Recovery Time From an Dislocated Shoulder Operation

A dislocated shoulder occurs when your upper arm bone is somehow jarred out of your shoulder blade. Of all the major joints in the body, the National Institute of Health maintains that the shoulder joint is most likely to become dislocated. When a shoulder repeatedly dislocates, it is defined as shoulder instability. The expected recovery time for a dislocated shoulder will vary depending on a number of factors such as the severity of the dislocation and whether surgery was required.

Causes

• The NIH says a shoulder usually becomes dislocated when a backward force on the arm wrenches the shoulder, catching the muscles off guard and leaving it ill-equipped to withstand the pull. In other cases an extreme rotation of the joint pops the ball of the humerus (the bone extending from the shoulder to the elbow). Since your dislocated joint might never be quite as solid as it was before, it may become vulnerable to periodic dislodging.

Symptoms

• The symptoms of a dislocated joint include severe pain that becomes even more intense if you attempt to use the joint. You may be able to spot a dislocated joint simply by looking at it since it is often discolored and malformed.

  There may also be bruising, swelling and restricted movement. If you think you have a dislocated shoulder, be sure to get medical help right away.

Treatment

• Dislocated shoulder treatment involves putting your shoulder bones back into place.
  Your doctor may attempt to use subtle movements to guide your shoulder bones back into position. This technique is referred to as closed reduction. Once the procedure is complete you should feel little if any pain.

  Your doctor will want to give your shoulder plenty of time to heal and may place it in a sling or splint for a period of weeks to prevent any movement in the joint.

Surgery

• In rare cases your doctor may not able to physically maneuver your dislocated shoulder bones back into place and surgical manipulation (open reduction) may be needed.

  The NIH says a newer procedure known as arthroscopic surgery is sometimes performed. It involves the insertion of a small scope (arthroscope) to view the inside of the joint. Although open reduction generally improves shoulder movement, it is common for patients to lose at least some degree of motion.

Recovery

• The length of time of recovery from a shoulder dislocation will depend on several things, including your overall health, age and the how severely the joint was injured.

  The general recovery time from a surgical procedure is six weeks. The majority of people regain complete shoulder function within four to 12 weeks following the dislocation.

Rehabilitation

• Once you are free of your shoulder sling or splint ,you'll slowly begin rehabilitative exercises aimed at strengthening and improving range of motion in your shoulder joint. The purpose of rehabilitation is to help you return to your previous physical endeavors at the earliest possible time without compromising the safety of your healing joint. Otherwise you run the risk of aggravating your injury.

  Be sure to closely follow your doctor's orders as you gradually begin to reuse your arm and shoulder.