Do You Have a Dislocated Shoulder? Learn 9 Facts About Shoulder Dislocations

Shoulder dislocations are quite common since the shoulder joint can move in so many different directions. When the bones in your shoulder come out of position, your shoulder becomes dislocated. Sometimes people suffer from a partial shoulder dislocation also known as subluxation.

There are many different things that can happen to cause a dislocated shoulder. Sometimes dislocated shoulders are caused by sports injuries involving some type of a serious fall or a hard hit.

If you are interested in learning more about shoulder dislocations, here are 9 facts to consider:

1. Traumatic dislocation of the shoulder that results in recurrent dislocations is a common orthopedic problem that orthopedic surgeons often treat.
2. The most common direction of a traumatic shoulder dislocation is anterior: this means that the shoulder dislocates out the front.
3. Eighty-five percent of the people that have a traumatic anterior dislocation will have a tear of their anterior inferior labrum.
4. Orthopedic surgery is typically recommended to fix the anterior inferior labral tear and tighten the stretched out capsule only after other non surgical treatment options have failed.
5. Most orthopedic surgeons will not recommend surgery after the first time a shoulder becomes dislocated.
6. Most studies recommend surgical stabilization if the shoulder has become repeatedly dislocated at least two or three times.
7. Common risk factors for recurrent shoulder dislocations that lead to surgical stabilization are: male gender, age under 20, and participation in contact sports like football, wrestling, ice hockey, and lacrosse.
8. Non-surgical treatment for a shoulder dislocation consists of sling immobilization for the first one to two weeks after the dislocation. This is typically followed by physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around the shoulder joint.
9. Surgical treatment for a dislocated shoulder is most commonly preformed as an outpatient procedure arthroscopically. Arthroscopic surgery is something a qualified orthopedic surgeon is prepared to do to restore stability to the shoulder. Typically during arthroscopic surgery for a disclocated shoulder, only three or four small incision sites are made. The orthopedic surgeon will use a high definition video camera through insertion into the shoulder joint. The shoulder joint is projected on several monitors in the operating room. During athroscopy, the pathology is identified and surgically repaired.