Dislocated Shoulder Health Video

A dislocated shoulder involves movement of the ball of the humerus away from the ball and socket joint. Learn how to diagnose and treat a dislocated shoulder in this medical video.

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Found in contact sports
Go to emergency room
Treat with physical therapy

About this Author

Christopher O'Grady, M.D. is a board certified orthopedic surgeon who treats musculoskeletal conditions resulting from injury, overuse and arthritis. He has a special interest in arthroscopy, and has served as an instructor in arthroscopic surgery at multiple national orthopedic conferences. O'Grady earned his undergraduate degree in physics at Georgetown University, and then continued his studies in Washington, D.C. when he earned a seat at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. After receiving his Doctor of Medicine in 1997, O'Grady went on to complete his orthopedic training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Long Island, NY. He completed his internship and residency in Orthopedic Surgery at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. After completing his residency, the United States Navy assigned O'Grady to the Pensacola Naval Hospital where he proudly served as an active duty orthopedic surgeon for four years.

DR. CRIS O'GRADY: A dislocated shoulder occurs when the ball of the humerus is dislocated or moved away from the cup of the ball and socket joint. Ninety-five percent of the time, it will come out anteriorly when an individual's arm is forcefully pushed backwards and rotated in such a way that the ligaments in the front of their shoulder tear and the ball will pop out the front of the shoulder. This is a very common injury seen in contact sports. It is typically seen in football players, gymnasts, but can be seen really in any athlete who has an injury which may cause their arm to be put into that position. The treatment for these injuries is differing depending on the individual, depending on the number of times their shoulder has come out, and depending on what their future activity is. It even depends on their age. First time dislocators who are young have a much higher rate of redislocation. Somebody who is much older may fall just once dislocate their shoulder and be able to be treated nonsurgically and do a physical therapy and have a very good outcome. A young athlete involved in a contact sport is very likely to have problems redislocating and is more than likely going to require a surgery. The majority of these injuries now can be treated arthroscopically through small incisions and have very excellent outcomes. Typical recovery times from a dislocated shoulder will vary depending on the decision for treatment. You can have somebody who is treated with therapy can return to their sport in season as quickly as 10 days to 2 weeks; however, that individual must be warned that they have a chance of redislocation. If the decision is made to operate on somebody who has a dislocated shoulder, even if it's done arthroscopically, the recovery times, the minimum are going to be four to six months longer to get back to contact sports.