The crash is over. The neck may not know that yet.

Feeling fine at the scene is a common first chapter

Adrenaline covers a lot. People get out of the car, exchange insurance, and go home. Neck and back pain, headache, or a foggy feeling often arrive that night or the next morning.

Whiplash is a common name for a neck strain after a sudden acceleration and stop, especially a rear-end hit. It is not a personality. It is a mechanism.

Missouri Injury Clinic lists auto-injury care as one of the three things they do. If you are in this metro and the days after a wreck are getting worse, that is a concrete place to start.

Use this guide, then get seen, if

• Neck or back pain showed up after a collision.
• You have a headache, dizziness, or trouble concentrating that was not there before.
• Sleeping, driving, or turning your head has become hard.
• A doctor already said concussion and the symptoms are hanging on.