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Treatments for Shoulder Dislocation

A dislocated shoulder occurs when the upper arm bone pops out of the socket that is part of your shoulder blade. The injury is very painful, and medical attention should be sought immediately.

  1. Symptoms

    • Symptoms of a dislocated shoulder include a visibly out-of-place shoulder, intense pain, bruising, swelling and the inability to move the joint. You also may experience numbness and weakness in your neck and running down your arm.

    Diagnosis

    • Your doctor will order an X-ray after a physical examination of your shoulder. The X-ray will show the dislocation and any other broken bones or damage to your shoulder. An MRI will show any tissue damage around the shoulder joint. Electromyography will evaluate any nerve damage caused by a severe shoulder dislocation.

    Treatments

    • Your doctor will try maneuvers to put the shoulder back in its place. Depending on how severe the dislocation is, you may need a muscle relaxant or general anesthetic before your doctor tries to manipulate the shoulder. Severe pain should subside greatly after the shoulder is put back into place. You may need to wear a sling to immobilize your shoulder for several weeks. Pain relievers and muscle relaxants may be prescribed to help while you are healing. After the sling is removed, you will need to start rehabilitating your shoulder. Your doctor will recommend exercises to help strengthen and restore range of motion to your shoulder. Resume activity slowly, to avoid re-injuring your shoulder. Surgery may be needed if repositioning your shoulder does not work or if you have recurring shoulder dislocations because of a weak shoulder joint or ligaments.

    Home Treatment

    • Limit any heavy lifting or anything that may aggravate your shoulder until it is feeling better. Apply ice packs or a towel filled with ice cubes to your shoulder for 15 to 20 minutes three times a day to help reduce inflammation. After two or three days of ice packs, try applying heat to the shoulder with a heating pad or heat pack. The heat will relax the muscles around the shoulder. Heat applications should be limited to 20 minutes. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as Aleve and Motrin may help ease any pain. Do some gentle exercises on the shoulder several days after injury, to avoid stiff joints. Your doctor will provide you with shoulder stretches and exercises.

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