Dislocation can be really painful. A dislocation refers to an injury where bones are forced out from their normal positions due to reasons related to traumas – from a fall, accident or a collision during contact or high-speed sports.
Common dislocations in children occur at the elbow. In adults, the most common site of dislocation is the shoulder. Dislocation usually involves the body’s larger joints. Due of its position on the hand, the thumb is also one of the most vulnerable joints, if bent forcibly the wrong way.
Any dislocation injury will temporarily deform and immobilize your joint and may result in sudden and severe pain and swelling. It requires prompt medical attention to set the bones to their proper positions.
How to prevent dislocation
In most cases, after a fall or injury, the ligaments, capsule and labrum are damaged and are not equipped to restrain the humeral head in order to prevent dislocation. Dislocations can be prevented by taking few precautions:
- The rotator cuff muscles that surround the humeral head should be strengthened : Rotator cuff muscles (Subscapularis, Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus and Teres minor) - small muscles situated around the shoulder joint need to be exercised by using resistance bands.
- Wear protective gear when you play contact sports
- Exercise regularly to maintain strength and flexibility in your joints and muscles
- Surgical shoulder stabilization is sometimes necessary to repair torn or overstretched ligaments, repair Bankart lesions etc. and prevent a future shoulder dislocation.
With surgery, the chances of recurrent dislocation for all patients overall are about 5%. As a group, footballers have a slightly higher recurrence, but this is generally 10% or less.
Precautions in case of injury
- Once you have dislocated your shoulder joint, you may be more susceptible to future shoulder dislocations. To avoid a recurrence, follow the specific strength and stability exercises that you and your doctor have discussed for your injury.
- Do not delay medical care. Get medical help immediately
- Do not move the joint. Until you receive help, splint the affected joint into its fixed position. Do not try to move a dislocated joint or force it back into place. This can damage the joint and its surrounding muscles, ligaments, nerves or blood vessels.
- Put ice on the injured joint. This can help reduce swelling by controlling internal bleeding and the buildup of fluids in and around the injured joint.
Conclusion
Surgical shoulder stabilization as mentioned earlier is necessary for many patients who come to us so that overstretched ligaments are fortified to prevent future shoulder dislocation. For queries related to shoulder dislocation, you can get in touch <https://www.drmaheshreddy.com/contact/> with Dr. Mahesh Reddy, with clinical focus and expertise on shoulder dislocation in Bangalore.
