Shoulder Pain and Car Accidents

We manage many auto injury cases in in our Juneau office, and a common symptom we see in our patients is shoulder pain. Let's look at the root cause of shoulder pain after an auto collision and see how your chiropractor can help.

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

Direct injury can be caused by striking 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 crash. With this type of trauma, you'll usually be aware of the pain shortly after the wreck.

More frequently, Dr. Messerschmidt finds that shoulder or arm pain doesn't immediately appear after a crash, but begins a few days or weeks after the injury. This type of shoulder discomfort actually starts in the cervical spine. Injured soft tissue in your spine can squeeze nerves in your neck, causing tingling, numbness, or pain in your shoulder, elbow, or wrist.

We've treated many types of shoulder pain in our Juneau office. This approach involves chiropractic adjustments to restore your spine's natural mobility and home exercises that strengthen your neck and shoulder.

Dr. Messerschmidt has been helping patients in Juneau since 1983, so we know what you're experiencing. We're here to 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. Give our office a call today at (907) 789-1344 to make an appointment.