Common Shoulder Injuries From a Car Accident That Chiropractors Can Help With

Do you have shoulder pain after a car accident? Make an appointment with one of our experienced chiropractors! We help with a variety of shoulder problems caused by auto accidents.

Car crashes are more than just a headache for your insurance – they can really do a number on your body, especially your shoulders.

In this post, we're going to talk about something that doesn't get enough attention: how chiropractors can help with shoulder injuries after a car accident.

You might be surprised at just how much they can do to alleviate your pain and get to the root cause of your symptoms.

We'll go through nine common shoulder problems you might face after a crash and how chiropractic care can treat your shoulder pain and get you back to health.

#1 Shoulder Dislocation

A shoulder dislocation occurs when the bone in your upper arm gets pushed out of your shoulder socket. The incredible force involved in a car accident is more than enough to cause a dislocation, and these injuries are common after a collision.

Shoulder dislocations are often very painful. Observe your shoulder for immediate signs of dislocation, which include swelling, difficulty moving your arm, and an odd or disjointed appearance to your limb.

If you suspect a shoulder dislocation, see a doctor right away to put your shoulder back in place, then contact a chiropractor to help facilitate your recovery.

Also Read: Chiropractic Care vs Physical Therapy

A skilled chiropractor uses gentle techniques to help you get your range of motion back and keep scar tissue from building up. They'll give you exercises to strengthen the muscles and ligaments around your shoulder to support your recovery after a car accident.

Chiropractic care is especially important after a dislocation because after you've sustained this injury for the first time, your shoulder becomes prone to reinjury and subsequent dislocations. Strengthening your shoulder with chiropractic care helps guard against further damage to your joint and limb.

Our Hiram chiropractor uses a whole-body approach to chiropractic care. We know that a dislocation can often knock other things out of place, which is why we examine the total shoulder area and spine before designing a treatment plan that addresses all your chiropractic needs.

#2 Rotator Cuff Injuries

Your shoulder has a group of muscles and tendons called the rotator cuff. They keep your shoulder stable and help it move around. These muscles and tendons are easily stretched too far, torn, or inflamed in a car crash.

Chiropractors are a great resource for addressing rotator cuff injuries. An experienced chiropractor will examine your injury thoroughly, and may even use some special imaging technology to evaluate your condition.

After assessing the damage to your rotator cuff, a chiropractor may adjust your shoulder to realign everything, and apply therapeutic massage to your soft tissue to bring down inflammation and promote healing.

Ongoing care often includes education in exercises to strengthen your rotator cuff muscles and prevent further injury. At Cornerstone, our Hiram chiropractor teaches clients at-home techniques and exercises to speed them on their way to recovery.

#3 Shoulder Strains And Sprains

Shoulder strains and sprains are common injuries caused by car accidents. They occur when the muscles, tendons, or ligaments in your shoulder get stretched or torn suddenly. Strains usually affect muscles and tendons, and sprains affect your ligaments.

Both strains and sprains result in pain, swelling, and difficulty moving your shoulder.

Chiropractors use a variety of hands-on treatments, like chiropractic massage on soft tissues and giving you targeted exercises, to help you heal and feel less pain.

They might also do some adjustments to get your shoulder joint sitting right again, taking the pressure off hurt tissues and helping you feel better faster.

Also Read: Alternatives To Epidural Steroid Injections

#4 Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis)

Frozen shoulder, also called adhesive capsulitis, is when your shoulder joint gets stiff and painful. It can happen slowly over time, but a car accident can both cause its onset or make an existing case worse.

Frozen shoulder usually goes through three stages:

• Freezing (where it hurts more and gets stiffer)
• Frozen (where it hurts less but is really stiff)
• Thawing (where you slowly start to move it more)

Chiropractors help address adhesive capsulitis with gentle stretching techniques to mobilize your joints. Other treatment options include chiropractic massage to work on soft tissues, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation to help with healing and bring down inflammation.

#5 Labral Tears

The labrum is a ring of cartilage that surrounds a socket of a ball and socket joint. Your shoulder labrum helps keep your shoulder stable and cushions the joint.

In a car accident, the hard impact can tear this labrum, which can cause pain, make your shoulder unstable, and make it feel like something's catching in your shoulder. Labral tears can range in severity, and depending upon their condition, require different kinds of treatment.

Chiropractors can be a big help with labral tears, especially if you're trying to avoid surgery. They use specific hands-on techniques to gently mobilize your shoulder joint, helping take some pressure off the torn labrum and allowing it to heal.

Also Read: Is It Safe To See A Chiropractor For My Back?

The Hiram chiropractors at Cornerstone Chiropractic & Spine Center work closely with clients to develop treatment plans that strengthen their shoulders after an injury and support their recovery.

#6 Bursitis

Bursitis is a condition caused by inflammation of small, fluid-filled sacs in your shoulder called bursae. These sacs act like cushions between your bones, tendons, and muscles, but can cause pain when inflamed.

Bursitis usually affects the subacromial bursa, which is between your rotator cuff tendons and a part of your shoulder blade. The force from a car accident can irritate and inflame this bursa, causing pain, stiffness, and making it hard to move your shoulder.

Chiropractors treat shoulder bursitis in several ways. They use gentle adjustments to make sure your shoulder joint and the structures around it are lined up right, which takes pressure off the inflamed bursa.

They might also use soft tissue therapies, like massage and a technique called myofascial release, to relieve tension in the surrounding muscles too. Some chiropractors also use things like ultrasound or cold laser therapy. These can help bring down inflammation and speed up healing.

#7 Tendinitis

Tendinitis is when a tendon gets inflamed. Tendinitis often affects the rotator cuff tendons or the biceps tendon in your shoulder. The sudden force and strain from a car accident can cause tiny tears and inflammation.

Chiropractic care offers effective treatments for shoulder tendonitis, including hands-on therapies like chiropractic massage and joint manipulation. These methods help to reduce inflammation and promote healing in the affected tendons.

A chiropractor might also use techniques like Graston or Active Release Therapy to break up scar tissue and make the tendon more flexible.

#8 Shoulder Impingement

Shoulder impingement happens when the rotator cuff tendons get squeezed or irritated as they pass through the narrow space between two bones in your shoulder.

The trauma from a car accident can cause swelling or changes in the structure that cause impingement, resulting in pain, weakness, and trouble moving your arm over your head.

Our Hiram chiropractors could help you identify underlying causes and treat your shoulder impingement.

We’ll conduct a thorough examination to find out what's causing your shoulder symptoms, which could be things like:

• Poor posture
• Muscle imbalances
• Misaligned joints

Treatment usually involves a mix of hands-on therapies to improve joint mobility and reduce restrictions in soft tissues. Chiropractors will also show you how to stand and move in ways that don't make it worse, and give you exercises to make your shoulder stronger.

#9 Acromioclavicular (AC) Joint Injuries

The acromioclavicular (AC) joint is where your collarbone meets the highest point of your shoulder blade.

In a car accident, the force of impact can make the ligaments supporting this joint stretch or tear, causing an AC joint sprain or separation. These injuries can cause pain, swelling, and make the top of your shoulder look out of shape.

Chiropractic care is helpful in treating AC joint injuries. For mild to moderate sprains, chiropractors use gentle techniques to move the joint, helping it work properly and reducing pain.

They might also work on soft tissues to deal with any muscle tension or spasms in the area. If the injury is particularly bad, they’ll work with other doctors to come up with a treatment plan.

Contact a Hiram Chiropractor for Help with Your Shoulder Pain After a Car Accident

Shoulder injuries from car accidents can present significant challenges that impact your daily life.

While it's crucial to get checked out by a doctor right away after an accident, seeing a chiropractor can be a big help in your long-term healing.

If you've hurt your shoulder in a car accident, consider the benefits an experienced chiropractor can bring to your recovery. They can help you get your strength and movement back, and feel more like yourself again.

If you live in Hiram, GA, give the compassionate chiropractors at Cornerstone Chiropractic a call or fill out our online form. We’re here to answer your questions and build a treatment plan to address your shoulder injuries from a car accident.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Most Common Shoulder Injury From A Car Accident?

The most common shoulder injury from a car accident is a rotator cuff injury. This happens when the tendons in your shoulder get strained or torn due to the impact.

What Shoulder Injury Takes The Longest To Heal?

A torn rotator cuff typically takes the longest to heal. Depending on the severity, it can take anywhere from a few months to over a year to fully recover.