Question
My mom and I were recently in a pretty serious car accident on August 5th. We were rear-ended on a highway while turning onto our street that leads to our house at 45mph (we were going about 10 and the HW speed limit's 55). We were then thrown onto oncoming traffic. I was on the passenger's side which was the side that was hit by the second collision yet my mom was the one who had all of the major injuries.
I am a little worried about my hip. It hurt when the accident occurred - like everything else - and I thought it would dissipate - like everything else did. It actually did for a while but it came back recently and it's quite painful. I don't like to complain to my mom since she's been through enough and I don't want to talk to my school nurse about more elevator time since I've had the elevator since school started August 14. I just was wondering if it's normal that pain goes away and comes back..

Answer
Dear Alison,

This is a simple question to answer.  Pain often goes away, and then comes back, and it is common, but it is never normal.  Pain is sensation from the body telling you that the tissue is injured or there is continued dysfunction.  If you have recurrent pain, it is because the original problem what not fixed, and may actually get worse if not addressed.

Car crashes are serious injury mechanism that generate enormous amounts of force, and this force is almost always transmitted into the body of the occupants of the vehicle.  You need to follow up on this pain and have the areas of complaint addressed by a physician...and not your family doctor...they are not sufficiently trained in  musculoskeletal injuries or dysfunction.  Your best bets are physicians trained in sports injuries and rehab protocols, such as chiropractors, physiatrist, or orthopedists.  And if you can find one who is also trained in vehicle crash dynamics, this will be very helpful in understanding the injury.  

Lastly check out the Spine Research Institute of San Diego's website:  www.srisd.com.  It will give you an abundance of information on car crashes, and has links to multiple resources on the Internet as well as a physician listing of doctors you may consult for care.

Good Luck Alison.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net