Shoulder Dislocation: All You Need to Know

Dr.Bharat Bahre, 4 mins read

Various activities, accidents, falls, and sports can lead to shoulder dislocations. A shoulder dislocation is an ailment that occurs when your humerus head comes out of socket made up of glenoid. This may potentially harm the tissue around your shoulder joint and cause severe pain and other problems. At this moment, contacting a doctor and getting timely treatment is very much needed. This blog will take you through the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of shoulder dislocation. Let’s get started.

Causes

Performing exercises that require rigorous power, twisting, or direct impact on the shoulder joint may cause a shoulder dislocation. There are some common causes: 

Forced Injury: A severe blow to the shoulder or a rapid fall onto an extended arm can dislocate the shoulder joint. The upper arm bone's ball may pop out of the shoulder socket if the shoulder joint is twisted extremely.

Sports-related injury: Shoulder dislocation is a concern in contact sports like football, rugby, and wrestling as well as in sports like basketball and skiing.

Weak ligaments or tendon sprains: People who have weak or loose ligaments are more prone to shoulder dislocation because their joints are less secure.

Symptoms

• Severe pain: The pain becomes worse when you move. Experience a restricted range of motion, difficulty moving the arm or total immobility.
• Inflammation and bruising: Inflammation and bruising at the shoulder joint.
• Deformed appearance: The shoulder may be visibly deformed or out of place.

Numbness, tingling near the injury or weakness can also occur. So, if you see such symptoms, you should rush to a nearby hospital. While waiting for the proper medical help, avoid attempting to move or push the shoulder back into position. This could harm the blood vessels, nerves, muscles, and ligaments close to the shoulder joint. You can use ice packs to reduce the pain and swelling.

Diagnosis

You must get medical help right away if you think your shoulder may have dislocated. A medical expert will do a full assessment, which may include:

• Physical examination: Evaluating the appearance by its looks, mobility and level of comfort.
• Imaging tests: X-ray, CT scan or MRI test may be done to identify the injury like fracture and sprain.

Treatment

Closed reduction: This treatment involves a medical expert moving the humerus bone back into the socket. For pain relief and muscular relaxation, sedation or anesthesia may be necessary.

Immobilisation: To promote healing and avoid further dislocations, the shoulder may be immobilized for a few weeks after reduction using a sling or brace.

Surgery: It is a good option for those with persistent instability or suffered multiple shoulder dislocations. Undergoing shoulder dislocation surgery nowadays is very safe and effective. It also reduces the risk of re-injury in young athletes.

Medication: You’ll be given some pain relievers and muscle relaxants to provide comfort while you heal.

Rehabilitation: To restore strength, stability, and range of motion in the shoulder joint once the period of immobilization has passed, thorough rehabilitation is needed, including exercises and physical therapy.

Preventions

While certain shoulder dislocations cannot be prevented, there are some precautions that can lower the risk:

• Exercise to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder to enhance stability and prevent dislocation.
• Use proper equipment while performing an activity or playing a rigorous sport like shoulder pads or braces.
• Use correct techniques while exercising, playing sports or lifting a heavy weight. You should also warm up a little bit before doing the above-mentioned activities.

Key Takeaways!

A painful condition called shoulder dislocation can have a big influence on one's daily life and physical activity. To promote good healing and reduce the risk of repeated dislocations, prompt diagnosis and effective treatment are essential. People can take precautions to safeguard their shoulder joints and keep them in the best possible health by being aware of the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and preventive actions associated with shoulder dislocation. Remember to get immediate medical care if you think you might have a shoulder dislocation.

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