When your shoulder pops out, it is typically rather obvious. You will have significant pain that will make you stop whatever it was you were doing. Your arm may feel numb and you won’t be able to move it. Your shoulder may even look deformed.
There are basically two terms for your shoulder popping out. One is dislocation, where the head of the humerus bone, which is the long bone in your upper arm, pops out of the shoulder socket. The other is subluxation, where the shoulder comes out partially or temporarily. Treatment depends on what kind of damage has been done.
Dislocation
The first thing to do when you believe you have a shoulder dislocation is to immobilize your shoulder. This can be done with a sling or with a wrap. Padding should be applied to the shoulder and the arm should be held close to the body with triangular, folded bandages. Have someone make sure that it’s not too tight by checking your pulse. Then, you’ll need to see an orthopedic doctor to determine whether surgery is needed or not.
Once in the doctors’ care, he or she will check to see if there are any other injuries. He or she will then put your shoulder back in place. This will be done under an anesthetic or sedation. After this is done, the doctor will prescribe pain medication like ibuprofen or another NSAID.
If you don’t need surgery, your arm will be immobilized for a short period of time and physical therapy may be appropriate. If you do need to have surgery, your shoulder and arm will still need to be immobilized for about two-to-three weeks and you’ll still be referred to a physical therapist. If the ligaments have been torn, it will take some time for them to heal.
When you first see a physical therapist, he or she will recommend therapies like electrotherapy to reduce the inflammation in your shoulder. The therapist might also perform soft tissue massage to help with your pain and suggest exercises that you can do even when your arm is immobile, like shoulder dumps and lawnmowers. The therapist might even recommend bicycling while you’re still wearing your sling.
If the therapy goes well, you’ll be able to perform a full range of motion for your shoulder without pain. The therapist may still have you do exercises like medicine ball chest throws and weight lifting.
