What happens to your body in a car accident

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Seth Hill, DC, President, Auto Injury Chiropractic. Last reviewed October 2026.

Whether your collision was minor or major, it is worth having a chiropractor check you for injuries, even if you feel fine.

At Auto Injury Chiropractic, we treat auto injuries every day. Here is what happens to the body in a car accident, and why some injuries take time to show up.

Man holding his neck as he leans on his car door after a collision

Ask a car accident chiropractor: what happens to the body in a car accident?

In an earlier post, we covered the symptoms of auto accident injuries and when to see a car accident chiropractor. Muscle tightness and tension, agitation, and exhaustion after an accident are all reasons to come in.

Here are four ways a car accident affects the body:

1. Undetected injuries

No symptoms right after the crash does not mean no injury. Symptoms are often delayed, partly because of the shock the body goes through in an accident. They often appear 24 to 72 hours after the crash, and some take longer to show up, so get examined within a few days even if you feel fine.

Even mild soreness is worth a visit, because it can be the first sign of a larger injury. When you come in, we ask about your health history and the accident, examine you, and build a treatment plan from what we find.

Man holding his lower back beside his car

2. Stress

Car accidents are stressful, both the crash itself and the time spent dealing with insurance companies afterward. That stress can add to muscle tightness and other problems. Treatment can help ease the physical side of it.

Chiropractors work directly on the tight areas and restore alignment to help your body heal.

3. Soft-tissue damage

Auto injuries can affect your ligaments, tendons, and muscles. That includes the shoulders, hips and knees (joint pain after a car accident). Whiplash, the soft-tissue injury we see most, is a neck injury that happens when the head is whipped too quickly back and forth, as in a collision.

Like other crash symptoms, whiplash symptoms can take a few days to appear. Expect neck pain, and sometimes lower back and shoulder pain. Whiplash is worth treating early, with a plan that follows each phase of healing, because injured tissue keeps remodeling for months after the pain eases.