You were heading to a nice evening out with a date when another vehicle sideswiped yours. It was a forceful impact, since you’d both been traveling at around 50 mph. Fortunately, you were able to get out of your vehicle and didn’t think you had hit your head or had any other major injury.
It was only a few hours later when you realized that you weren’t able to move your left arm as well as before the car crash. The next morning, it was in severe pain. You could hardly touch it. What happened?
There is a chance that you have a rotator cuff injury, which is possible if the ligaments in your shoulder joint ripped, tore or stretched out during the crash. Your seat belt holds you in place, but it does rely on your collar bone and shoulder region for support. Depending on the angle of an impact, your shoulder could take much of the force and suffer injuries as a result.
A rotator cuff injury can be significant. Some require surgery, while others may be treated with physical therapy, rest and anti-inflammatory medications. Many medical professionals will try for the conservative treatments first, but if there are tears or lacerations to worry about, surgery may be the right choice.
Your medical provider will use imaging tests to diagnose the condition. X-rays, ultrasounds and other tests may provide a clear picture of what’s happening around your shoulder joint. After that, your medical provider can talk to you about treatment options and how long it should take you to heal.
Once you have more information, you can give that to your attorney to help negotiate for a fair settlement or award. This injury could cause lasting pain and dysfunction, so you want to get a fair amount of money for what you’ve been though and will go through in the future.