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Concussion Headaches After a Crash: How Long Do They Last?

By Butler Prather LLP on September 28, 2022

Vehicle accidents can lead to a range of injuries, with one of the most common being a concussion. When individuals sustain concussions, this can occur at varying levels of severity. The concussion severity will certainly play a role in how long this injury lasts. In some cases, individuals experience little to no symptoms as a result of a concussion, but there are times when these injury symptoms can last weeks.

Concussions Occur in a Variety of Ways

Concussions can occur in a wide variety of ways but typically happen as a result of a bump or blow to the head or as a result of a violent jolt the body sustains that leads to the upper body whipping back and forth.

Vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of concussions, and these injuries can happen inside of a vehicle as a result of the head striking another object, such as the steering wheel, dashboard, side column, or window. Additionally, any type of impact can cause a vehicle passenger’s body to whip around, either back and forth or sideways, which can also lead to a concussion by jostling the brain around the inside of the skull rapidly.

How Long do Car Accident Concussions Last?

Every concussion and every person that experiences a concussion will handle the injury differently. Therefore, the timetable for recovery from a vehicle accident concussion will look different from case to case. However, most symptoms related to a concussion do resolve within 14 to 21 days, but there are caveats to this.

Concussions, even though they are considered mild traumatic brain injuries, need to be treated by a medical professional. Individuals need to go through the proper process of treating and recovering from a concussion in order to experience symptoms for the shortest amount of time. If individuals fail to take proper precautions to prevent the injury from worsening, this could extend the amount of time it takes to recover or even cause the concussion to worsen into a more serious type of brain injury.

There are various types of concussion protocols in place that physicians will recommend individuals follow. Activities that could worsen the symptoms of a brain injury include playing video games, listening to loud music, watching TV, looking at a phone or tablet screen, reading, or doing any type of strenuous physical activity.

Doctors will recommend that individuals who have sustained concussions undergo rest in the days following the concussion incident. This includes rest from physical activities as well as mental activities that require concentration. This rest can include lying in a dark room and avoiding all types of stimuli. After a few days of relative rest, those who sustain concussions can begin to increase their daily activities, including physical activity and mental activities, such as television or screen time.

However, we strongly recommend that concussion victims follow any orders from a doctor. A doctor will be able to diagnose the severity of the concussion and give a proper timeline for returning to activities after the incident occurs.
If the concussion was caused by the negligent actions of another driver on the roadway, victims may be able to recover compensation for their losses. This can include coverage of any medical bills related to the incident as well as lost wages if you are unable to work while recovering from the concussion.

Call our Atlanta car accident lawyers today.

Posted in: Car Accidents


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