California drivers in car crashes have a heightened risk of shoulder injuries due to clutching the steering wheel and bracing at the time of impact. Your shoulder joint cannot always withstand the forces released when a moving vehicle comes to a sudden stop. Due to the complexity of the shoulder joint, you may suffer an injury known as shoulder impingement syndrome. As a result, you could experience a painful and long recovery.
Treatment options for shoulder impingement
Shoulder impingement describes the inflammation that comes after tearing a shoulder rotator cuff. Physicians will want to stabilize the joint by having you wear a sling. At first, you may try to control pain and promote healing with anti-inflammatory painkillers and applications of heat and cold.
During this time, you can expect a reduced ability to earn income or perform household duties, which adds to the losses associated with your motor vehicle accident. Once you are able, a physician normally prescribes physical therapy to help restore your strength and range of motion.
For more severe cases, physicians will recommend cortisone injections and possibly surgery. Shoulder surgery will add to recover time and require ongoing physical therapy.
Why is the shoulder joint so vulnerable?
Four muscles hold together three different bones to keep them stable at the shoulder joint. Tendons and a soft-tissue capsule make the rotator cuff. Disruption of any of these elements can tear the rotator cuff or cause painful scraping inside it.
On top of this, keeping your shoulder stable is difficult. You use the shoulder joint in some capacity with almost any movement of your arm. Despite the challenges of recovery from shoulder impingement, you could restore some or all function with enough time and proper care.
