What is a Shoulder Dislocation?
The shoulder includes the clavicle (collar bone), scapula (shoulder blade), and humerus (upper-arm bone). The rounded top of the humerus and the cup-like end of the scapula fit together like a ball and socket. A shoulder dislocation can occur with an injury such as when you “fall the wrong way” on your shoulder or outstretched arm, forcing the shoulder beyond its normal range of movement and causing the humerus to come out of the socket. A dislocation can result in damage to many parts of the shoulder, including the bones, the ligaments, the labrum (the ring of cartilage that surrounds the socket), and the muscles and tendons around the shoulder joint.
How Does it Feel?
With most shoulder dislocations, you will feel the humerus coming out of the socket, followed by:
Pain
Inability to move the arm
Awkward appearance of the shoulder
If you have any signs or symptoms of a nerve or blood vessel injury, seek immediate medical attention.
The humerus usually remains out of the socket until a physical therapist or other health care provider guides it back into place. X-rays are routinely taken after the dislocation is moved back into place to make sure you don’t have a fracture.
Occasionally, the shoulder may go back into place on its own. You might not even realize that you have dislocated your shoulder; you may only feel that you have injured it. If you have injured your shoulder and have pain, your physical therapist will review your health and injury history and conduct a physical examination.
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How Can a Physical Therapist Help?
After the dislocated humerus has been moved back into position, your arm will be placed in a sling to protect you from reinjury and to make your shoulder more comfortable. Your physical therapist will show you how to apply ice to control pain and inflammation.
Your therapist will guide the rehabilitation of your shoulder and, based on the results of the examination and your goals, select treatments such as:
Range- of-motion exercises. Swelling and pain can reduce your shoulder movement. Your physical therapist will teach you how to perform safe and effective exercises to restore full range of motion to your shoulder. In addition, the therapist might use a specialized technique called manual therapy to help you decrease pain in the shoulder.
Strengthening exercises. Based on how severe your injury is and where you are on the path to recovery, a physical therapist can determine which strengthening exercises are right for your shoulder. Poor strength of the shoulder muscles can result in the shoulder joint remaining unstable and possibly reinjuring.
Joint awareness and muscle re-training. Specialized exercises help your shoulder muscles re-learn how to respond to sudden forces. Your physical therapist will design these exercises to help you return to your normal activities.
Activity- or sport-specific training. Depending on the requirements of your job or the type of sports you play, you might need additional rehabilitation that is tailored for the demands your activities place on your shoulder. Your physical therapist can develop a program that takes all of these demands (as well as your specific injury) into account. For example, if you are an overhead thrower your physical therapist will guide you through a throwing progression and pay specific attention to your throwing mechanics.