Shoulder Pain: Understanding Rotator Cuff Injuries After A Car Accident

Were you involved in an auto accident and now find yourself having shoulder pain? If so, the accident may have caused you to have a rotator cuff tear. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, rotator cuff tears are a common cause of disability and pain, and people over the age of 40 are at greater risk for experiencing this type of injury.

How Rotator Cuff Tears are Classified

Doctors classify these types of shoulder injuries according to their severity. Partial tears cause damage to tendons and muscle, but the damage is less severe than full tears. When doctors classify injuries as full tears, it means that tendons have separated from the humerus bone, or it may also mean that tendons have a hole through them or have been severed through and split in half. 

Some people can recover from partial tears if they receive rehabilitation. Full tears can be severe enough to impact a person's life indefinitely, causing impaired movement of the shoulder or total loss of function. 

How to Handle Suspected Rotator Cuff Tears

If you went to the emergency room but you are still experiencing pain, you should consider going back to the ER. This is very important if the hospital did not perform any imaging tests after the accident. You can also schedule an appointment with an orthopedist. Sometimes injuries are missed by well-meaning hospital employees. If it is discovered that the injury is a rotator cuff tear, the first step will be to rehabilitate you by using non-surgical treatment options. Tears that do not respond to non-surgical intervention may eventually require surgical intervention by an orthopedic surgeon. 

Obtaining Compensation for Injuries

The most important thing that you can do to ensure that you are compensated is to make sure you seek medical attention for your injuries. Do not let the fears of how the medical bills will get paid keep you from going to your appointments. By keeping your appointments and receiving treatment, you will have medical documentation of your injuries.

An experienced personal injury lawyer, like those at the Law Office Of Daniel E Goodman, is the best resource to use for your pending settlement, and they can negotiate settlements on your behalf to ensure that all of your damages are included in a settlement. Your rehabilitation and medical expenses are only a portion of the compensation they can seek.

You may also be entitled to compensation for lost wages, future wages that you may have earned if you had not gotten injured, lost functioning of a limb, and pain and suffering. The pain and suffering portion of cases is complex to prove, which is why it is important to have legal representation if you intend to seek compensation for it. 

Share