It’s probably more common than you think. Whiplash injuries, especially serious ones, are notorious for causing pain and disability beyond the neck after a car accident in las vegas. Whiplash is considered a full body disorder and symptoms can range from pain to dizziness, headache and fatigue. Depending on the type of collision and restraints, other body parts may be injured as well. One study looked at shoulder complaints in individuals who had suffered a whiplash type of trauma after a car accident in las vegas. Out of 220 patients with whiplash, 26% had shoulder symptoms.
Direct trauma from the pressure supplied by a seatbelt during a car accident in las vegas can cause fracturing of cartilage and sprain of the surrounding ligaments. The pointy top of the shoulder is the acromium and some impingements can affect the tendons of the rotator cuff or other soft tissues just under this bone.
Because most patients with whiplash who have shoulder pain are thought to have referred pain from the neck, an impingement syndrome may be overlooked. This can delay car accident therapy, resulting in prolonged disability, pain, and chronicity.
A good MRI may be needed to fully diagnose the problem. Sometimes the cartilage surrounding the bone can break away causing significant pain. There may be inflammation surrounding the different tendons as they are caught between the shoulder and the soft tissues. Most shoulder injuries can be conservatively treated by a car accident chiropractor in las vegas and rarely require surgery.
A Car accident chiropractor in las vegas is trained to differentiate between neck and shoulder problems and provide specific treatments to each area. Sometimes, an adjustment may be needed to align the shoulder or neck. In other cases the shoulder can be helped by specific exercises for the rotator-cuff muscles. The important part of this issue is first getting the problem properly diagnosed after a car accident in las vegas. If you don’t know what is causing the pain, it is nearly impossible to have an effective car accident therapy.