Shoulder Injury After a Car Accident

The five most common car accident shoulder injuries are whiplash, soft-tissue injury, torn rotator cuff, dislocation, and fracture.

Whiplash

The most frequent of these is whiplash. In addition to back and neck pain, whiplash also causes pain to radiate to the arms and shoulders. Other symptoms of whiplash are soreness, stiffness, and decreased mobility.

Soft-Tissue Injury

Soft tissue includes the parts of your body that are not bone, like muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Soft tissue injuries, although less serious, are more common than bone injuries. For example, the labrum, or the cartilage that surrounds and stabilizes your shoulder joint, can tear during an accident. Soft tissue injuries like this can cause pain, swelling, weakness, and spasms in your shoulders.

Torn Rotator Cuff

Your rotator cuff, the group of muscles surrounding your shoulder, can tear—especially during high-impact car accidents. Your rotator cuff stabilizes and provides a full range of motion to your shoulders and arms. Signs of a torn rotator cuff are pain in the shoulders, radiating pain in the arm, swelling, and popping or clicking sounds during arm movements.

Dislocation

The ball of your shoulder may become dislocated from the socket during a car accident. Shoulder dislocations are not only painful, but they can also cause tears, fractures, and other injuries. If not treated, shoulder dislocations can lead to muscle damage and other chronic conditions.

Fracture

Shoulder fractures can also occur in car accidents. This is particularly true when the force of the collision causes your seatbelt to put too much pressure on your collarbone, the bone that connects your shoulder to your sternum. A fractured collarbone can lead to major limitation of shoulder movement, swelling, and significant pain.