The wake of an accident can be a frightening and confusing time. Between phone calls and paperwork from insurance companies and your daily routine of work, pets, kids and everything in between, it can be an overwhelming experience. If you begin to feel strange or experience pain after an accident, don’t ignore your symptoms.

Nerve damage can occur after a traumatic accident. These injuries are serious; they often have long-lasting – or even permanent – effects that don’t always surface immediately. Nerve damage can be excruciatingly painful, may lead to extremely high medical bills and can keep you out of work for a long period.

How can nerve damage occur?

These are common injuries that lead to people experiencing nerve damage symptoms:

• Whiplash, or suddenly having your head jerked backward, can result in the pinching or stretching of nerves in your neck and spine.
• Lacerations, or very deep cuts, have the potential to cut down to your nerves, severing them.
• Blunt-force trauma, or striking your head or any other part of your body, can lead to nerve dysfunction where you impacted.

Car accidents, being hit by a car as a pedestrian, construction site mishaps and slip-and-falls are accidents that may result in these types of injuries. Keep them in mind if you begin experiencing unexplained pains.

Nerve damage symptoms

Nerve damage can reveal itself in many ways, and not in ways you may initially expect. Symptoms can range from minor irritation to completely uncontrolled movements or even paralysis of limb or worse. If you begin experiencing any of the below symptoms, it could be wise to see a doctor and seek the advice of an experienced personal injury attorney:

• Prickling or “pins-and-needles” sensations
• Numbness or tingling
• Unexplained muscle pain or weakness
• Temporary or permanent paralysis
• Uncontrolled muscle movement or twitches
• Stomach and abdominal pain
• Severe headaches

If you have been living with any of these symptoms or think they may be surfacing, don’t ignore them. The state of Illinois generally allows a year window after an accident to file a personal injury claim. Accidents happen every day, but their effects can last a lifetime. Don’t let it happen to you.