A shoulder dislocation occurs when the ball-shaped head of the upper arm bone (Humerus) is forced out of its socket.
The injury is often seen in motor vehicle accidents and sports-related injuries. This injury will include fractures, torn tissue and stretching of muscles causing extreme pain.
Treatments
The treatment for a shoulder dislocation is referred to “reducing” or shifting the bone back into its socket. There are two ways to execute this maneuver.
- Intravenous Sedation - In most common cases the patient is given Intravenous (IV) anesthesia to help reduce pain and make the patient unconscious for a short time. While the patient is under sedation, the physician will manually put the dislocated shoulder back into position.
- Local Injection - In some cases your physician may opt to inject Novocain into the joint instead of putting the patient “under.” In this method the patient may be able to leave the care of the physician sooner as there is no additional time needed for traditional anesthetic to wear off.
Follow up
After a dislocated shoulder is replaced, there will need to be follow-up X-rays and examination to confirm there is no long-term damage and shoulder instability.
Preventive tip
Strengthen wrists and arm, shoulder, neck and back muscles to help protect and decrease stress on your shoulders. Do stretching and range-of-motion exercises for your arms and shoulders. All of this can help prevent shoulder-related problems and injury.
