Although Ferndale, Washington, isn’t a hotbed of car accidents, it’s still possible to injure yourself in one. In fact, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission reports that there were more than 120 car accident-related injuries in Whatcom County from 2015 to 2017. If you’ve been in a car accident in Ferndale recently, you could be dealing with arm pain. There are many issues that can cause arm pain after a car accident, but there are two that are more common than others.
1. Brachial plexus injury
One reason that you might feel arm pain after a car accident is you’ve injured the brachial plexus. The brachial plexus is a group of nerves that branch off the spinal cord at the base of your neck, and these nerves run through the shoulder and stretch all the way down the arm and into the hand.
There are several ways that the brachial plexus can be injured in a car accident. It could become pinched as a result of whiplash. Also, an unsecured object could hit you at the base of the neck, and this impact could pinch or damage the brachial plexus. Either of these incidents could cause you to experience several symptoms. One of these symptoms is pain, and the pain of this injury often feels like an electric shock or burning sensation running down the arm. Numbness and arm weakness can be caused by a brachial plexus injury as well. In extreme cases, you could completely lose the ability to move your arm or hand.
2. Muscle strain
Another issue that can cause post-car accident arm pain is a muscle strain. Often, this type of injury is caused by the impact of the accident. This impact can cause your arms to fly away from your body violently, and the violent movement can overstretch a muscle. A more serious strain can occur if the impact of the accident causes a partial tear in an arm muscle.
Pain in the arm isn’t the only symptom a muscle strain can cause. You might notice that part of your arm starts swelling or develops bruises after the injury happens. The range of motion of the injured muscle can be decreased, and a knot can form in the muscles at the site of the injury. This is caused by a buildup of scar tissue in the injured muscle, and these areas of scar tissue are called adhesions.
Whatcom Physical Therapy can help Ferndale, WA, residents treat post-car accident arm pain
Arm pain after a car accident is no match for the physical therapy specialists at Whatcom Physical Therapy in Ferndale. Our conveniently located clinic offers free screenings, and this service is great if you aren’t sure why your arm hurts. Once we find the source of your pain, our team can create a personalized therapy plan for you. Your plan will be designed to include multiple beneficial therapy techniques to help you, which might include:
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment to begin treating your car accident injuries.
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