5 Apr

What Does Having Chest Pains After A Car Accident Mean?

Florida Law Group Car Accidents, Personal Injury

If you were recently in a car accident, you may be just beginning to feel it, and it probably doesn’t feel good, especially if you are beginning to feel chest pain.

Some people are able to walk away from accidents unscathed, but the impact of a crash isn’t what a human body is normally supposed to experience; while adrenaline can keep you from realizing your hurts (including chest pain) during and right after the accident, you may find yourself sore, in pain, or even severely injured after a few hours or days.

That is why it is so important to always get a full medical exam as soon as you can following a collision, even if the crash wasn’t that serious and even if you do not feel any discomfort. Even a minor fender bender can cause severe whiplash or other dangerous injuries. However, many people do not know that adrenaline can prevent them from feeling hurt, and it can be difficult then to determine – once symptoms begin – what is just “normal” stiffness and what injuries need to be addressed immediately by a medical professional, especially when it comes to having chest pain. Because the chest protects sensitive, important organs (like your heart and lungs), it is imperative that you go to see a doctor if you are having post-accident symptoms even if you do not think your chest pain is very serious.

What could cause chest pain after a car accident?

There could be many reasons why you are experiencing chest pain after a car accident. The seatbelt may have compressed your chest tightly as it was protecting you from flying out of your seat, or you may have slammed into the steering wheel or dashboard with that part of your body. The air bag may have also exerted force on your chest. You may have experienced a tremendous amount of physical and emotional stress during the accident. A variety of causes are possible. If you remember any of these occurring at the time of the accident, even if you are not sure if that is the reason behind your chest pain, be sure to tell your doctor, as this information could help them make a more accurate diagnosis.

What potential conditions could chest pain indicate?

Chest pain could suggest any one of the following injuries:

Muscle strains/bruising

Even a minor fender bender can cause a chest muscle strain or sprain. There are three layers of intercostal muscles in your chest that are responsible for stabilizing your upper body. Symptoms may include a dull or sharp pain, swelling, muscle spasms, pain while breathing, and bruising. This type of injury is usually not serious or life-threatening, but it can lead to a dull, aching pain, and it is necessary to be examined to make sure nothing was torn or symptoms are not being mistaken for a more severe injury.
Bruised/fractured ribs

When there is trauma to the chest, ribs protect valuable organs and are, as such, the first line of defense – which means that these injuries are common in car accidents. Symptoms of bruised ribs include pain with movements like breathing or coughing, trouble breathing fully, irregular rib cage appearance, and tenderness to the touch. If a rib has broken, there will be likely constant pain with breathing or inhaling deeply, and sharp pains with laughing, coughing, sneezing, bending over, or twisting your upper body. There may be swelling and redness around the fracture and some bruising of the skin. Bruised ribs may heal with time, but if chest pain with these symptoms either continues to get worse or is accompanied by a fever or by coughing up blood or mucus, then it is possible that a fractured rib has punctured another important organ or vessel, which can be life-threatening.
Bruised/fractured sternum

Your sternum, also referred to as the breastbone, is a flat bone that is located in the middle of your chest; if you put your fingers right in the middle of your chest, you can feel it. It protects the organs of your torso from injury and is the connecting point for other bones and muscles. The main symptom of a bruised sternum is severe pain that gets worse when you breathe or cough, but you may also experience discoloration of your chest, tenderness, swelling, and stiffness. A fractured sternum will typically result in a sudden onset of localised pain that does not radiate. It will be tender to the touch and with visible bruising, and you may have breathing difficulties. Sternum fractures may heal with time, but serious complications can occur if damage has been done to the organs underneath, and if you are older you are at a higher risk of developing additional complications.
Lung damage/punctured lung

An impact to the chest can cause fluid and blood to build up in your lungs or your lungs to be bruised; this can reduce the amount of oxygen you are able to receive, which is known as a pulmonary contusion. Symptoms can include chest pain, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, low energy, wheezing, blue-tinged skin, crackling sound in the chest, coughing up blood, low blood pressure, or clammy skin. Even a bruised lung can cause serious health complications, but a punctured or collapsed lung (medically referred to as a pneumothorax) can be life threatening and requires medical intervention. The collapse/puncture usually occurs only on one side, where you may feel soreness and have difficulty breathing as well as the other symptoms associated with a bruised lung.
Myocardial contusion

A myocardial contusion is the medical term for bruising on the heart muscle caused by impact. Symptoms may include lightheadedness, nausea or vomiting, shortness of breath, weakness, pain in the front of the ribs, irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, and more. If left untreated, myocardial contusions can lead to severe complications.
Heart attack

The stress and trauma from a car accident can cause your heart to get out of rhythm, even if your heart is relatively healthy. A cardiomyopathy incident can cause chest pains, shortness of breath, and heart attack symptoms and may require hospitalization; an episode of atrial fibrillation can occur, which is an incidence of irregular heartbeat that requires shock or medication to get a regular rhythm back. If you experience dizziness, or an aching sensation in your chest or arms that spreads, then you need to seek medical attention immediately, as these are warning signs of a heart attack.

If you are having chest pains after a car accident, get a medical exam as soon as you possibly can – don’t put it off, as this can lead to complications. If you are experiencing these pains several days after your accident, it is still important to be checked out. And if your medical exam reveals that your chest pain was a sign of injury following a car accident, you are legally entitled to request monetary compensation to cover the cost of treating your injuries! Contact one of the highly skilled personal injury lawyers at The Florida Law Group right away to discuss your case during a free consultation and discover how much you stand to gain in a settlement. To date, we have recovered over $1 billion dollars for injured accident victims in our state! You never pay us unless we win your case. Call now!

If you were recently in a car accident, you may be just beginning to feel it, and it probably doesn’t feel good, especially if you are beginning to feel chest pain.

What could cause chest pain after a car accident?

What potential conditions could chest pain indicate?

Chest pain could suggest any one of the following injuries:

Muscle strains/bruising

Even a minor fender bender can cause a chest muscle strain or sprain. There are three layers of intercostal muscles in your chest that are responsible for stabilizing your upper body. Symptoms may include a dull or sharp pain, swelling, muscle spasms, pain while breathing, and bruising. This type of injury is usually not serious or life-threatening, but it can lead to a dull, aching pain, and it is necessary to be examined to make sure nothing was torn or symptoms are not being mistaken for a more severe injury.
Bruised/fractured ribs

When there is trauma to the chest, ribs protect valuable organs and are, as such, the first line of defense – which means that these injuries are common in car accidents. Symptoms of bruised ribs include pain with movements like breathing or coughing, trouble breathing fully, irregular rib cage appearance, and tenderness to the touch. If a rib has broken, there will be likely constant pain with breathing or inhaling deeply, and sharp pains with laughing, coughing, sneezing, bending over, or twisting your upper body. There may be swelling and redness around the fracture and some bruising of the skin. Bruised ribs may heal with time, but if chest pain with these symptoms either continues to get worse or is accompanied by a fever or by coughing up blood or mucus, then it is possible that a fractured rib has punctured another important organ or vessel, which can be life-threatening.
Bruised/fractured sternum

Your sternum, also referred to as the breastbone, is a flat bone that is located in the middle of your chest; if you put your fingers right in the middle of your chest, you can feel it. It protects the organs of your torso from injury and is the connecting point for other bones and muscles. The main symptom of a bruised sternum is severe pain that gets worse when you breathe or cough, but you may also experience discoloration of your chest, tenderness, swelling, and stiffness. A fractured sternum will typically result in a sudden onset of localised pain that does not radiate. It will be tender to the touch and with visible bruising, and you may have breathing difficulties. Sternum fractures may heal with time, but serious complications can occur if damage has been done to the organs underneath, and if you are older you are at a higher risk of developing additional complications.
Lung damage/punctured lung

An impact to the chest can cause fluid and blood to build up in your lungs or your lungs to be bruised; this can reduce the amount of oxygen you are able to receive, which is known as a pulmonary contusion. Symptoms can include chest pain, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, low energy, wheezing, blue-tinged skin, crackling sound in the chest, coughing up blood, low blood pressure, or clammy skin. Even a bruised lung can cause serious health complications, but a punctured or collapsed lung (medically referred to as a pneumothorax) can be life threatening and requires medical intervention. The collapse/puncture usually occurs only on one side, where you may feel soreness and have difficulty breathing as well as the other symptoms associated with a bruised lung.
Myocardial contusion

A myocardial contusion is the medical term for bruising on the heart muscle caused by impact. Symptoms may include lightheadedness, nausea or vomiting, shortness of breath, weakness, pain in the front of the ribs, irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, and more. If left untreated, myocardial contusions can lead to severe complications.
Heart attack

The stress and trauma from a car accident can cause your heart to get out of rhythm, even if your heart is relatively healthy. A cardiomyopathy incident can cause chest pains, shortness of breath, and heart attack symptoms and may require hospitalization; an episode of atrial fibrillation can occur, which is an incidence of irregular heartbeat that requires shock or medication to get a regular rhythm back. If you experience dizziness, or an aching sensation in your chest or arms that spreads, then you need to seek medical attention immediately, as these are warning signs of a heart attack.

Muscle strains/bruising

Even a minor fender bender can cause a chest muscle strain or sprain. There are three layers of intercostal muscles in your chest that are responsible for stabilizing your upper body. Symptoms may include a dull or sharp pain, swelling, muscle spasms, pain while breathing, and bruising. This type of injury is usually not serious or life-threatening, but it can lead to a dull, aching pain, and it is necessary to be examined to make sure nothing was torn or symptoms are not being mistaken for a more severe injury.

Bruised/fractured ribs

When there is trauma to the chest, ribs protect valuable organs and are, as such, the first line of defense – which means that these injuries are common in car accidents. Symptoms of bruised ribs include pain with movements like breathing or coughing, trouble breathing fully, irregular rib cage appearance, and tenderness to the touch. If a rib has broken, there will be likely constant pain with breathing or inhaling deeply, and sharp pains with laughing, coughing, sneezing, bending over, or twisting your upper body. There may be swelling and redness around the fracture and some bruising of the skin. Bruised ribs may heal with time, but if chest pain with these symptoms either continues to get worse or is accompanied by a fever or by coughing up blood or mucus, then it is possible that a fractured rib has punctured another important organ or vessel, which can be life-threatening.

Bruised/fractured sternum

Your sternum, also referred to as the breastbone, is a flat bone that is located in the middle of your chest; if you put your fingers right in the middle of your chest, you can feel it. It protects the organs of your torso from injury and is the connecting point for other bones and muscles. The main symptom of a bruised sternum is severe pain that gets worse when you breathe or cough, but you may also experience discoloration of your chest, tenderness, swelling, and stiffness. A fractured sternum will typically result in a sudden onset of localised pain that does not radiate. It will be tender to the touch and with visible bruising, and you may have breathing difficulties. Sternum fractures may heal with time, but serious complications can occur if damage has been done to the organs underneath, and if you are older you are at a higher risk of developing additional complications.

Lung damage/punctured lung

An impact to the chest can cause fluid and blood to build up in your lungs or your lungs to be bruised; this can reduce the amount of oxygen you are able to receive, which is known as a pulmonary contusion. Symptoms can include chest pain, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, low energy, wheezing, blue-tinged skin, crackling sound in the chest, coughing up blood, low blood pressure, or clammy skin. Even a bruised lung can cause serious health complications, but a punctured or collapsed lung (medically referred to as a pneumothorax) can be life threatening and requires medical intervention. The collapse/puncture usually occurs only on one side, where you may feel soreness and have difficulty breathing as well as the other symptoms associated with a bruised lung.

Myocardial contusion

A myocardial contusion is the medical term for bruising on the heart muscle caused by impact. Symptoms may include lightheadedness, nausea or vomiting, shortness of breath, weakness, pain in the front of the ribs, irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, and more. If left untreated, myocardial contusions can lead to severe complications.

Heart attack

The stress and trauma from a car accident can cause your heart to get out of rhythm, even if your heart is relatively healthy. A cardiomyopathy incident can cause chest pains, shortness of breath, and heart attack symptoms and may require hospitalization; an episode of atrial fibrillation can occur, which is an incidence of irregular heartbeat that requires shock or medication to get a regular rhythm back. If you experience dizziness, or an aching sensation in your chest or arms that spreads, then you need to seek medical attention immediately, as these are warning signs of a heart attack.