Shoulder Pain and Car Accidents

We work with many car accident cases in in our Arlington, VA office, and a widespread symptom we see in our patients is shoulder pain. The key to recovering from shoulder pain caused by a crash is to understand the root cause of the problem and how chiropractic care can help.

There are at least two different ways that you can get shoulder problems after a car crash: by direct injury to the shoulder or by referred pain from the neck.

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

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

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

If you've been hurt in a car crash and you're struggling with shoulder pain, Dr. Holcombe is here to help. Dr. Holcombe will first determine what's causing your pain and then work to restore your body to its natural functioning. Give our office a call today at (703) 933-9000 to make an appointment.