01
A neck that won't turn the next day
On the day of the accident you were just shaken,
but the next day your neck won't turn.
They said it was a minor accident,
but your body says otherwise
Car Accident Aftereffects
Your pain is real, even when the tests come back normal. Most recovery happens in the first three months, and we help you make good use of that time.
Is this how you've been since the accident?
"I wondered if I was just overreacting."
That's what we hear most often from people who come in after an accident.
The car only got a scratch, the tests were normal, and so you feel a little embarrassed about hurting.
Your pain has a name, and it has a reason.
02
"Nothing wrong with the bones"
That's all you heard at the ER,
and then you were sent home.
03
Now headaches and dizziness, too
Your neck, shoulders and lower back have been stiff for days,
and now headaches and dizziness have started.
04
Not sure where to go
You're not sure if this is serious enough to see a doctor,
or where you should even go.
05
Toughing it out, but no change
You figured it would get better with time,
and it's been two weeks of putting up with it.
A normal test result is not the same as no injury
At the moment of impact, the neck snaps back and then forward like a whip.
What gets hurt is not the bone but the muscles, ligaments and the tissue around the joints.
This is called a whiplash injury, and it often doesn't show up on an X-ray.
In fact, it's typical for the pain to really set in a day or two later.
Feeling fine on the day and hurting the next is not overreacting. It's the textbook order of things.
This injury also follows a timeline.
An analysis that pooled many studies found that most recovery happens within the first three months after the accident, and after that the recovery curve clearly levels off.
At the same time, nearly half of people still have neck pain at one year, and 10–25% are left with a clear loss of function.
So these three months are not a time to grit your teeth and wait. They are the time to build your recovery.
Let's also take a look at the advice "wear a neck brace and get plenty of rest."
In several clinical trials comparing rest with early activity, not a single trial found that a brace and rest gave better results.
Moving the neck early was either better, or at least just as good.
That's why our treatment doesn't aim to keep you lying down. It aims to get you moving again, within a range that doesn't hurt.
How things go differs from person to person, depending on how the accident happened, how bad the early pain was, your age and any other health conditions.
The studies behind this are summarized in the director's column After a car accident: the tests are normal, but you're in pain.
1
Symptoms that linger
in the neck and head
Main Symptoms
- • Headaches and dizziness
- • Trouble turning the neck
- • Feeling queasy
Diagnosis Pattern
When the impact still lingers in the neck bones and the tissue around them
Recommended Treatment
Realign, then get moving again
We realign the neck bones that have shifted and loosen the tight muscles, while guiding you step by step through neck exercises within a pain-free range.
→ The stiffness eases, and you can turn your neck farther.
2
Stiffness in the lower back
and pelvis
Main Symptoms
- • Stiffness when standing up from a chair
- • One side of the buttock hurts more
- • Hard to sit for long
Diagnosis Pattern
When the lower back and pelvis are out of alignment
Recommended Treatment
Chuna and pharmacopuncture
We realign the twisted pelvis and lower back, and treat the remaining inflammation directly.
→ Once your alignment is restored, the strain no longer stays stuck in one spot.
3
Trouble with sleep
and peace of mind
Main Symptoms
- • The accident keeps replaying in your mind
- • Light sleep, waking often
- • A racing heart
Diagnosis Pattern
When a shaken body hasn't settled down yet
Recommended Treatment
First, what slows recovery
Headaches, dizziness and sleep problems after an accident are common, and they can also slow recovery. We check them at your first and follow-up visits, and refer you to the right care when needed.
→ You toss, turn and wake up less at night.
Auto insurance
Treatment under auto insurance
For car accident injuries, Korean auto insurance covers acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, Chuna and herbal medicine. These treatments are recommended in the Korean medicine clinical guidelines for traffic accident injuries.
All you need is a claim number from your insurance company. If you don't have one yet, we'll walk you through the process from the start.
We're open every day of the year, until 20:30 on weekdays and until 16:00 on weekends and public holidays, so you can keep up with treatment while you work.
If you need documents such as a medical certificate or a doctor's note, just let us know during your visit and we'll prepare them.
We won't decide when you should settle. But we will share the information you need to decide, from your side. If insurance feels unfamiliar, please ask us.
How we treat it
We first rule out what needs to be ruled out, then focus on getting your movement back.
Acupuncture · Pharmacopuncture
We address the pain and inflammation in the injured area.
Cupping is sometimes used as well.
Cupping is sometimes used as well.
Chuna
We restore the alignment thrown off by the accident
and loosen stiff movement.
and loosen stiff movement.
Personalized herbal medicine
Matched to your condition,
it helps set the stage for recovery.
it helps set the stage for recovery.
Getting movement back
We guide you step by step through daily activities
and neck exercises within a pain-free range.
and neck exercises within a pain-free range.
Treatment Process
What happens on your first day
1
We rule things out first
If you have weakness in the arm, unusual sensations, or severe pain in the middle of the neck, we check for fractures and nerve damage first. When needed, we work in partnership with the radiology clinic on the 2nd floor of the same building.
2
We record where you are now in numbers
We measure where it hurts, how much, and how far your neck turns, to set a starting point. Later, we compare against these numbers to see whether you've improved.
3
We ask about more than your neck
Headaches, dizziness, trouble falling asleep and a still-racing heart can all slow recovery, so we look at them from the start.
4
We explain the insurance process
Knowing how things will go from the start makes it less stressful. Even without a claim number, we'll guide you from the beginning.
Frequently asked questions
Q. I was fine on the day of the accident, but it started hurting the next day. Is that strange?
A. No, that's the typical order. Pain from muscle and ligament injuries often sets in a day or two later. Hurting later doesn't mean you're overreacting. Once symptoms start, that's the time to come in.
Q. The ER said my tests showed nothing wrong. Can I still be treated?
A. Yes. Those tests ruled out problems with the bones, but the heart of a whiplash injury is soft tissue damage that doesn't show on an X-ray. We treat the pain and movement problems from that damage. If you have symptoms like numbness or weakness in the arm, though, we check those more closely first.
질문 7개 더 보기 접기
Q. How do I use my auto insurance?
A. Tell your insurance company that you'll be treated at a Korean medicine clinic, and bring the claim number they give you. If the process is unfamiliar, our front desk will walk you through it from the start. Acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, Chuna and herbal medicine are covered by auto insurance.
Q. Do I need to keep wearing a neck brace?
A. No study has found that wearing a brace for a long time and strict bed rest give better results. If you need one, we set a time limit for it, and guide you toward moving your neck within a pain-free range.
Q. How long will I need to come in?
A. It depends on the injury, but the standard is clear. Within the first three months, when most recovery happens, we reassess your pain and range of motion at set points, and decide together from those numbers whether to continue. We won't keep you coming in with no end in sight.
Q. Can I get Korean medicine treatment and hospital treatment at the same time?
A. Yes. Let us know what treatment you're receiving, and we'll adjust things so they don't overlap.
Q. Isn't it better to settle quickly?
A. Let us say this first. We neither recommend settling nor talk you out of it. The decision is yours. We only give you the information you need to decide.
A settlement includes the cost of future treatment. The person who needs a lot of future treatment is the person who is still in pain, and the insurance company judges that by how often you've been seeing a doctor.
You don't have to take "we'll give you more if you settle early" at face value. In reality, it's often only about 100,000 won extra. If you settle after getting treatment, you usually receive more at that point.
That said, everyone's situation is different. For some people, wrapping things up now is the better choice. That's why we don't decide for you. We give you information.
Q. I don't know much about insurance, and it makes me anxious.
A. Please ask. We can talk with you from your side. From getting a claim number, to which documents you need, to what stage you're at now, we'll tell you what we know. Making a decision without knowing is what puts you at the biggest disadvantage.
Q. Work makes it hard for me to come in often.
A. Coming in once a week, or even once every two weeks, is still better. It helps your body, and it also leaves a record of your treatment.
If your visits are spaced further apart, we'll set things for you to do at home to match. Missing visits for a while doesn't mean starting over from scratch.
Car Accident Aftereffects 건강 칼럼
의료진이 직접 전하는 건강 정보입니다.
Column
How long should I keep wearing a neck collar?
People who come in the day after an accident are often still wearing the collar the ER put on them. And they almost all ask the same question: how long do I need to keep this on? Nobody told them. On this question, the answer is unusually clear. No trial has found that wearing a collar and resting did better.
Column
The 3 months after a car accident: how you spend them makes a difference
Recovery after a car accident follows a strange timetable. Most recovery happens within the first 3 months after the accident, and after that the recovery curve flattens noticeably. This isn't meant to scare you. It's a question of where to put your effort. The same effort pays off most when it's spent in the first 3 months.
Column
Why it hurts more the day after a car accident: you're not faking it
You had an accident yesterday. It wasn't a big one. But this morning you can't turn your neck. Then a strange thought creeps in: if I say it hurts a day later, will people think I'm faking? You can let go of that thought right now. Pain that starts a day or two later is the normal course of this kind of injury.
Health column
Our articles on car accident aftereffects
We've answered the questions we hear most often in clinic, one question per article.
Feel free to start with whatever you're curious about.