Dislocated Shoulder - How It Can Be Treated?

Have you met with an accident recently and ended up with a dislocated shoulder? In this form of injury, a blow or any kind of injury causes the top portion of your arm bone to come off your shoulder socket. In extreme cases of a dislocated shoulder, the nerves and tissues surrounding your shoulder are damaged. If you experience a dislocated shoulder frequently, it may lead to chronic weakness and instability.

Treatment
It is important for you to treat a dislocated shoulder right after it is experienced. Your arm bone needs to be moved back into your shoulder socket. As the dislocated joint starts swelling up even more and causes more pain, immediate treatment is necessary. After the arm bone is placed back into the socket, pain gets relieved to some extent. After the repositioning of the shoulder bone, you need to apply certain treatment measures.

They are as follows:

1. Apply ice to your shoulder for reducing the swelling and pain. You need to do this every day for 20 to 30 minutes. Carry out this therapy for around 3 days and repeat it after every four hours in a day.
2. You should use a shoulder immobiliser or a sling in order to prevent any further injury until medical treatment is received.
3. You may take certain painkiller medicines. These may include NSAIDS or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They help in dealing with the pain and swelling associated with your dislocated shoulder. However, these medicines are associated with some side effects. You should not take such medications for extended periods without consulting your doctor.
4. You need to carry out various strengthening exercises, along with stretching.
5. In major cases, the above-mentioned treatment measures bear success and deal with your dislocated shoulder and its symptoms. In some intense cases, a surgery may be required.
6. Sometimes, a surgery a for dislocated shoulder is required in order to repair your torn ligament. After such a surgery, you will be required to keep your arm hanging in a sling for around two months.
7. In some severe and extreme cases of a dislocated shoulder, a surgery is carried out for correcting the position of your bones. In cases of recurring dislocated shoulder, a surgery for tightening the tendons surrounding your joints is essential.

The rate of recovery from a dislocated shoulder depends upon the seriousness of the injury. A dislocated shoulder may require a time of 3 weeks to 12 weeks for recovery and the recovery rate varies from person to person. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Orthopedist.