What Causes Shoulder Pain After Auto Injury?

Shoulder soreness is a problem experienced by many auto collision patients, and there are few basic causes.

The first is  obvious: direct damage to the shoulder during the crash. If your shoulder strikes the door or window for instance,  it can damage the joint capsule. It may surprise you though that many people with shoulder pain after an auto collision don't remember hitting their shoulder at all. So what are other reasons for this debilitating discomfort?

If you are clenching the steering wheel tightly during a rear-end crash, your body can lag behind the car, applying a shearing force to the ligaments and muscles of your neck. This may result in whiplash injury which can cause inflammation in your neck and shoulders.

The force can also tear tendons and muscles in your shoulder in what's called a rotator cuff injury. Cartilage may also be torn causing a SLAP injury.

Yet another cause of shoulder pain is not as straightforward and can be tougher to identify. Injuries to the neck or back can create pressure on the nerve fibers that travel from the spine to your shoulder, arm, and hands. This can be puzzling, as the pain or numbness is experienced in one part of your body, while the problem is actually in your spine.

Chiropractic care is a proven, reliable way to help people with shoulder pain, regardless of whether you hurt yourself in a car accident or sports-related incident.

Dr. Rivano can pinpoint the root cause of your pain and develop a plan of action to help you restore your health. Treatments for easing shoulder pain include chiropractic adjustments, Active Release Technique (A.R.T.), Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Treatment (E.P.A.T.®), in addition to several other non-invasive procedures.

Call our office in Florham Park today at (973) 845-6282 for a consultation or for more information.