Your shoulders are more important than you may think they are. Any movement that requires you to raise your arms or do any lifting requires your shoulders to be able to move painlessly. If your shoulders are in pain after an accident, it could be a sign of something serious like a fracture or rotator cuff tear. The sooner you can get a chiropractor to look at your shoulder, the better. These kinds of injuries are easier to be treated in the early stages.
What to Do About A Shoulder Injury
The sooner you get a full diagnosis, the sooner you can get the treatment you need. Get your treatment and tell the health care give about all of your symptoms and the circumstances that lead to them. For insurance and legal reasons, it's a good idea to hold onto any documentation you get concerning your medical treatment.
What Can Cause Shoulder Injury in an Auto Accident Injury
Even if your pain is mild, you should still get treatment before it gets worse. A chiropractor can tell you how to treat different kinds of shoulder injuries.
- Whiplash: This is the result of an impact from behind that pushes the head forward, slamming it backward which causes the muscles of the neck to be tight or sore. It can be treated with muscle relaxants, heat and cold, and a regimen of rest and exercise.
- Torn Rotator Cuff: A rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that connect the humerus to the shoulder blade. A tear to one of these muscles is very painful. Physical therapy and steroid injections may be enough to treat this injury, though surgery may be recommended in severe cases.
- Fractures: If the clavicle or humerus bones are fractured, this can seriously limit mobility and lead to severe pain. Bone fractures can quickly lead to shock or internal bleeding and must be treated immediately. It can usually be treated with immobilization and pain relief. Surgery may be done in severe cases.
- Dislocation: It's fairly common in an auto accident for the arm to be dislocated from the shoulder joint. This needs to be treated quickly before muscle damage leads to a chronic condition. It can be treated with immobilization followed by strengthening exercises and anti-inflammatory medication.
- Soft Tissue Damage: This is more common than bone damage. A ring of cartilage around the shoulder joint, called the labrum, gives the arm stability. This can be treated with a few weeks of rest, ice, compression, and elevation followed by therapeutic exercise.
Schedule an Appointment with Our Chiropractor in Grovetown, GA
If you are in Grovetown, Georgia, and need chiropractic help, call Odom Chiropractic. They'll start getting you well right away.
