Common Seattle Car Accident Personal Injury: Shoulder Dislocation

As an experienced Washington car accident lawyer and Seattle Personal Injury Attorney I have seen many shoulder injuries in my practice. The shoulder joint is a ball and socket type joint that is made up of three bones: the humerus (upper arm), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the clavicle (collarbone). As in any ball and socket joint, the dislocation of the parts is possible. Due to a moderate or intense amount of force, perhaps from a Washington car accident, the humerus can become separated from the socket. Doctors and trained first aid attendants can put the shoulder back into its socket without further treatment. X-rays and other scans may be ordered to see if other parts of the shoulder were damaged in the process. The arm should stay immobilized for several days to reduce the possibility of pain and inflammation.

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When the source of energy that forces the shoulder from its socket is great enough, as in a high-energy car accident, other damage can result from a shoulder dislocation. The socket of the shoulder joint is quite shallow which makes a weak joint connection. However, there is a cuff of cartilage that keeps the humerus in its place and solidifies the connection. With a strong dislocating force, this cuff can be ripped. This further destabilizes the shoulder and usually needs to be repaired surgically. Another complication is that if the humerus hits the clavicle forcefully when pulled from the socket, a Hill-Sachs lesion will form where contact was made. This legion is a chip of bone that has been removed from the humeral head by the impact.

This information is provided by Straight Talk Law, where you can order free information on Seattle auto accidents, buying auto insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by King County personal injury attorney and author Jason Epstein and his Seattle auto accident, Everett motorcycle accident, and Bellevue wrongful death law firm in Seattle, Washington.