that might not be immediately apparent due to the adrenaline and shock that often follow an accident. For example, soft tissue injuries, whiplash, or internal organ damage might not show symptoms right away but can have serious long-term consequences if not treated promptly.
Identifying Hidden Injuries
Experiencing diarrhea after a car accident can be an alarming symptom that should not be ignored. One of the significant advantages of seeing a car accident doctor is their ability to identify hidden injuries. These are injuries that may not show symptoms immediately but can cause significant health issues later. Examples include:
- Whiplash: Often caused by rear-end collisions, whiplash can lead to chronic neck pain and headaches.
- Soft Tissue Injuries: Damage to muscles, ligaments, and tendons may result in prolonged pain and limited mobility.
- Concussions and Traumatic Brain Injuries: These can have delayed symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and cognitive difficulties.
- Internal Bleeding: This can be life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated quickly.
By catching these injuries early, a car accident doctor can create personalized treatment plans that reduce long-term problems and promote a faster recovery.
Comprehensive Treatment Plans
Car accident doctors can create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your specific injuries. This might include:
- Physical Therapy: To restore mobility and strength in affected areas.
- Chiropractic Care: To address spinal misalignments and reduce pain.
- Pain Management: Utilizing medications, injections, or other therapies to manage pain effectively.
- Surgery: In severe cases, surgical intervention may be necessary to repair damaged tissues or organs.
These treatment plans are designed to not only address immediate symptoms but also to prevent future complications and promote overall well-being.
Legal and Insurance Documentation
From a legal and insurance perspective, visiting a car accident doctor promptly is crucial. Insurance companies often require documentation of injuries and treatments to process claims. By seeing a doctor soon after the accident, you ensure that your injuries are well-documented and directly correlated to the accident. This documentation can be vital if you need to file a personal injury claim or if there are disputes with insurance companies about the extent of your injuries and the necessary treatments.
Comprehensive Multi-Specialty Care
A car accident doctor often works in coordination with other healthcare providers to ensure a holistic approach to your recovery. This may include referrals to specialists such as neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, or mental health professionals. The coordinated care approach ensures that all aspects of your health are addressed, providing a comprehensive path to recovery.
Follow-up visits are an essential part of the recovery process. Your car accident doctor will monitor your progress, adjust treatment plans as needed, and address any new symptoms that arise. Monitoring your progress helps in preventing chronic conditions that could develop from untreated injuries, ensuring that you fully regain healthy functioning.
Access to Specialized Equipment and Techniques
Car accident doctors often have access to specialized equipment and techniques that general practitioners might not. This includes advanced diagnostic tools and therapeutic equipment designed specifically for injury rehabilitation. Utilizing these resources can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your treatment and speed up your recovery process.
Rely on the Team at AICA Conyers
If you have diarrhea after a fall or diarrhea after a car accident, a prompt evaluation by a Conyers doctor is crucial to ensure your safety and well-being. AICA Orthopedics has teams of doctors in various locations, including car accident doctors in Conyers. To find the closest AICA Orthopedics car accident clinic to you, visit our website and check out all our metro Atlanta locations. Schedule an appointment with one of our car accident doctors as soon as possible so you can receive quality care and treatment.