The shoulder is a ball and socket joint. This means the round top of your arm bone (the ball) fits into the groove in your shoulder blade (the socket). Show When you have a dislocated shoulder, it means the entire ball is out of the socket. When you have a partly dislocated shoulder, it means only part of the ball is out of the socket. This is called a shoulder subluxation. You most likely dislocated your shoulder from a sports injury or accident, such as a fall. You have likely injured (stretched or torn) some of the muscles, tendons (tissues that connect muscle to bone), or ligaments (tissues that connect bone to bone) of the shoulder joint. All of these tissues help keep your arm in place. Having a dislocated shoulder is very painful. It is very hard to move your arm. You may also have:
Surgery may or may not be needed after your dislocation. It depends on your age and how often your shoulder has been dislocated. You may also need surgery if you have a job in which you need to use your shoulder a lot or need to be safe. In the emergency room, your arm was placed back (relocated or reduced) into your shoulder socket.
You will have a greater chance of dislocating your shoulder again. With each injury, it takes less force to do this. If your shoulder continues to partly or fully dislocate in the future, you may need surgery to repair or tighten the ligaments that hold the bones in your shoulder joint together. To reduce swelling:
For pain, you can use ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), or acetaminophen (Tylenol).
Your provider will:
After your shoulder has healed for 2 to 4 weeks, you will be referred for physical therapy.
Do not return to activities that place too much stress on your shoulder joint. Ask your provider first. These activities include most sports activities using your arms, gardening, heavy lifting, or even reaching above shoulder level. Motions such as reaching with your arm on the side and rotating to the back can make the shoulder more unstable. Ask your provider when you can expect to return to your normal activities. See a bone specialist (orthopedist) in a week or less after your shoulder joint is put back into place. This doctor will check the bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your shoulder. Call your doctor if:
Shoulder dislocation - aftercare; Shoulder subluxation - aftercare; Shoulder reduction - aftercare; Glenohumeral joint dislocation Phillips BB. Recurrent dislocations. In: Azar FM, Beaty JH, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 47. Smith JV. Shoulder dislocations. In: Fowler GC, ed. Pfenninger and Fowler's Procedures for Primary Care. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 174. Thompson SR, Menzer H, Brockmeier SF. Anterior shoulder instability. In: Miller MD, Thompson SR, eds. DeLee, Drez, & Miller's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 40. Updated by: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. What does a partially dislocated shoulder feel like?What Are Symptoms of Subluxation? A partial shoulder dislocation may cause pain, joint instability, arm weakness, numbness or tingling down your arm, and swelling. When the humerus moves out of place, it can damage muscles, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels in the shoulder joint.
Can I move my arm after shoulder dislocation?Having full range of motion without pain and regained strength are necessary before returning to regular activities. Resuming activity too soon after shoulder dislocation may cause re-injury of the shoulder joint.
Can you dislocate your shoulder and not know it?Surprisingly enough, in contrast to the pain many individuals feel when they have suffered a dislocation, others experience an almost numb sensation and have difficulty moving their shoulders without experiencing weakness in the muscles surrounding it.
Can you partially dislocate your shoulder?A shoulder joint can be dislocated either partially or completely, called partial shoulder dislocation and total shoulder dislocation, respectively. The humerus bone (arm bone) has a round head at the top, and it fits exactly into the scapula (shoulder bone), which is called the “glenoid fossa.”
|