Shoulder Dislocations

The shoulder is an amazing joint that must allow an incredible amount of motion , but remain stable or in the socket during this motion. The humeral head sits in the smaller glenoid or socket. Unfortunately, shoulder dislocations are extremely common in active and athletic populations. The shoulder joint is similar to a golf ball in a golf tee. The shoulder stability depends on the bone, the capsule, and the rotator cuff.

The person usually suffers a fall or event that causes extreme pain and inability to use their injured arm. They are seen and evaluated in the emergency room and the diagnosis is made by exam and -xray. The shoulder is then reduced immediately. Follow up should be scheduled with your sports medicine or shoulder specialist. The injury can cause damage to the bone, the capsule, or the labrum. You physician may order a MRI with a contrast injection into your shoulder to define the injury.

The individual treatment needs to be developed for each patient. Some patients will be treated with a sling for 4 weeks, followed by progressive rehabilitation and return to activity. This usually takes 3-5 months. The chance the shoulder will dislocate again is very high (60-90%).

The other option for treatment is arthroscopic repair of the injury. This treatment is typically an outpatient surgery which repairs the capsule and labral injury with excellent success (80-92%) or return to pre-injury level. The recovery time is 4-5 months with a very low recurrence of dislocation. The surgery’s success depends on the initial injury, the surgeons experience and skill, and focused rehab.

Some shoulder injuries following dislocation require an open repair. This is very uncommon, but your specialist should provide you with this possibility after your exam and imaging (x-ray and/or MRI).

Advanced Orthopedics Sports Medicine Centers has 4 fellowship trained sports medicine/shoulder specialist. The 3 Orthopaedist have performed hundreds of shoulder stabilization procedures with excellent results. We value are commitment to expertise, knowledge, and commitment to patient care.