Shoulder dislocation: what is it and how can you treat it?

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Shoulder dislocation: what is it and how can you treat it?

Dislocated shoulders are one of the most common sports injuries, and they happen to almost every athlete at some point in their career. In fact, there’s a 15% chance that you’ll dislocate your shoulder at least once in your life. While it can be scary if you don’t know what to do about it, dislocations usually aren’t serious and can be treated quickly and easily, depending on how bad the injury is.

What is shoulder dislocation?

A shoulder dislocation happens when a bone in your shoulder pops out of its socket. You’ll often hear people refer to a shoulder separation, which means something slightly different (your bones aren’t actually popping out). Although dislocations usually happen when there's an injury to your rotator cuff, they're sometimes due to medical conditions like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. If you have diabetes or thyroid disease, you're also at higher risk of dislocation due to degeneration in your muscles and joints.

How does the injury occur?

Shoulder dislocations are classified by their location on your shoulder. Types of shoulder dislocations include anterior, posterior, superior, and inferior. Anterior shoulder dislocations account for approximately 80% of all dislocations. With an anterior shoulder dislocation, your arm is below your body's midline. The ligaments that connect your humerus (upper arm bone) to your scapula (shoulder blade) have torn due to trauma or a violent muscular contraction such as a punch. Without these ligaments holding them in place, your humerus ends up being pushed forward out of its socket on top of your clavicle (collarbone). In addition to those main types of shoulder dislocations there are different types within each classification. For example, there are 3 types of anterior shoulder dislocations: Bankart lesion, glenoid labrum tear, and rotator cuff tear. You should seek medical attention immediately if you suspect you've suffered a shoulder dislocation. Treatment will depend on where your injury falls in terms of severity but may involve surgery if complications arise from non-surgical treatment options.

What are the types of shoulder dislocations?

There are two types of shoulder dislocations—anterior and posterior. In an anterior shoulder dislocation, your humerus (upper arm bone) pops out from behind your shoulder blade; in a posterior shoulder dislocation, your humerus pops out in front of your shoulder blade. Both types can cause severe pain, make it difficult to move your arm or take a deep breath, and require immediate medical attention. If you suspect that you have suffered a shoulder dislocation, seek medical help immediately. Even if your symptoms aren't very severe (you may feel minor pain or discomfort), see a doctor right away because re-dislocating (or giving yourself another) a previously popped-out joint is fairly common.

How to prevent shoulder dislocations?

To help prevent shoulder dislocations, avoid heavy lifting. If you’re not sure if a lift is too heavy for you, try asking someone to spot you when lifting (or ask for assistance with lighter weights). Some shoulder dislocations happen without warning—even from something as small as slipping on some ice or being caught in a sudden gust of wind. To further reduce your risk of shoulder dislocation, protect your shoulders by using proper form when throwing a ball or moving heavy furniture.

If you’ve already experienced a shoulder dislocation, talk to your doctor. He or she will be able to tell if there’s an underlying problem in your shoulder that could lead to future dislocations. After talking with your doctor, focus on treating your condition through physical therapy (PT) if recommended by him or her. PT may include strengthening exercises as well as improving flexibility, balance and coordination of affected joints.

How does treatment work after a dislocated shoulder?

The shoulder joint, or glenohumeral joint, is designed to handle a lot of stress, but can be injured in several ways. Because of that nature, though, there are many different types of shoulder injuries. For example, an AC sprain involves damage to ligaments connecting your clavicle (collarbone) to your scapula (shoulder blade). With any injury, time off from activity and rest are important for recovery. To help speed up recovery time if you have sustained a shoulder injury—even one as simple as an AC sprain—you should seek out physical therapy treatment options.

Tips for recovery

Once your shoulder has been dislocated, there are a number of exercises that may help. The easiest would-be simple wrist circles, elbow circles, and shoulder circles. These are all performed with an injured arm—you don't want to put any pressure on it until after it's been treated by a medical professional. Other exercises include gently squeezing tennis balls or water bottles, lightly pulling on towels while lying down or sitting up in bed, gentle range-of-motion exercises if you're no longer in pain (like side-to-side arm movements), and using a resistance band for forearm curls. Be sure to contact your doctor before starting any exercise program!