You’re out playing sports with your friends. It was supposed to be a friendly game. However, competition got the better of everyone, and you found yourself on the floor with all of your friends piled on top of you. As the last friend jumps on the pile, you hear your shoulder pop. The pain is jarring and intense. As your friends help you up, the movement in your shoulder causes you to jerk back with pain. The first question you ask yourself is if you have a dislocated shoulder.

This is a valid question. Your shoulder is extremely strong. It is able to hold up to a lot of weight and a lot of force. At the same time, it is one of the easiest joints on your body to dislocate. This is because the ball part of your joint is designed to sit shallowly in the socket.

When everything is working well, the fact that the ball part of your joint sits shallowly in the socket is a great thing. It gives your shoulder the flexibility to move in all sorts of directions, but at the same time, it means that your shoulder is not very stable. Couple this with the fact that it is easy to damage, stretch, or tear some of your supporting shoulder tissues, and it is easy to see why a dislocated shoulder happens more frequently than people realize.

It takes a little bit of time for a dislocated shoulder to heal. You should expect the healing process to last between 12 and 16 weeks. Shoulder dislocations happen with greater frequency in those who are highly flexible.

It’s usually pretty obvious when you dislocate your shoulder. First and foremost, you’re not able to move your arm, and the pain will be excruciating. When you look at your shoulder, it will look like a square as opposed to its natural round shape.

If you dislocated your shoulder, you need to see a medical professional. On television, we see a person dislocate their shoulder and pop it back themselves. That’s television, not the real world. In the real world, if you attempt to pop the joint back into place yourself, you could cause some serious damage to your nerves and blood vessels around the joint.

As you’re waiting for medical attention, try not to move your arm. The simple fact that you have a dislocated your shoulder means that your arm is not going to respond when you try to move it, but even attempting to move it can make the damage worse.

Take a pillow or something soft and put it in between your side and your arm. You want something to support your arm. You might also want to make a simple sling to hold your arm across your chest, bending your elbow at a right angle.

Dislocating your shoulder is a painful process. Thankfully, you can quickly and easily receive help for it. At the office of Albert R. Swafford, M.D., our board-certified doctor can help you heal your dislocated shoulder and get back to your life as quickly as possible. Contact us today to schedule a consultation or learn more.