Shoulder Pain From Car Accidents
Science and data show that car accidents happen about 16,000 times a day. This can translate to about 13 car accidents every minute. Some accidents may be large and deadly while others can barely cause a dent in the car. Roughly 25-30% of any of those car accidents result in shoulder injuries, more often than not on the side where the seatbelt sits.
Kinds of Shoulder Pain From Car Accidents
Rotator Cuff
Just like any part of our bodies, the shoulder has many different parts to it. The part of the shoulder that tends to be impacted the most in a car accident is the rotator cuff.
When you are in a car accident, you can often see the the accident about to happen, therefore making your body tense up and prepare for the impact. This causes your body to get tight and not pliant against the collision that will happen. This makes the muscles in your shoulder, particularly the rotator cuff, to get strained as the force of the impact pulls against your bodies natural instinct to stay tight and close together. This ends up causing a tear.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a common term when most of us think about a car accident. This term refers to when your head is whipped back and forth or left and right very quickly and abruptly. This can cause strain, tears and sprains in the neck and shoulder areas.
The damage from the whiplash can cause swelling and inflammation that radiates down into the shoulders and back areas, which is why many people have intense shoulder pain.
Fractures
Shoulder fractures are also common in car accidents due to the high impact strain on the body. There are three main bones in the shoulder (clavicle, scapula and humerus) and when something in one of those bones breaks, it takes a few weeks to heal.
The most commonly fractured bone is the clavicle as it is fragile and the most exposed. When thrown forward in a car accident, the seat belt will work in opposition to the force, putting a lot of tense pressure on the small clavicle bone, causing it to break and fracture.
With the humerus and scapula, these often get fractured due to being thrown against other objects in the car such as the dashboard or a door. The humerus is much more commonly fractured as it is more exposed whereas the scapula is a bit more rare to be fractured.
How To Avoid Shoulder Pain From Car Accidents
Even though car accidents are inevitable sometimes, there are ways to avoid getting shoulder pain or lessen the shoulder pain every single time you get into your car.
01
Wear a seatbelt correctly
This will allow your belt to catch you if you are in a car accident and help to keep you from flying through the windshield as well as hit the strongest points of your body, allowing for the least amount of damage.
02
Make your shoulder muscles stronger
If you are physically able, keeping your body strong and healthy can help to prevent large damage. This does not mean you must have rippling muscles around your shoulders, but having some strength in your shoulders and body will allow for your body to naturally protect itself.
03
Put your seat in the proper position
Having your feet down on the ground with the pedals and sitting up straight with your hands on the wheel properly is a good start to helping protect your body and shoulders in an accident. If you are slouching immensely, if you are driving with your knee or if you have your leg propped up on your seat, you are at a higher risk of having worse injuries in the end.
04
Meet with a Doctor
Even if you don’t feel pain after a car accident, still check with a doctor to be sure everything is okay. The aftershock of being in a car accident can cause the feeling of pain to go away temporarily, so getting checked out by a medical provider can allow you to find injuries you wouldn’t have known you had before. Giving you a head start on taking care of yourself.
How To Treat Shoulder Pain From Car Accidents
The four main things to remember when taking care of shoulder pain after a car accident are:
- Rest
- Ice
- Compression
- Elevation
- Seek help
Of course, if you have a doctor treating you and your injuries, listen to their advice and care. But with bruising, swelling, soreness and more these four key elements will help with recovery. In some cases chiropractic help with recovery. It allows for:
- Improved mobility
- Pain relief
- Inflammation reduction
- Reduction of scar tissue
And there is so much more that it can help with. Finding your own personal chiropractor and chiropractic plan has the potential to be life changing.
The pain of being in a car accident can take its toll mentally and physically. That is why it is important to realize the best routes to take when stepping foot inside a vehicle. When driving a car, you must understand that you are operating a machine that can cause irreparable damage to both yourself and those around you. So remaining alert and taking the proper care and precautions is key to everyone’s safety.
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Seasons Chiropractic and auto accident specialists are especially skilled at assisting patients with car accident injuries like: Concussions, Whiplash, Neck Pain, and Back Pain
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