Treatment of a Locked Scapula
The body’s shoulder plays an important role in both mobility and function. This complex ball and socket joint can have a serious impact on someone’s quality of life. There are a variety of shoulder injuries that someone can sustain. One rare injury is called a locked scapula.
Statistics on Shoulder Injuries
Among traumatic injuries, shoulder problems are some of the most common reasons that people visit their doctor. There are many different ways that someone can sustain a shoulder injury, including sports and auto accidents. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons:
- Between 7 and 8 million people visit their physician for treatment of a shoulder injury.
- The most common type of shoulder injury is a rotator cuff concern, accounting for more than half of these injuries.
- Around a quarter of shoulder injuries are dislocations of some sort.
- Close to ten percent of shoulder injuries involve a bone fracture.
Even though some injuries could be uncommon, they are no less important. Some of these rare injuries can have a devastating effect on someone’s quality of life.
A Case Report: Locked Scapula
Recently, a group of doctors published a case report describing an unusual injury. A young woman was driving her motorcycle down the road when she was involved in a serious accident. She sustained numerous injuries and was transported to a hospital for further evaluation. Once she was stabilized, her various injuries were diagnosed using imaging scans. She found that she was unable to move her right shoulder. Despite this symptom, there were no visible scratches or bone fractures in her right arm. On further imaging, it was found that her scapula had been dislocated. The scapula is the large bone on the back of both the right and left arm. The bone needs to rotate with the shoulder to allow movement of the upper arm. Because her scapula had been dislocated, it was effectively “locked.” This prevented her from using her upper arm. She was taken to an operating room so that the scapula could be put in its proper location. After this, she required months of physical therapy before she was able to move her upper arm again.
Help with Serious Shoulder Injuries
When someone loses the use of one of their limbs, this can be a frightening experience. It can inhibit someone’s ability to run errands, drive a car, or do their job. Furthermore, people could have regular doctor’s appointments and require extensive physical therapy. This can be an expensive process. In these situations, an experienced personal injury attorney in Sacramento can provide legal assistance when your injury was due to the negligence of someone else.
Experienced Personal Injury Attorney in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Attorney in Sacramento. If you or someone you love sustained a shoulder injury in a car accident, call me at (916) 921-6400. I can offer friendly, free advice. You can also call the toll-free line: (800) 404-5400.
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Image Attribution: The picture at the top of this page was found originally on Unsplash. The image has been shown here with permission
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