You’re walking around your house. You stumble on the edge of a rug and fall on your shoulder. Such a scenario is a fairly common one, and it can have serious consequences. 

For instance, many common shoulder injuries result from falling, and falls are often a source of injury. One medical study reports that about 20% of falls cause a serious injury like a fracture or head injury. Determining which shoulder injury you’ve developed from falling down doesn’t have to be hard. Working with a physical therapist is one way to easily learn what common shoulder injury you have. These specialists can help you find effective treatment for many shoulder injuries as well. 

These are three of the most common shoulder injuries from falling

The shoulder is a complex and unstable joint. Its instability and complexity allow it to have a large range of motion. However, these traits also leave it vulnerable to injury during a fall. A few of the most common shoulder injuries people get from falling down include: 

• Clavicle fractures — The clavicle is a bone that runs through the front of the shoulder. People who fall sideways can fracture this bone even if they catch themselves with their hand. This injury is one of the most common types of fractures. It’s reported that clavicle fractures account for 1 in every 20 adult fractures. 
• Shoulder dislocation — Medical research shows that nearly 24 in every 100,000 Americans dislocates their shoulder annually. Of these injuries, about 59% of them occur as a result of a fall. A dislocated shoulder occurs when the ball of the upper arm bone pops out of the shoulder socket. This can cause trauma to the soft tissue in the shoulder. 
• Rotator cuff injury — The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and tendons in the shoulder. Its job is to lift your arm over your head and help it reach behind your back. Falling down can strain or tear the rotator cuff. It’s estimated that up to 40% of people will develop a rotator cuff injury in their lifetime. 

What can physical therapists do to treat common shoulder injuries from falling?

After you’re through the initial healing stage, physical therapists can do a lot to treat shoulder injuries. Some therapy methods your therapist may include in your treatment plan are:

• Joint mobilization intended to improve shoulder range of motion and function. 
• Therapeutic exercises that can help stretch and strengthen injured shoulder muscles. 
• Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) designed to help ease tension in healing soft tissue and prevent scar tissue. 
• Cupping therapy that focuses on improving blood flow to your healing shoulder. 

Find help with common shoulder injuries from falling at Continuum Wellness

Have you developed one of these common shoulder injuries from falling down? You can find effective physical therapy for your injury from our team at Continuum Wellness. We offer free screenings intended to help us learn how your injury is affecting you. In addition, our physical therapists are adept at building personalized therapy plans designed to help: 

• Reduce shoulder pain.
• Boost shoulder range of motion. 
• Increase your ability to do normal daily activities. 
• Cut your risk of future shoulder injuries. 

We can even help you treat your injury from home if you sign up for a virtual therapy or at-home care session with us. 

Contact our team today for more information about all the shoulder issues we can help you treat or to schedule your initial appointment.