Driving During Chuseok Holiday and Hearing a 'Kkung' Sound... "Don't Ignore It, Go to the Hospital"

During the Chuseok holiday, long driving hours make it easy for accidents to happen in a split second. However, if a minor accident is left unattended without any proper measures, there is a high possibility of suffering from prolonged aftereffects even after the holiday period ends.

On the 13th, ahead of the Chuseok holiday, travelers are waiting for buses heading to their hometowns at the Express Bus Terminal in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Most traffic accident aftereffects occur frequently in rear-end collisions while stationary. At the moment of impact, the neck of the driver or passenger is whipped backward, then immediately snapped forward, and bent backward again. At this time, the nerves, ligaments, and muscles of the cervical spine are excessively moved by external forces, causing damage.

The main symptoms include pain and stiffness in the neck area, and limited neck movement. Along with this, symptoms such as lower back pain, headaches, nausea, dizziness, palpitations, and numbness in the limbs may also appear. Especially if dizziness, headaches, and nausea accompany neck pain, there is a risk that the aftereffects will last a long time.

In severe cases, pain can persist for more than a month, sometimes lasting 6 months or even years. Therefore, experts recommend that traffic accidents should be properly treated early on, as failure to do so can lead to prolonged pain due to aftereffects, and it is essential to seek medical professionals.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.