After a car accident: a guide to whiplash, concussion and dizziness

The first 24 to 72 hours

• Get checked. Go to the emergency department, urgent care or your doctor, especially after a head strike, airbag deployment or a high-speed crash.
• Know the red flags. Any of the emergency signs below means calling 911.
• Stay gently active. Short walks and gentle neck movement within comfort usually help more than bed rest.¹
• Write things down. Note when symptoms started, how they change, and any missed work.

Symptoms that can show up later

Adrenaline can mask pain in the first hours after a crash. These symptoms commonly appear or worsen over the next day or two:

• Neck pain and stiffness, often with pain between the shoulder blades
• Headaches, especially starting at the base of the skull
• Dizziness, spinning when you roll over or look up, or feeling off balance
• Blurred vision, trouble reading, or sensitivity to light and busy places
• Brain fog, trouble concentrating, irritability or poor sleep
• Arm or leg tingling, which can mean nerve irritation

Whiplash: what helps

Whiplash is a strain of the neck's muscles, ligaments and joints from rapid back-and-forth movement. The neck pain clinical practice guideline recommends education, advice to stay active and return to normal activities, and exercise, with manual therapy as part of the plan, and it advises minimizing collar use.¹

Recovery varies. An international task force found that about half of people with whiplash-associated disorders still report neck pain a year after the injury, and that higher pain and disability early on were linked to slower recovery.² That is one reason early, active care matters. Read more about whiplash treatment.

Concussion and dizziness after a crash

A concussion does not require hitting your head; a sudden jolt to the body can be enough. Current guidance recommends a short period of relative rest, then gradual light activity, with targeted rehabilitation if symptoms persist.³

Dizziness after a crash can come from different places: loose inner-ear crystals (BPPV), which can follow head trauma;⁴ the balance and eye-movement systems after a concussion; or the neck after whiplash (cervicogenic dizziness). Each is treated differently, which is why testing all three matters. Our concussion recovery guide covers the stages in more detail.

Paying for care after an accident

Care after a car accident is often paid through Auto MedPay (medical payments coverage on an auto policy), health insurance, or a Letter of Protection from a personal injury attorney, which means the provider is paid from the settlement. Work injuries are covered by Workers' Compensation. At North Atlanta Vertigo, a Letter of Protection, Auto MedPay or Workers' Comp means $0 at your visit. See how auto accident care works.

When to see a specialist

• Neck pain or headaches that are not improving after a week or two
• Any dizziness, spinning or balance problems
• Visual strain, light sensitivity or brain fog
• Tingling or weakness in an arm or leg
• Symptoms keeping you from work, school or driving

Myth or fact?

Tap each statement to see what the evidence says.

Keep reading

• Why pain can last after an injury has healedWhy pain can outlast healing, what sensitization feels like, and what actually helps.5 min read · Patients
• Vertigo, dizziness or lightheadedness? How to tell the differenceWhat spinning, rocking, woozy and faint usually mean, and when dizziness is an emergency.4 min read · Patients
• All guidesBrowse the full learning center.

Related conditions we treat

References

1. Blanpied PR, et al. Neck Pain: Revision 2017. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2017.
2. Carroll LJ, et al. Course and prognostic factors for neck pain in whiplash-associated disorders (WAD): results of the Bone and Joint Decade 2000–2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. Spine. 2008.
3. Patricios JS, et al. Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport, Amsterdam 2022. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023.
4. Bhattacharyya N, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (Update). Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. 2017.

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Manan Patel, PT, DPT, TPSDoctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Vestibular Specialist and one of the few certified Therapeutic Pain Specialists in North Atlanta, with 15+ years of outpatient care. About Dr. Patel

This guide is general education, not a diagnosis or a substitute for an examination. If you have new or worsening symptoms, contact your doctor.