One of the most common ways a cyclist falls during a Sarasota bike crash involves a forward fall over the handlebars. When a fall of this nature takes place, shoulder injuries can occur and cause a bicyclist a great amount of pain. One of the most common shoulder injuries bicycle accidents cause are rotator cuff injuries.


How Bicyclists Injure Their Rotator Cuffs

The rotator cuff tendon is made up of four muscles – infraspinatus, subscapularis, supraspinatus, and teres minor – that support the upper arm bone and act to elevate the arm. The most common muscle that has been known to tear in bicycle accidents is the supraspinatus muscle. This muscle, when hit with a great amount of force, can tear the rotator cuff tendon, causing a disconnection between the shoulder blade and the cuff’s upper arm bone, also known as the humerus.


Symptoms of a Torn Rotator Cuff

A cyclist will usually be able to tell if he or she injured his or her rotator cuff by experiencing the following symptoms:

  • Pain in the affected arm
  • Loss of range of motion in the arm
  • Inability to rotate the arm
  • Inability to lift the arm
  • Inability to use the arm


When cyclists sustain rotator cuff injuries, there are many management and treatment options, depending on the seriousness of the injury. Pain management can include physical therapy exercises, steroid injections, arthroscopic repair through surgery, or shoulder replacement.


Doctors will be able to diagnose the type of shoulder injury by examining the affected arm, shoulder, and neck by ordering an X-ray test or MRI scan. If an injured cyclist needs surgical repair of his rotator cuff or other shoulder injury, an acute tearing of the rotator cuff tendon most likely occurred.


If your shoulder injury occurred due to the negligence of a driver, you may need to better understand your rights following a Sarasota bicycle accident and injury. Talk with a knowledgeable Sarasota personal injury lawyer about your rotator cuff injury at Mallard Perez at (888) 409-3805 in a free consultation today. You can also request a complimentary copy of our book, The Florida Accident Handbook: What You Need to Know After an Auto, Truck or Bicycle Accident.

Damian Mallard, Esq.
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Board Certified Sarasota Personal Injury Attorney