Shoulder Pain and Car Accidents

We treat many auto injury cases in in our Wilsonville, OR office, and a common symptom we see in our patients is shoulder pain. What causes shoulder pain after a car crash? How can a chiropractor help?

There are at least two ways that you can develop shoulder problems after an accident: by direct trauma to the shoulder or by radiating pain from the neck.

Direct injury can be caused by hitting your shoulder on a hard object in the car during the crash, or can occur if you have a tight grip on the steering wheel during a rear end crash. With this type of injury, you'll often be aware of the pain soon after the crash.

More frequently, Dr. Dale Burt Johnston, DC finds that shoulder or arm pain does not immediately appear after a crash, but starts a few days or weeks after the trauma. This type of shoulder pain actually starts in the neck. Injured ligaments or muscles in your neck can squeeze nerves in your neck, causing numbness, tingling, or soreness in your shoulder, elbow, or wrist.

We've treated both kinds of shoulder pain in our Wilsonville, OR office. This treatment involves chiropractic adjustments to restore your spine's natural mobility and home exercises that strengthen your neck and shoulder.

If you've been injured in a car crash and you're suffering from shoulder pain, Dr. Dale Burt Johnston, DC is here to help. The first step is to get an accurate diagnosis to determine what's causing your pain and then we will determine an appropriate treatment approach. Give our office a call today at (503) 682-9046 to make an appointment.