Dislocating or subluxing your shoulder can be a traumatic incident, and it can be hard to know what to do next. As a result, it’s best to book in with a physiotherapist as soon as possible.
Your shoulder is made up of a ball (the top of the arm bone) and a socket (the end of the shoulder blade). However, when the ball is pushed to the edge of the socket but returns to it’s rightful position, we call this a subluxation. In contrast, when the ball is pushed over the edge of the socket and is out of the socket, we call this a dislocation.
It is common for there to be damage to the ligaments and labrum of the shoulder when a dislocation occurs. Furthermore, parts of the bony ball or socket can even be chipped off. Following this, if there are damage to these structures, it can change the type of treatment your shoulder requires. For this reason, we recommend to obtain an X-Ray and sometimes an MRI after a shoulder dislocation.
If there is damage to the ligaments and labrum, and the shoulder is quite unstable, this may require surgery to repair. However, you will not always require surgery if the dislocation was small, there is no extensive damage and the shoulder remains strong and stable.
Whether you have surgery or not, our main priority will be to get your shoulder feeling stable again. We will do this through careful and specific strength and control exercises. The aim of these exercises is to leave you feeling confident to return to your sport and daily life.
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