The scope of potential injuries following a car accident is pretty broad, and this speaks to more than just how mild or severe the injuries can be. The types of injuries that may occur are pretty varied too, which means there are many effects that they can have on quality of life following the accident.
One of the less spoken-about injury types is rotator cuff tears. One of these can change the life of a victim entirely, especially in cases where the accident is severe. This is enough to cause missed days at work, changes in personal life, and more.
Personal injury Houston car accident attorneys is good to have as such a person will advocate for the victim and use experience to seek the best possible settlement.
Understanding What a Rotator Cuff Injury Looks Like
It's good to understand the rotator cuff before getting started. This is a series of tendons and muscles located in the shoulder region. Some accidents will deliver a lot of force to the upper body. In such cases, both the said force and the seat belt can result in extensive damage to the area.
Without a functioning rotator cuff, it can be incredibly difficult to naturally move the shoulder and arms. After all, the tissue in the area is what connects the shoulder joint. It stands to reason then that extensive damage to it can be very problematic.
Four major elements make up the rotator cuff, which are the supraspinatus tendon, the infraspinatus, the subscapularis, and the teres minor. The shoulder is very complex and these are responsible for effectively holding it in place.
It is the supraspinatus tendon that gets injured most often, tending to be torn. Certain variables can make the injury potentially worse including the age of the victim. A more advanced age means that damage is more likely.
Unfortunately, when such variables exist. The defense will attempt to use them to get out of having to fully compensate the victim for serious torn rotator cuff injuries. Schuerger Shunnarah Trial Attorneys can also advise on a concussion car accident settlement amount.
Typical Treatments for Rotator Cuff Injuries
Rotator cuff shoulder injuries do not heal on their own. A course of treatment will be necessary to ensure that there is no further injury. The options are below.
Physical Therapy and Medication
When car accidents lead to less serious injuries in the rotator cuff, treatments such as these may be applicable. The hurt individual could even use heat and cold applications to reduce the amount of swelling in the area.
The physician may also recommend oral medications that are meant to aid in the healing process. In some cases, a sling may be worn with the idea being to keep the arm stationary, which will reduce the amount of inflammation.
At a more impactful level, the injuries will require a course of physical therapy that can go on for months. The idea is to strengthen and restore the range of motion of both the cuff and the surrounding area.
Rotator Cuff Surgery
When the rotator cuff injury is very severe, surgery will be needed. Expect that the rotator cuff injury claim will be drastically affected by this need. That's because this is a very invasive process and also because many of these surgeries are simply ineffective.
The idea of the surgery is to help blood flow return to the area. Additionally, the cuff is reattached if the tear is very severe or if the other attempts at treatment were not able to restore the body to its previous level of function.
Shoulder Injury Injections
Shoulder injections may also be an option that is used in treatment. It's one more of the invasive treatment types, but obviously, it remains less invasive than doing surgery on the area. The injections will typically be cortisone steroid shots, which are meant to offer relief of both pain and inflammation. Pain management doctors will often be the ones to recommend going down this route.
How Likely Is Recovery from a Torn Rotator Cuff Injury
The recovery time for a rotator cuff injury could be months. Even when the injury is very minor, a recovery could take a month.
Surgical repair will usually be needed when the tear is in the 80% - 90% region. Bear in mind that recovery does not necessarily mean that the victim will get full function of the area as it was before the injury took place. Age, gender, previous injury, and pre-existing conditions such as diabetes are all elements that can grossly affect what the chance for recovery will look like.
That's why a rotator cuff surgery settlement will often be so expensive when compared to partial tear settlements.
The Value of a Rotator Cuff Injury Settlement
Bear in mind that rotator cuff injury claims are not set in stone where value is concerned. Many factors will lead to what the actual payout will look like. For example, as has been stated before when there are medical bills that include rotator cuff repair surgery, the amount will likely be higher.
Beyond that, there are considerations made for the type of surgery, the amount of downtime, what level of pain and suffering there was, what kinds of quality of life effects are present, etc.
Of course, there's also the matter of considering what other medical conditions are present. It's not a good idea to try to speculate on what the expectation for this kind of case should be.
Instead, it's best to get the required medical treatment and follow the advice of the retained personal injury lawyer to ensure that the steps taken are aligned with getting the most favorable settlement possible for the rotator cuff injury. They can also go over an average settlement for non injury car accident.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Passionate Car Accident Lawyer Today!
A personal injury claim involving a rotator cuff injury can be very complex. It goes beyond shoulder pain to considering the type of treatment needed and even what shape the victim was in before the accident happened.
In any case, the best possible outcome is only possible with a passionate attorney who is willing to go to war for you. For that kind of service, schedule a free consultation with Schuerger Shunnarah Trial Attorneys today!