Neck and back injuries are the most commonly discussed car accident injuries, but shoulder injuries can also occur from the impact of a crash. If you’re hands are on the wheel and you rear-end a vehicle or are rear-ended, you could end up damaging your shoulder joint. The shoulder has more range of motion than any other join in the body and this makes it more prone to injury.
Symptoms of a shoulder injury might include:
- pain that wakes you in the middle of the night
- soreness or stiffness
- swelling around the shoulder joint
- difficulty moving your shoulder
- sudden pain in your shoulder
Common shoulder injuries that might occur from a car accident include:
- Rotator cuff tears or injuries – this is when the ligaments around the shoulder joint get strained or torn
- Fractures of the shoulder bone or joint
- Muscle strains or sprains
- Frozen Shoulder – Frozen shoulder is a result of other injuries. When you have a shoulder injury and are unable to move the shoulder joint much, the tissue around the joint shrinks and isn’t able to stretch as much. This means when you try to move the joint, it hurts – not because of the original injury, but because you haven’t been moving it and now the joint is stiff. It’s a cycle that will repeat itself until you get physical therapy treatment to solve the problem.