Common Types & Causes of Shoulder Pain

We Address Shoulder Pain After a Car Accident

Your shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in your body because it can move forward, backward, side to side and in a circular motion. It is very easy to hurt or injure your shoulder in a car accident and even small amounts of discomfort are a sign that there may be a deeper issue.

When one of your bones or vertebrae is pushed out of its specific place through injury,  poor posture, or sitting or driving for long periods of time, this misalignment can cause your muscles, tendons, and joints around your shoulder to become inflamed, overworked or pinched. This can cause anywhere from mild, annoying symptoms or discomfort, to very extreme and debilitating pain.

There are a variety of different types of shoulder pain which include:

• Tendinitis: Inflammation of a tendon, most commonly from overuse, or overstretching your shoulder.
• Pinched Nerve:  A result of compression or constriction of a nerve that causes numbness,  prickling or burning sensation which radiates outward from the injured area. This is a fairly common shoulder injury from a car accident.
• Tear of the Rotator Cuff:  An irritation or damage to the rotator cuff muscles or tendons in the shoulder.
• Arthritis:  Painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints, such as the shoulder joint.
• Frozen shoulder:  A difficulty in which the shoulder joint tissue becomes inflamed and stiff, decreasing the range of motion available, allowing for abnormal bands of tissue or adhesions to grow together and essentially freezing the shoulder in place.
• Bursiitis:  An inflammation of a bursa, a fluid sac to cushion the tendons, joints, muscles, and bones, in the shoulder, knee or elbow.
• Dislocation: When your upper arm bone is pushed out of its socket or pops out of the socket that is connected to your shoulder blade.

Shoulder injuries in car accidents are common. It is important that if you hurt your shoulder to get treatment as soon as possible. Shoulder pain should not be taken lightly and can escalate quickly if not addressed. Also, know that to fully understand the injury it is not uncommon to get imaging such as x-rays or MRIs as part of the diagnosis and injury evaluation process.