Living With Healthy Hunger Health Blog
Often overlooked, yet extremely painful, a dislocated shoulder can be an excruciating injury. A dislocated shoulder happens when the upper arm bone dislodges or pops out of the cup-shaped socket within the shoulder. The shoulder is known as the most mobile joint within the human body, this makes it susceptible to injuries such as shoulder dislocation.
Shoulder injuries, such as dislocation, can have many symptoms. However, because these symptoms are so similar to other shoulder injuries, they are often confused for one another. The most common symptoms associated with a shoulder dislocation are:
- A shoulder that is visibly out-of-place or deformed.
- Bruising and swelling of the shoulder area.
- Inability to lift or move the arms or shoulder.
- Physical pain in the shoulder location.
Additionally, less common symptoms, include numbness, weakness, and tingling of the arms or neck. Many times, the muscle in the arms or shoulder experience spasms as well. Take a look at Wikipedia for more information on shoulder dislocation, and images relating to a dislocated shoulder.
What Causes a Dislocated Shoulder?
Often times dislocated shoulders are the result of an injury occurring while participating in a sport. However, there are other causes that can cause a shoulder to dislocate. Many times, people who are in a car accident suffer from the dislocation of the shoulder. Other activities that cause trauma to the body can also result in a shoulder injury like a dislocation, these include falls or any sudden blow from a hard force. According to Medline, seizures are often a cause for a dislocated shoulder. This is due to the sudden forceful spasms in the body. These spasms can pull a person’s shoulder out of place.
What are my Treatment Options?
To confirm that a shoulder is dislocated in a patient, a doctor will be required to order a physical exam of the shoulder. X-rays and an MRI will also be given to ensure the proper diagnoses. Once diagnosed, your doctor will go over a few of the treatment options available. Typically, surgery is the last option. When surgery must be utilized it is often because of serious injury or multiple injuries to the area. For those who have had several injuries, and who are wondering how long their recovery will last, try searching for dislocated shoulder surgery recovery time in your search engine to obtain further information.
Some treatment alternatives to surgery include:
- Closed Reduction
- Wearing a Sling
- Rehabilitation
Closed reduction refers to the use of gentle hand techniques to guide the dislocated shoulder back into the socket. If there is significant pain and swelling in the area, a doctor may choose to utilize a mild sedative. Wearing a sling comes after the shoulder has been placed into the socket. This ensures that the shoulder stays where it should. Rehabilitation refers to techniques used to strengthen the muscles and improve the range of motion to the shoulder. Once the pain and swelling have subsided, you are done with rehabilitation.
