Maryland Shoulder and Rotator Cuff Injury Attorneys

If you have suffered a shoulder injury in a serious accident or due to the demands of your job, you may find that the pain and limitations you are experiencing affect both personal and professional life. Few know the serious toll of a shoulder injury until they experience it. But recovery is possible.

At Alpert Schreyer, LLC, our Maryland personal injury attorneys have helped countless injured victims recover from a wide variety of devastating injuries. We understand how severely a shoulder injury can affect a person’s life and know what it takes to heal and return to a fulfilling and happy life.

To learn more about how we can help you in your case through a no-cost consultation, call 301-381-2655.

What Causes a Rotator Cuff Injury?

The rotator cuff consists of a group of muscles that surround the shoulder joint, keeping the upper arm bone in the shoulder socket.

The rotator cuff is typically injured in two different ways:

• Acute Tear: This happens in a single incident, such as falling and landing on your shoulder or lifting something that is far too heavy. This injury is often accompanied by sudden and severe pain, as well as a possible popping noise, due to the muscle being suddenly and severely injured.
• Degenerative Tear: These involve the tendon in your shoulder slowly wearing down over time. This is due to lack of blood supply and bone spurs in the area due to age, as well as repetitive stress from daily activities, especially those involved with sports and manual labor.

Determining the exact cause of your injury will help you better understand who is responsible for your trauma.

What Are the Types of Shoulder Injuries?

Depending on the cause of your injury, your shoulder may suffer several different types of injuries. Most commonly, there will be a tear in the tissue located in the rotator cuff. This is either a partial tear, where the soft tissue is damaged, but not completely severed, or a full-thickness tear, where the soft tissue is split into two pieces, severing it from the bone and causing a hole in the tendon.

Suffering a tear in the tendon can lead to further injuries in the rotator cuff. The bursa, which is the lubricating sac that makes motion easier and pain free, can become inflamed and painful, leading to further pain and difficulty moving the affected arm.

What Are the Symptoms of a Shoulder Injury?

When a rotator cuff is injured, victims can experience a wide variety of symptoms.

These range from mild annoyances to severe obstructions of physical capabilities and include:

• Shoulder pain while resting, especially when lying on your side
• Pain while lifting and lowering your arm, specifically out to the side
• Weakness when lifting and/or rotating your arm
• Crackling sensation in your shoulder when moving it in certain positions

The weakness and pain you experience can prevent you from performing typical day-to-day tasks, as well as work duties, leading to many different complications and possibly requiring you to take time off work or find a different job altogether.

If you do not know you have an injury, experiencing these symptoms can alert you to a rotator cuff injury. Often, only a proper evaluation will be able to determine the extent of the damage and prescribe the right treatment and rehabilitation plan for recovery.

How Can I Heal My Shoulder Injury?

If you believe that you have suffered a shoulder injury, you should undergo a medical examination as soon as possible to determine the type of tear and the cause behind your injury. Depending on how your rotator cuff has been damaged, there are several different methods of treatment.

About 50% of shoulder injuries can heal with non-surgical treatment, which includes:

• Rest, including the use of a sling
• Anti-inflammatory medication, like ibuprofen and naproxen
• Physical therapy to restore strength, flexibility, range of motion, and movement
• Steroid injections to reduce pain and inflammation

In the worst cases, surgery may be needed to repair severe tears or reattached the muscle to the bone. Shoulder injuries that cause symptoms lasting for 6 to 12 months, create a large tear, severely impair shoulder function, or were caused by an acute injury are the typical candidates for surgery.

How Can I Hold the At-Fault Party Responsible for My Injury?

If you have been injured through no fault of your own, you have the right to hold the person or organization who caused your injury responsible for the losses you have experienced. Who is responsible for your injuries and what compensation you are entitled to receive depends on your incident. If you were injured in an accident like a car crash or slip and fall, the person who caused the incident is at fault. If your shoulder injury was due to repetitive stress from your job, you can seek workers’ compensation. Finding out what you should pursue and how much you deserve requires the help of a skilled lawyer.

If you have suffered a shoulder injury due to the negligent or reckless actions of another person or group, contact the Maryland shoulder injury attorneys at Alpert Schreyer. A no-cost consultation is available to those who call 301-381-2655 and with our help, you can have the legal assistance needed to succeed in your case.