Dislocated Shoulder/Shoulder Instability: Risk Factors & Treatment Options

The shoulder is one of the most versatile joints in the human body. The mobility in the shoulder allows people to perform many tasks with a wide range of movement. Unfortunately, this mobility comes at a price, in that the shoulder is an easy joint to dislocate. A shoulder dislocation is an injury occurring when the humerus (arm bone) loses contact with the scapula (shoulder blade). There are two types of shoulder instability:

• traumatic
• atraumatic

Traumatic instability occurs when an injury to the shoulder causes recurrent dislocations. Atraumatic instability is when the patient has a general looseness in the joint that eventually causes the shoulder to become unstable.

Sometimes there is confusion between a shoulder dislocation and a shoulder separation or AC joint separation. The treatments for these types of injuries differ greatly. There is information available about AC joint separation on this website. Please refer to the article AC Joint Separation: Symptoms & Treatment Options.

Risk Factors
Typically, a shoulder dislocation occurs from a fall, motor vehicle accident or sports injury. It is most common in young, athletic people. Sustaining this type of injury during the teenage years increases the chance of a recurrent instability injury by 70%. Conversely, if the first dislocation occurs in a patient over 40, there is a 10% risk of developing chronic instability.

Symptoms
The main symptom of a dislocated shoulder is significant pain, but frequently the patient does not know what is wrong. Symptoms of shoulder dislocation are:

• Shoulder pain
• Pain holding an arm at the side, usually slightly away from the body with the forearm turned outward
• Loss of the normal rounded contour of the deltoid muscle
• Swelling
• Numbness
• Bruising
• Weakness

Diagnosis & Treatment
Diagnosis is fairly simple for a shoulder dislocation. The injury is usually apparent to the doctor by talking to the patient and examining their joint. Patients should also be checked to ensure no damage to the nerves or blood vessels has occurred. Finally, x-rays are used to check for any possible fracture around the joint and to determine the pattern of the shoulder dislocation.

The treatment for a shoulder dislocation, called a closed reduction, is relatively straightforward. The doctor manually places the ball of the humerus (upper arm bone) back into the joint socket where it belongs. The most severe pain associated with this type of injury is usually relieved once the dislocation is repaired.

Treatment following the closed reduction is normally immobilization of the shoulder in a sling and patient rest. Patients often ice the shoulder three to four times per day to reduce pain and swelling. Later, rehabilitation will begin to restore the range of motion and strengthen the muscles. Toning exercises and weight training are also beneficial in preventing further injury.

If dislocation becomes a chronic condition, surgery may be necessary to repair the stretched ligaments that hold the joint in place. This is common in young athletes and can occur with any type of shoulder dislocation.

If you or a loved one is suffering from a shoulder injury due to the negligence of another, you can find answers to many of your questions on this website. You can also use our “just ask” section to send us your question or our live chat for immediate response. For more information, download our FREE book, 10 Essential Steps You Must Take to Protect Your Personal Injury Claim.

For more information on these topics please contact Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys by calling (816) 471-5111. Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys has over 15 years of experience handling serious injury claims, including many shoulder injury cases, and any questions will gladly be answered.

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