It’s normal to feel anxious and experience nausea in the nerve-racking aftermath of a car crash. However, in some cases, nausea after a car accident can signal more than just stress. It’s crucial to receive immediate medical attention to learn if your nausea is a sign of a more serious injury.
The impact of a vehicle collision can tear sensitive soft tissue, damage internal organs, and cause life-threatening internal bleeding. Nausea and vomiting might seem like a natural side effect of a traumatic car crash, but these symptoms should never be ignored.
Here’s how to best navigate nausea after a car accident, including when to seek medical care.
Possible Causes of Nausea and Vomiting After an Accident
The blunt force of a car crash can potentially cause numerous car accident injuries, from head trauma to broken bones. Several injuries can cause seemingly unrelated symptoms, like nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain. Below are the common possible causes of nausea after a car accident.
1. Fear and Anxiety
Fear and anxiety are normal emotions after a car crash. When you experience these emotions, your body might release hormones to help you safely remove yourself from the situation. This process is referred to as your fight or flight response, a natural physical reaction to a stressful situation.
A stress response to an auto accident can make you feel nauseous or even sick to your stomach. You may experience a stomach ache, diarrhea, or painful spasms in your bowels. Some accident victims may reach the point of dry heaving or vomiting while still at the scene of the crash.
In most cases, nausea caused by fear or anxiety will subside within a few hours to a few days. If nausea does not stop, it’s important to have your symptoms evaluated by a medical professional. Persistent nausea caused by a stress response may indicate a more serious condition, like PTSD.
2. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder, often abbreviated to PTSD, is a mental health condition triggered by an unbearably stressful or painful event. PTSD is very common among victims of serious car accidents and is present in as many as 33% of accident victims 30-days post-crash.
PTSD significantly worsens the body’s natural stress response. Psychological symptoms of PTSD after a car accident include flashbacks, nightmares, and uncontrollable or intrusive thoughts. Physical symptoms range from increased blood pressure and heart rate to nausea and vomiting.
It’s essential to seek the proper care if you believe you may have developed PTSD from a motor vehicle accident. There are various resources available to diagnose and treat PTSD, such as psychiatrists and psychologists, so you begin to return to your usual, pain-free self.
3. Abdominal Muscle Strain
Several types of soft tissue are located throughout the abdomen. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments hold key internal organs in place. An abdominal muscle strain is a type of soft tissue injury that refers to a stretch or tear in one of the five abdominal muscles.
Like all soft tissue injuries, a muscle strain can cause pain, swelling, and discoloration at the injury site. A strain in the abdomen can also cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and a shallow heart rate. Seek medical attention for any unresolved abdominal pain.
4. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a head injury caused by a direct blow to the skull. A direct impact, such as blunt force trauma from a car crash, can cause brain dysfunction or a series of symptoms that impact an accident victim’s cognitive and physical abilities.
The most common TBI from a car accident is a concussion. Known as a mild TBI (MTBI), a concussion occurs when a direct impact forces the brain to slam against the inside of the skull repeatedly. Tell-tale symptoms of a concussion include nausea, vomiting, and a headache.
Beyond a concussion, the blunt force of a car crash can also cause a moderate or severe TBI. Serious TBIs can cause persistent headaches (migraines), repeated vomiting, and even seizures. If you’ve experienced head trauma during a crash crash and now experience nausea, seek immediate medical attention.
