Shoulder Pain and Auto Injury

Shoulder Pain is a common problem after an auto collision, and it's something that Dr. Ernst sees often in our Arlington, WA office. Why is shoulder pain such a common symptom after an auto injury? How can your chiropractor help you get better?

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

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

More commonly, Dr. Ernst finds that shoulder or arm pain doesn't immediately appear after a collision, but starts a few days or weeks after the accident. This type of shoulder pain actually starts in the cervical spine. Injured ligaments or muscles in your spine can squeeze nerves in your neck, causing tingling, numbness, or soreness in your shoulder, elbow, or wrist.

We've worked with many types of shoulder pain in our Arlington, WA office. This approach involves chiropractic adjustments to restore your spine's natural mobility and exercises that strengthen your neck and shoulder.

Dr. Ernst has been helping patients in Arlington, WA since 1990, so we know what you're going through. We're here to help you, too. The first step is to get an accurate diagnosis to determine what's causing your symptoms and then we will determine an appropriate treatment approach. Ready to make an appointment? Give us a call at (360) 659-8464 and we'll get you back on the road to health.