When a person experiences pain in the shoulder, upper arm, or collar bone, he or she needs to visit a medical professional. The issue is, emergency rooms may charge four times the price you would spend at a clinic or office such as ProCare Health & Rehab Centers. A dislocated shoulder is just one of the many car accident injuries patients our doctors treat.
Diagnosing car accident injuries:
Today, we are sharing how your doctor may go about diagnosing a shoulder injury. Then, we will discuss the treatment for several injuries. Diagnosing car accident injuries can be quite complicated.
Often times, there is pain all over. Other times, patients report feeling little to no pain at all. However, we know there can be pain that does not reveal itself until days or weeks following the trauma, such as a car accident.
The first shoulder injury we have begun discussing is called a dislocated shoulder. Refer to our last blog if you do not know much about dislocated shoulder injuries. There are many causes of dislocated shoulders and a car accident is just one of them.
In review, the shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint. The upper end of the arm bone is shaped like a ball. The ball sits into the joint but not perfectly.
The ball is actually a little larger than the place it sits in. This makes it easy to pop out of place, or become dislocated. The awkward anatomy makes it the most common joint to become dislocated.
Treatment for dislocated shoulders:
First, when you are seen by a medical professional for an injured shoulder, there will be a physical exam. The doctor will look for symptoms mentioned in our last article. They will look out for bruising, swelling, bleeding, or bulging bones.
The list goes on and on but these are just the most common signs and symptoms of injured shoulders, clavicles, and arms. Let’s discuss the closed reduction treatment. Your doctor may try this gentle maneuver to guide your shoulder bones back into their correct positions.
Patients with high pain tolerance or that are only experiencing slight pain may not need pain medications. Ibuprofen or acetaminophen may be all that is needed. However, those that are very uncomfortable or in severe pain may require a muscle relaxer or a sedative.
Patients with severe car accident injuries that show swelling will likely need a muscle relaxer or a sedative. Very rarely, the doctor may offer a general anesthetic before manipulating the patient’s shoulder bones. Of course, this will all be discussed with the patient before the manipulation.
Surgery may be discussed if a closed reduction will not suffice. Patients that have weak shoulder joints or ligaments tend to experience recurring shoulder dislocations. Even after strengthening and rehabilitation at our Oviedo office, some patients require surgery due to their physical form.
Also in rare car accident related injuries, patients that have nerve or blood vessel damage may require surgery. In our office, we take the time to examine patients, discuss a treatment plan, and help patients every step of the way. Make a call if you have any questions, or schedule an appointment here.
Staff Writer
