Shoulder Injuries

Many of our personal injury clients suffer shoulder injuries from car accidents in Bucks County, Mercer County and Philadelphia.  During a car accident, it is the a natural instinct to grab something to brace upon just before impact.  Whether you grab the steering wheel or the dashboard, the force of the impact travels through the hands and arms to the shoulder.  The severe jolt connects to the body through the shoulder joint, resulting in many different types of shoulder injuries. 

The shoulder is made up of bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons that are often injured incar accidents. The bones of the shoulder include the humerus (arm bone), the clavicle (collar bone), and the scapula, (shoulder blade).  The shoulder is a complex part of the body which has three separate joints known as the acromioclavicalar joint, the glenohumeral joint, and the sternoclavicular joint.

When rehab for your shoulder injury doesn’t help, surgery may be the answer. In our experience, shoulder surgery is usually successful in eliminating pain and improving range of motion.

Shoulder injuries from accidents, including slip & fall accidents, involve broken bones such as a broken collarbone (clavicle) or a broken shoulder blade (scapula).  The head of the humerus (arm bone) can also be fractured in an accident. Separation of the shoulder is also a common injury from accidents.  Any of the three joints can be separated, causing severe pain and loss of movement of the shoulder joint.  Dislocated shoulders are common personal injuries that we see in our law practice. 

The most common shoulder injury from an accident is a tear, rip or stretching of the tendons and ligaments that hold the shoulder joint together.  Rotator cuff tears are commonly diagnosed after a traumatic injury.

Orthopedic doctors are the type of medical doctors who treat shoulder injuries.  Shoulder injuries are diagnosed by many different clinical orthopedic tests and objective medical tests such as x-rays, MRIs, and CAT scans.  Shoulder injuries are treated with physical therapy, injection therapy, and surgery.  Orthopedic surgeons may also perform arthroscopic surgery to repair tears or partial tears of the ligaments and tendons that hold the shoulder joint together.  

If you are suffering from a shoulder injury as a result of someone else’s carelessness, contact us for a free consultation.