Shoulder Pain and Car Accidents

We work with many auto injury cases in in our Juneau, AK office, and a common symptom we see in our patients is shoulder pain. Why is shoulder pain such a common problem after a car crash? How can chiropractic care help you recover?

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

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

More commonly, Dr. Messerschmidt finds that shoulder or arm pain does not immediately appear after a crash, but starts a few days or weeks after the accident. This type of shoulder discomfort actually starts in the cervical spine. Injured ligaments or muscles in your neck can tweak nerves in your neck, causing numbness, tingling, or soreness in your shoulder, elbow, or wrist.

We've worked with both kinds of shoulder problems in our Juneau, AK office. This treatment involves chiropractic adjustments to restore your spine's natural flexibility and home exercises that strengthen your neck and shoulder.

Dr. Messerschmidt is here in Juneau, AK to help you recover from shoulder pain. We've been helping patients since 1983 and we can probably help you, too. First, we'll do a careful evaluation to determine the root cause of your pain, and then decide how to restore your body's natural functioning. Ready to make an appointment? Give us a call at (907) 789-1344 and we'll get you back on the road to health.