What is shoulder dislocation?
Shoulder dislocation occurs when the bone at the top of your arm, the head of the humerus, is forcibly pulled from the joint socket, or glenoid fossa, of the shoulder. The socket itself is quite shallow, so a supporting ring of cartilage called the Labrum helps create a deeper socket. Wrapped over this, around the head of the humerus, are the rotator cuff muscles that stabilise and facilitate movement. In the process of pulling free of the socket, the ligament and cartilage tissues connecting the joint are usually damaged. It is an extremely painful injury and will immediately inhibit all use of the affected arm. During dislocation, the head of the humerus bone can usually be seen bulging beneath the soft tissues, either poking forwards [anteriorly] or protruding backwards [posteriorly]. This injury is most often seen amongst people playing full contact sports.
What causes shoulder dislocation?
Because of the high degree of articulation, the shoulder joint is capable of dislocating in multiple different directions, resulting from varying degrees of force. The shoulder is the joint most prone to dislocation but it still requires a high force to occur. As you get older and muscles and connective tissue weakens and stretches, the risk of dislocation increases.
Above: Our physiotherapist providing treatment for shoulder dislocationThe vast majority of shoulder dislocations occur anteriorly, towards the front. One mechanism of injury requires the arm to be raised high with the elbow bent. A large force from either a fall or direct impact on the elbow acts to lever the head of humerus out of the socket.
How is shoulder dislocation diagnosed?
If you are experiencing pain in your shoulder and can perceive obvious deformation of the normal lines and appearance of the shoulder joint you may have dislocated your shoulder and should immediately seek medical attention from a doctor. Following a brief subjective examination to establish how the injury occurred, a gentle physical examination will confirm the type of dislocation. The doctor will then relocate the head of humerus back into place, often under anaesthetic.
Once the shoulder is intact it will be x-rayed to ensure the bone is properly sited and that there is no further damage such as fractures present. Early rehabilitation is important but will be limited for the first six weeks will tissues initially heal.
Above: Dislocation of the shoulder can leave the joint prone to further injury without effective treatment.For more information about physiotherapy for shoulder problems, or to book an appointment please email office@liverpoolphysio.co.uk or ring us on 0151 558 0077 .
What are the symptoms of a shoulder dislocation?
The severity of your symptoms will vary depending on the type of dislocation, method of injury and what connective tissues have been damaged. Typical symptoms for shoulder dislocation include;
- Pain, extreme in nature and with sudden onset at the time of injury.
- Swelling, deep in the soft tissues, can be difficult to detect.
- Tenderness, when pressed over the site of injury.
- Discolouration that may deepen to bruising.
- Weakness in the arm due to overstretched or damaged muscle tissue.
- Altered sensation, tingling or numbness may indicate nerve impingement or damage.
What would Physiotherapy assessment for a shoulder dislocation involve?
If you book in for an appointment, the first session would be spent doing a comprehensive assessment before deciding on an appropriate treatment plan. Our physiotherapists at Liverpool Physio will divide this into two parts:
Subjective
A discussion between you and our physiotherapist to find out where in your shoulder the pain is, how long it has been there, what activities aggravate and ease your symptoms and how your injury is affecting you and your lifestyle.
Objective
An assessment of your pain, range of movement, muscle strength and a series of special tests to rule out other possible conditions.
What would Physiotherapy treatment for a shoulder dislocation involve?
The experienced physiotherapists at Liverpool Physio can help manage painful symptoms and minimise the loss of flexibility and strength in the affected shoulder whilst the soft tissues heal. A sling is usually used to rest the joint by taking the weight of the arm off the joint. After several weeks once the sling is no longer required you physiotherapist can develop a rehabilitation programme to gradually restore mobility and strength to the shoulder. Facilitating your safe return to normal activity and sports participation. Some of the treatments used to treat a recovering shoulder dislocation include;
- Ice therapy, alleviate pain and reduce swelling.
- Heat treatments, to reduce pain and increase circulation for improved recovery.
- Advice on the use of slings and other supportive aids.
- Gentle mobility exercises to maintain range of motion in early stages of healing.
- Stretching exercises to restore muscle length and connective tissue flexibility.
- Gently progressive muscle strengthening exercises to improve joint stability.
- Targeted functional exercises to gradually return to normal activities and sports.
- Activity modification advice to reduce risk of re-injury during recovery of in the future.
Throughout your treatment sessions the physiotherapist will ensure you receive focused treatment that will achieve your personal rehabilitation goals.
For more information about physiotherapy for shoulder dislocation, or to book an appointment please call 0151 558 0077 .
How can I arrange a physiotherapy assessment for a shoulder dislocation?
If you are experiencing intense pain, deformation, swelling and stiffness around your shoulder, and feel unable to functionally move your arm, you may have a dislocated shoulder and should see a doctor. Following the initial setting of the dislocation you would benefit from an assessment with one of our experienced physiotherapists at Liverpool Physio.
You can contact us directly to arrange an assessment and we can advise you what further treatment is recommended. To arrange an appointment please email office@liverpoolphysio.co.uk or call 0151 558 0077 .
Summary
Shoulder dislocation is a very painful injury that will require immediate attention. Once a doctor has relocated the arm back into the socket your physiotherapist can begin a tailored programme of maintenance to minimise the pain the risk of further damage. Then advancing to a rehabilitation programme that will stabilise and strengthen the shoulder to facilitate your return to normal functional activities.
At Liverpool Physio we want to ensure you get the best treatment for your condition and we will use pain relief techniques, mobilisations, strengthening exercises and functional activity exercises to help you achieve the best possible recovery.
For more information about physiotherapy for shoulder problems, or to book an appointment please email office@liverpoolphysio.co.uk or ring us on 0151 558 0077 .
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