Don’t Ignore Shoulder Pain After a Car Accident

It’s common for car accident victims to experience shoulder pain after their crash, but you can take proactive steps to improve your health and pursue financial compensation through the legal system. The sooner you get a diagnosis and begin your treatment plan, the sooner you can get back to your normal routines and improve your quality of life.

By working with skilled doctors and an experienced attorney, people struggling with shoulder pain as a result of a car accident often achieve both physical relief and the financial compensation they deserve.

In this article, we’ll review typical shoulder injuries and guide you through the steps to take if your shoulder injuries are the result of a car crash.

Common Shoulder Injuries and Issues After a Crash

The human shoulder is extremely complex, which makes it naturally prone to injury. As a result, tens of thousands of Americans suffer shoulder injuries in car accidents every year.

Comprising three bones (collar bone, shoulder blade, and upper humerus) and a collection of tendons, ligaments, joints, and muscles, the shoulder has an incredible range of motion. If any of these parts is hurt, however, that motion can become painful, limited, or even impossible.

Among the more common shoulder injuries following a car accident include:

• Rotator cuff tear: The tendons and ligaments in the shoulder joint can stretch or tear, causing pain, limited motion, and weakness.
• Shoulder joint tears: Our shoulder joints are supported by soft tissues, like ligaments and cartilage. When you injure these tissues, it can cause ade can cause pain, instability, weakness, limited motion, and locking/popping/grinding sensations. One common type of tear is a SLAP lesion (superior labrum from anterior to posterior).
• Fractured or broken bones: Breaks in the bone typically cause painful movement, bumps, swelling/tenderness, and discoloration.
• Bruising: Bleeding under the skin is often accompanied by tenderness and discoloration.

Shoulder injuries come with a wide range of symptoms, including:

• Stiffness and pain (especially at night)
• Sudden, intense pain
• Limited range of motion
• Difficulty moving
• Swelling
• Tingling, numbness, or weakness

All of these problems and symptoms can occur after even minor car accidents. If you’ve been involved in a car accident and suffered shoulder or other injuries as a result, please keep reading to learn more about how to proceed.

What Steps Should You Take After a Car Accident?

If you have any shoulder discomfort following a car accident, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Even if the issue seems minor, certain injuries worsen with time and movement, so it’s critical that you visit the emergency room immediately following the crash or make an appointment with your primary care physician. In the meantime, keep movement to a medium. If the pain increases or begins shooting down your arm, be sure to let your doctor now, as it could indicate a more serious injury.

Waiting for an official diagnosis forces you to treat the symptom rather than the cause, and the injury can worsen significantly in the meantime. Furthermore, failing to seek medical attention can potentially impact legal proceedings down the line. If too much time passes between the car accident and a diagnosis, you might have trouble securing appropriate financial compensation for your shoulder injury.

Treatment could be as simple as medication or a sling — or as involved as therapy or even shoulder surgery. If the pain doesn’t improve or actually worsens after four weeks of treatment, the injury could be more serious than the original diagnosis, and you should consider a second opinion.

You Could Be Eligible for Financial Compensation

Following a car accident, a shoulder injury can lead to missed work, a pile of medical bills, and a ton of stress, not to mention the physical pain and emotional suffering that can follow trauma.

If you’ve been involved in a car crash caused by a negligent driver or faulty manufacturing, you’re likely eligible for financial compensation. Working with a skilled and experienced personal injury attorney will help ensure you get the justice you deserve.

RELATED: Can I Get Compensation for My Shoulder Injuries After a Car Accident?

Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys: Fighting for Car Accident Victims

If you or someone you know is dealing with shoulder pain after a car accident, please reach out to Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys today. Our team has years of experience, and we’ve earned a sterling reputation thorough our aggressive and thorough approach.

To schedule your free, no-risk consultation, please call (251) 888-8888 or complete this brief form. If you are too ill or injured to travel to our offices, we’re happy to come to you.

The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.