Many people walk away from an accident feeling “fine,” only to notice stiffness, soreness, or other new symptoms hours or even days later. Delayed pain after an accident can be confusing and often worrying, especially when that pain and other symptoms become more noticeable with time. In BC, this type of delayed injury is medically recognized and legally valid when it comes to filing personal injury claims. Understanding why symptoms take time to appear and what steps to take if they do can help protect both your health and your ability to make a claim.
What Is Delayed Pain After an Injury?
Delayed pain after an accident refers to injuries that don’t show up immediately. Instead, symptoms associated with the injury can manifest hours, days, or sometimes weeks after the initial incident occurred.
Delayed injuries occur due to a variety of factors, such as:
- The body’s stress response releases adrenaline and cortisol that temporarily block pain signals
- Inflammation and contusions naturally intensify over time
- Soft tissue injuries worsen as the body relaxes
- Injuries become aggravated once regular movement resumes
How Long After an Accident Can Injuries Show Up?
Many people are surprised to learn that injuries can appear on very different timelines, depending on the body part affected, the type of trauma, and how the body reacts. It’s completely possible for serious symptoms to appear long after the accident.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Sprains, strains, contusions, and whiplash affect muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other connective tissues. Muscle stiffness, reduced range of motion, and radiating pain typically intensify over the first 12 to 72 hours, especially as inflammation builds.
Concussions and Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries
Headaches, dizziness, nausea, and concentration difficulties or “brain fog” may not appear until 24 to 48 hours after the accident. Some cognitive or emotional symptoms, like irritability, fatigue, or sleep disruption, may take a week or more to become apparent.
Back and Spinal Injuries
Lower back pain often begins subtly within 24 to 72 hours. Injuries involving the discs, nerves, or facet joints can evolve over time. Herniated disc symptoms, including numbness, tingling, or shooting leg pain, may not appear until several days or even weeks later as swelling increases and nerve pressure worsens.
Shoulder, Knee, or Other Joint Injuries
Damage to tendons, ligaments, or cartilage, such as a rotator cuff injury or meniscus tear, may feel mild at first. Symptoms often worsen over the next three to seven days, especially once normal activity resumes and irritates the injury.
Internal Injuries
Although less common, internal injuries are serious and can be life-threatening. Symptoms such as abdominal pain, dizziness, fainting, or deep bruising may take hours to days to appear and could indicate internal bleeding or organ damage.
Psychological Injuries
Anxiety, mood changes, and PTSD symptoms may develop slowly as the shock of the accident fades. Emotional symptoms often emerge weeks or even months later.
Delayed Chronic Pain Conditions
Some symptoms start mild and worsen over weeks, potentially developing into chronic pain conditions such as chronic whiplash or post-traumatic headaches if left untreated.
Do Delayed Injuries Affect Your Ability to Make a Claim in BC?
Delayed pain after injury does not limit your right to make a claim. What matters is that the injury is related to the accident, not when the symptoms first appeared. However, personal injury claims must be filed within two years from the date of the accident; this limitation period doesn’t change even if your symptoms took days or weeks to develop.
If a municipality is involved, such as in cases involving public property or certain private property injuries, you may need to provide written notice within two months. This is why it’s essential to seek medical attention immediately after an incident, even if you feel generally fine. That first medical record becomes important evidence. It confirms the accident happened and starts a documented timeline that helps doctors later connect your delayed symptoms to the incident.
Get Help From a Personal Injury Lawyer
Delayed injuries can be painful, stressful, and difficult to navigate alone. Stephens & Holman can help you understand your rights, gather medical evidence, and fight for fair compensation. If you’re experiencing delayed pain after an accident or aren’t sure what steps to take, reach out for a free consultation.