In brief: Common terms after a car accident include whiplash (a neck injury from rapid head movement), soft-tissue injury (damage to muscles, ligaments or tendons), sprain, strain, concussion and radiating pain. This glossary defines each in plain language, notes what people often notice and when to get checked, and is general education, not a diagnosis.
After a crash, people hear unfamiliar words from doctors, chiropractors, massage therapists and insurers. This glossary explains the ones that come up most often. It is general information, not a diagnosis or treatment advice, and only a licensed professional who examines you can tell you what is happening in your own body.
Whiplash is a neck injury caused by the head being thrown forward and back, or side to side, faster than the neck can control. The group of symptoms that follows is often called whiplash-associated disorder, or WAD.
What people often notice: neck pain, stiffness and headaches that can start hours or days after a crash. Our whiplash symptoms and timeline guide goes deeper.
A soft-tissue injury is damage to muscles, tendons, ligaments or the connective tissue around joints rather than to bone. These injuries often do not show up clearly on a standard X-ray.
What people often notice: soreness, tenderness, swelling or stiffness. When to get checked: if it is not easing after several days or is getting worse.
A sprain is a stretch or tear of a ligament, the tissue that connects bone to bone, while a strain is a stretch or tear of a muscle or tendon, the tissue that connects muscle to bone. Both are soft-tissue injuries and both are common after crashes.
What people often notice: pain with movement, tenderness, and sometimes bruising or swelling. Each can range from mild to severe, and only a professional evaluation can tell them apart.
A muscle spasm is an involuntary tightening of a muscle that can feel like a knot, cramp or band of tension. After a crash, nearby muscles often tighten to guard an injured area.
What people often notice: a hard, sore spot in the neck, shoulders or lower back that limits movement. When to get checked: if spasms are severe, keep returning, or come with numbness or weakness.
Inflammation is the body's natural response to tissue injury, and it can bring swelling, warmth, soreness and stiffness to the affected area. It often builds gradually over the first day or two.
What people often notice: an area that feels more sore and stiff the morning after the crash than on the day itself. When to get checked: if swelling is significant or pain is getting worse instead of settling.
Range of motion is how far a joint or body area can move in each direction, such as how far you can turn your head, and reduced range of motion means it moves less than usual. Stiffness is the sense of tightness or resistance that often goes with it.
What people often notice: trouble checking a blind spot, looking down at a phone or reaching overhead. When to get checked: if movement is not returning within a few days or is sharply painful.
Delayed-onset symptoms are symptoms that appear hours, days or sometimes longer after a crash instead of right away. Adrenaline can mask pain at first, and inflammation tends to build gradually.
What people often notice: feeling fine on the day of the crash, then noticeably stiff or sore 24 to 72 hours later. When to get checked: whenever a new symptom appears, however late. See neck pain after a car accident.
Radiating pain is pain that travels away from its source, such as from the neck into the shoulder or arm, or from the lower back into the buttock or leg. Numbness and tingling are related nerve-type sensations, like pins and needles.
What people often notice: an aching, burning or electric feeling that runs down a limb. When to get checked: promptly if it persists, and urgently if you have weakness, worsening numbness or loss of bladder or bowel control.
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury caused by a blow or a sudden jolt to the head or body, and it can happen without a direct hit to the head or loss of consciousness. Because symptoms can be subtle, it needs a medical evaluation.
What people often notice: headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, light sensitivity or trouble concentrating. When to get checked: the same day for any of these after a crash, and at the ER for severe or worsening symptoms, repeated vomiting or loss of consciousness. See headaches after a car accident.
Spinal discs are cushions between the bones of the spine. In a bulging disc the cushion pushes outward past its normal edge, and in a herniated disc part of its inner material pushes through the outer layer; either can sometimes irritate nearby nerves. Confirming one takes a clinical exam and often imaging.
What people often notice: neck or back pain, sometimes with pain, tingling or weakness in an arm or leg. When to get checked: when arm or leg symptoms appear, and urgently for weakness or loss of bladder or bowel control. See low back pain after a car accident.
Sciatica describes pain that follows the sciatic nerve, from the lower back through the buttock and down one leg, usually on one side. It is a symptom pattern with several possible causes rather than a diagnosis by itself.
What people often notice: sharp, burning or shooting leg pain, sometimes with tingling, that may worsen with sitting. When to get checked: if it lasts more than a few days, and urgently for leg weakness or bladder or bowel changes.
A spinal adjustment, also called spinal manipulation, is a hands-on technique used by chiropractors in which a controlled force is applied to a spinal joint to support its motion. Techniques vary, and many can be done gently.
What people often notice: some feel looser movement afterward and others feel mild soreness; results vary. A provider should examine you first and explain what they plan to do.
Mobilization is a slower, gentler hands-on technique in which a provider moves a joint or soft tissue through its range without a quick thrust. It is often chosen when a person is very sore or a thrust technique is not appropriate.
What people often notice: a gradual stretching or rhythmic movement rather than a quick adjustment. Providers do not all use the term identically, so ask what a technique involves.
Massage therapy is the hands-on manipulation of muscles and soft tissue by a licensed massage therapist, generally to ease muscle tension and support relaxation and circulation. Pressure and technique are adjusted to how you feel.
What people often notice: less tightness and easier movement afterward, though results vary. Tell the therapist about the crash first. See chiropractic care vs. massage therapy.
PIP is an auto-insurance coverage that may help pay medical and related costs after a crash regardless of fault. Whether you have it, and what it covers, depends on your own policy.
MedPay is an auto-insurance coverage that may help pay reasonable medical expenses for you and your passengers after a crash. Ask your insurer or an attorney how it applies to you in Washington; see paying for chiropractic care after a car accident in Washington.
Go to urgent care or an emergency room, or call 911, if you have severe or rapidly worsening pain, numbness or weakness, confusion, repeated vomiting, vision changes, loss of consciousness, chest pain, trouble breathing, or loss of bladder or bowel control after a crash. Chiropractic and massage care support recovery and do not replace emergency or medical evaluation.
Car Injury Centre, 3010 S Southeast Blvd, Unit F, Spokane, WA 99223, (509) 724-6919, connects people recovering from car accidents with chiropractic and massage care. Car Injury Centre is not a law firm and not a medical clinic or healthcare provider; services are provided by independent licensed professionals under separate arrangements, and nothing here is legal, insurance or medical advice.
To ask about a visit, call (509) 724-6919 or use the contact page. You can also read about our services, see the areas we serve, and browse quick answers to common questions after a Spokane car accident or our guide on what to do after a car accident in Spokane.
A sprain is a stretch or tear of a ligament, which connects bone to bone, while a strain is a stretch or tear of a muscle or tendon, which connects muscle to bone. Both are soft-tissue injuries and range from mild to severe. A licensed professional's evaluation is needed to tell which is involved.
Whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) is the medical term for the group of symptoms that can follow whiplash, a neck injury from the head moving rapidly forward and back. Symptoms often include neck pain, stiffness, headaches and reduced range of motion. It can start hours or days after a crash, and severity varies widely.
Yes. A concussion can occur from a sudden jolt or whiplash-type motion even without a direct blow to the head or loss of consciousness. Headache, dizziness, confusion, nausea or trouble concentrating after a crash call for a medical evaluation, and severe or worsening symptoms call for urgent care.
Adrenaline can mask pain right after a crash, and inflammation in strained muscles and ligaments often builds gradually over a day or two. That is why stiffness, soreness or headaches can show up 24 to 72 hours later, sometimes longer. Any new symptom is worth having checked, whenever it starts.
Range of motion is how far a joint or body region can move in each direction, such as turning your head to check a blind spot. After a crash, pain, muscle tightness or inflammation can reduce it. Providers often compare movement over time to see whether it is improving.
A spinal adjustment, or manipulation, uses a quick, controlled force on a spinal joint, while mobilization uses slower, gentler movements of a joint or soft tissue without a thrust. Providers choose between them based on your symptoms, comfort and examination, and results vary from person to person.
PIP (Personal Injury Protection) and MedPay (Medical Payments) are auto-insurance coverages that may help pay medical costs after a crash. Whether you have either, and what they cover, depends on your policy. Ask your insurer or an attorney how they apply to you; Car Injury Centre does not give insurance or legal advice.
No. Car Injury Centre, 3010 S Southeast Blvd, Unit F, Spokane, WA 99223, (509) 724-6919, is not a medical clinic, healthcare provider or law firm. Chiropractic and massage services are provided by independent licensed professionals under separate arrangements. This glossary is general education, not medical, legal or insurance advice.
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