Dislocated shoulder
The shoulder joint is the most commonly dislocated joint in the body, the primary reason for this is that is it also the most mobile joint in the body. More movement means more opportunity to move too far and dislocate. Shoulder dislocation can occur forward (anterior dislocation – 95% of all dislocations), backwards (posterior dislocation) or down (inferior dislocation). Shoulder dislocation can be described as either of the following:
- Subluxation. Partial dislocation
- Dislocation. Implies a complete dislocation
Causes
The most common causes of a shoulder dislocation include:
- Sports injuries. Sports injuries in contact sports
- Trauma: Motor vehicle accidents, or just a hard blow to the shoulder.
Symptoms
The symptoms of a shoulder can include:
- Intense shoulder pain
- Restricted motion of the shoulder
- An alerted contour of the shoulder —squared-off appearance in anterior dislocations or anterior flattening in posterior dislocations.
- Shoulder bruising, hardness or associated fracture (25% of dislocations)
Treatment
The treatment for a shoulder dislocation will depend on the nature of and severity of the dislocation and any complicating factors such as a fracture. Chiropractic treatments are valuable in the recovery process.
Read more about shoulder conditions below
- Shoulder pain overview
- Rotator cuff tear
- Biceps tendon tear in shoulder
- Chronic shoulder instability
- The unstable painful shoulder
- The weak painful shoulder
- The stiff painful shoulder
- Shoulder impingement
- SLAP tears of the shoulder
- Arthritis of the shoulder
- Biceps tendinitis of the shoulder
