Rotator Cuff Tear After a Slip and Fall

Victims of a Fall Who Have a Rotator Cuff Tear Should Call Our Slip and Fall Lawyers in Indiana for Help

The shoulder is particularly susceptible in a slip, trip, and fall accident. There are many possible types of shoulder injuries that may be caused in a fall, with most of them leaving victims facing prolonged recovery, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery. One of the most devastating types of personal injuries is a rotator cuff tear after a slip and fall. This is because it can completely destabilize the joint and create extreme pain, as well as other injuries to the arm like tendonitis, nerve pain, and impingement. If you or a loved one suffered any type of rotator cuff tear or injury after a fall, call our experienced slip and fall lawyers at Shaw Law in Indiana for help.

It can be a particularly painful injury which requires extensive physical therapy in order to achieve some form of normalcy again in using your arm.

A rotator cuff tear after a slip and fall is a serious personal injury that can result in significant pain and suffering, lost wages, medical bills, loss of consortium and lost future earnings. Call us today at (260) 777-7777 for your free consultation.

What are the Rotator Cuffs?

Your shoulder is a very complex joint. It is made up of many different muscles, tendons, and ligaments that help stabilize the joint, strengthen it, give it a range of motion, and allow it to function properly. The muscles, tendons, and ligaments also help to keep all structures in place to prevent them from impinging on nerves, blood vessels, or other tendons.

The rotator cuffs play a large part in this objective. They are a series of four tendons attached to major muscles that help the arm move, raise, and rotate. The four tendons are the following:

• Supraspinatus - stabilizes the humerus and upper arm, and helps to lift or swing the arm.
• Infraspinatus - the major rotator cuff that helps you rotate and extend your shoulder, as well as completely stabilize it.
• Teres minor - the smallest rotator cuff but one of the most important for rotating the arm away from the body.
• Subscapularis - this stabilizes the upper arm and shoulder blade together, and helps to rotate the arm, hold it straight out, and to lower the arm.

What are Rotator Cuff Tears After a Slip and Fall?

A rotator cuff tear is when one of the four tendons is torn or damage. Multiple tendons could be damaged in one accident, but that is not common unless there is extreme trauma to the joint. Rather, most tears are to a single tendon.

There are two main types of classifications of tears, including:

• Partial Tear - this is also known as an incomplete tear and it is when the tendon is torn but not completely severed
• Full-thickness Tear - this is also known as a complete tear and it is when the tendon separates from the bone or muscle. It means that there is a hole in the tendon which usually requires surgical intervention.

How Do Rotator Cuff Tears Happen After a Slip and Fall?

A slip, trip, and fall accident can cause rotator cuff tears for many reasons. The two main ways that they occur are in either the fall itself or in trying to prevent or brace the fall. The obvious cause is when a person falls and lands on his or her arm. If the arm is outstretched or if a person lands directly on the shoulder, it can pull, stretch, and tear rotator cuff tendons.

Another common way that a rotator cuff tear occurs is when a person is trying to brace the fall. A person who reaches out for a handrail while falling forward may stop his or her head from hitting a wall or the floor, but may yank, jerk, or pull the arm with great force and injury the rotator cuffs. This is a common way for a rotator cuff injury.

Another way that there could be a rotator cuff tear is when a person tries to brace for the fall and lands on an outstretched arm. This can stretch or pull the arm in a way that extends the shoulder and rips tendons, ligaments, and muscles, This may stop a more serious head or neck injury, but could really cause a very significant rotator cuff tear.

Do You Have a Rotator Cuff Tear After a Slip and Fall? Call Us Now

A rotator cuff tear after a slip and fall is a serious personal injury that can result in significant pain and suffering, lost wages, medical bills, loss of consortium, lost future earnings if you cannot maintain the same job, and other damages related to your fall. Landowners, tenants, and other property maintainers need to keep their premises reasonably safe to avoid injuries such as a rotator cuff tear. When they do not, it could result in liability.

If you or a loved one have a rotator cuff tear after a slip and fall in Indiana, call the experienced slip and fall lawyers in Indiana at (260) 777-7777 or message us to learn how we can help protect your rights.