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What happens to your body after a car accident, and why can pain sometimes take days to appear?
In this episode, Dr. Abraham Kozma of Sarasota Chiropractic and Physical Therapy discusses personal injury recovery, including common symptoms after an accident and the importance of getting evaluated. He also explains how chiropractic care and physical therapy can work together to support mobility, strength, and recovery.
Dr. Kozma also shares how the practice helps patients navigate the personal injury process, from understanding PIP benefits to coordinating documentation when needed.
If you’ve recently been involved in an accident or are experiencing lingering neck pain, back pain, headaches, or stiffness, this episode offers helpful insight into what your next steps may look like.
Hey there, and welcome back. I’m Doctor Abraham Kozma, and you’re listening to another episode from Sarasota Chiropractic And Physical Therapy — right here in Sarasota, Florida. If this is your first time joining us, I’m really glad you found us. And if you’ve been listening for a while, welcome back.
Today I want to talk about something that comes up constantly in my practice — and honestly, something I think a lot of people misunderstand. We’re talking about chiropractic care and the role it plays in personal injury recovery. Specifically, what happens to your body after an accident, why symptoms can sneak up on you, and what real recovery actually looks like.
So let’s get into it.
Here’s the thing about personal injuries — and I’m talking mostly about car accidents here — the damage isn’t always obvious right away. You might walk away from a crash feeling sore, maybe a little shaken up, but okay. And then a few days later… the neck pain hits. Or the headaches start. Or your lower back tightens up so much you can barely get out of bed in the morning. This is incredibly common, and there’s a real reason for it.
When your body experiences a sudden impact — like a rear-end collision — your muscles, ligaments, and joints get forced into positions they were never designed to handle. Your body actually does something pretty remarkable in that moment. It floods your system with adrenaline, and that adrenaline can mask pain for hours, sometimes even days. So you feel fine at first. But underneath that, there’s real structural stress happening. Spinal joints get compressed or shifted. Soft tissues get strained. And when the adrenaline wears off, that’s when people really start to feel it.
Now here’s what I want you to understand. Chiropractic care isn’t just about cracking backs and sending you on your way. What we’re actually doing is assessing the structural integrity of your spine and joints — figuring out where things got knocked out of alignment, where there’s restriction, where the nervous system is being affected — and then creating a plan to address that directly. Not just manage the symptoms, but actually treat the source.
And at Sarasota Chiropractic And Physical Therapy, we take that a step further. We integrate chiropractic care with physical therapy — right here under one roof. That’s a big deal, because most practices in this area offer one or the other. We offer both, coordinated together into a single treatment plan built around you. Chiropractic adjustments help restore proper alignment and joint function. Physical therapy builds the strength and stability your body needs so those corrections actually hold. The two work together in a way that neither one fully achieves on its own.
And here’s something I hear a lot from new patients — they’re worried the process is going to be confusing. Especially when there’s insurance involved, or a personal injury claim. I get it. It can feel overwhelming. But that’s another area where our team genuinely steps up. We help our patients understand their PIP benefits, we organize documentation, and we work alongside legal professionals when needed. You focus on healing. We help handle the rest.
Now, what can you do right now? If you were recently in an accident — even if you feel mostly okay — please don’t wait. Get evaluated. The sooner we can assess what happened structurally, the better your recovery outcomes tend to be. Waiting weeks before seeking care gives injured tissue time to start healing in a compensated, dysfunctional pattern — and that makes everything harder down the road.
Even if it’s been a few weeks since your accident and you’re just now realizing something isn’t right — come in. It’s not too late. We see that all the time, and we can still help.
At Sarasota Chiropractic And Physical Therapy, we’ve been serving this community for over twenty-five years. Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch — we’ve helped people across this entire region stop just managing their pain and actually start healing. One-on-one care, every single visit. Real answers. A real plan.
If you have questions, or you’re ready to schedule, give us a call or visit our website. We’d love to hear from you. And as always — thank you so much for listening. Take care of yourselves out there, and we’ll talk again soon.
