First Week After a Car Accident: A Burlington Physio Guide

You've dealt with the tow truck, the insurance call, maybe a trip to urgent care. The car is sorted, or at least on its way to being sorted. But three days later your neck is stiffer than it was the day after the crash, your head aches by mid-afternoon, and you're wondering whether that's normal or something to worry about.

It's a common spot to be in. Whiplash and mild concussion symptoms often don't peak on day one — they build over the first few days, which makes the first week after a car accident a confusing time to figure out what your body actually needs.

What should you watch for in the first 24 hours?

Headache, dizziness, and nausea are the main symptoms to manage in the first day. They're common after a crash, even a low-speed one, and on their own they're not usually a sign of something serious.

That said, it's worth having someone stay with you for the first 24 hours and keep an eye out for red flags. Concussion symptoms sometimes don't show up until hours — or even a day or two — after the impact, so monitoring matters even if you felt fine leaving the scene.

Should you rest or move after a car accident?

This is where a lot of people get it backwards, often based on outdated advice. Strict, prolonged rest is no longer recommended — current evidence suggests it can actually slow recovery down.

What's recommended instead is often called "relative rest": a reduced load on your brain and body for the first 24 to 48 hours, not a full shutdown.</p

• Day 0-1: Scale back screen time and high-stimulation environments. Most normal daily activities can still continue — this isn't bed rest.
• Day 1-2: Light-intensity activity, like a short walk, is generally fine as long as it doesn't more than mildly worsen your symptoms. Starting gentle movement early appears to lower the risk of symptoms dragging on.
• Day 2-7: Once anything more serious has been ruled out, gentle range-of-motion exercises for the neck can help reduce stiffness and tension — this is usually where a physiotherapist's guidance becomes valuable, since "gentle" looks different for everyone.

If you're noticing emotional changes, trouble sleeping, or exercise-induced headaches creeping in during that first week, that's a recognized pattern — not a sign you're doing something wrong. It's worth mentioning to whoever is assessing you.

For more on how these symptoms show up and why they're easy to miss, see Concussion After a Car Accident: Why Symptoms Get Missed.

When should you see a physiotherapist after an accident?

Ideally within a few days to a week. That timeline isn't arbitrary — early assessment lets a physiotherapist catch issues before they've had time to become entrenched. Scar tissue starts forming and compensatory movement patterns (the subtle ways you shift how you hold your neck, walk, or sit to avoid pain) start setting in surprisingly quickly.

Even symptoms that feel minor right now — a bit of neck tightness, a headache that comes and goes, some fogginess — are worth having looked at. Left unaddressed, they can become harder to resolve down the line, and early intervention tends to produce better outcomes and less chronic pain overall.

At OMNI Health and Rehab in Burlington, a first visit after a motor vehicle accident typically includes a review of what happened, a physical and (where relevant) concussion-specific assessment, and a plan built around where you are that week — not a generic protocol. If you want a sense of what ongoing concussion-specific care looks like, What Concussion Physiotherapy Looks Like, Visit by Visit walks through it session by session.

If neck pain and headache are the dominant issue rather than concussion symptoms, Ice or Heat for Pain — Which One and When is a useful place to start for self-management in the meantime.

Does insurance cover physiotherapy after a car accident in Ontario?

In most cases, yes. Every auto insurance policy in Ontario includes Statutory Accident Benefits, and the Medical and Rehabilitation benefit within that is designed to cover physiotherapy and related rehabilitation costs. This applies whether or not you were at fault.

That's good news, but the paperwork side can feel like its own project on top of an already stressful week. At OMNI, our motor vehicle accident rehab program bills Ontario auto insurers directly, so treatment can start without you having to front the cost or manage the claims process yourself.

Putting the week together

1. Day 0-1: Have someone with you, watch for red flags, cut back on screens and high-stimulation activity — but don't go to bed for a week.
2. Day 1-2: Start light movement like short walks if symptoms allow it; reintroduce normal activities gradually.
3. Day 2-7: Begin gentle neck range-of-motion work once more serious injury is ruled out, and book an assessment if you haven't already.

This article is for educational purposes and doesn't replace an assessment by a qualified health professional.

If you're in the first week after a crash and unsure what your body needs, an assessment at our Burlington clinic can clarify what's going on and get a personalized plan in place — including direct billing to your insurer so you're not paying out of pocket while that's sorted out.