Shoulder injuries are very common in all types of auto accidents in New Jersey regardless of whether they involve trucks, cars, or motorcycles. And more often than not, shoulder impingement on some level is the result. Car accidents almost always have a factor of sudden impact to be followed by an immediate reverse reaction after contact, which is the general description of what happens to cause shoulder injuries. The joint gets jammed and, then, released, pulling other muscles and tendons in the shoulder region. When pain is occurring due to the damage, it is important for injured victims to understand what has happened and how the pain is being generated.
The parts of the shoulder
The shoulder is composed of a collection of bones, muscles, and tendons with three specific bones supporting the whole shoulder region around the rotator cuff. The primary bones are called:
• Humerus
• Clavicle
• Scapula
Those three primary bones are wrapped by four specific primary muscles that extend to the tendons in the shoulder. When shoulder impingement occurs, these muscles and the connected tendons are, often, pulled or jammed into other components in the shoulder. Those designated muscles are called:
• Teres minor
• Infraspinatus
• Supraspinatus
• Subscapularis
The effects of an accident
Many times, the injured victim will take action when impact is obviously going to happen by gripping tightly on the steering wheel or placing their hands up against the dash. These are both natural responses, and even those riding in a back seat will do something similar. The result is, usually, that the impact shoves the arms up into the shoulder area and tears the rotator cuff in some manner, and very significant and painful bodily damage is done to the shoulder region.
Attorneys who represent victims of car accidents know that shoulder injuries are a major element of general damages for pain-and-suffering when injury claims are negotiated. This is primarily due to the immense pain of rotator cuff tears and the long rehabilitation period when they are healing following substantial surgery.
