Dislocated shoulder - aftercare

You most likely dislocated your shoulder from a sports injury or accident, such as a fall.

You have likely injured (stretched or torn) some of the muscles, tendons (tissues that connect muscle to bone), or ligaments (tissues that connect bone to bone) of the shoulder joint. All of these tissues help keep your arm in place.

Having a dislocated shoulder is very painful. It is very hard to move your arm. You may also have:

• Some swelling and bruising to your shoulder
• Numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arm, hand, or fingers

Surgery may or may not be needed after your dislocation. It depends on your age and how often your shoulder has been dislocated. You may also need surgery if you have a job in which you need to use your shoulder a lot or need to use it in order to be safe.

In the emergency room, your arm was placed back (relocated or reduced) into your shoulder socket.

• You likely received medicine to relax your muscles and block your pain.
• Afterward, your arm was placed in a shoulder immobilizer for it to heal.

You will have a greater chance of dislocating your shoulder again. With each injury, it takes less force to do this and can cause more damage to the bone and tissue around the shoulder.

If your shoulder continues to partly or fully dislocate in the future, you may need surgery to repair or tighten the ligaments that hold the bones in your shoulder joint together.

To reduce swelling:

• Put an ice pack on the area right after you injure it.
• Do not move your shoulder.
• Keep your arm close to your body.
• You can move your wrist and elbow while in the sling.
• Do not place rings on your fingers on the side of your dislocation until your health care provider tells you it is safe to do so.

For pain, you can use ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), or acetaminophen (Tylenol).

• Talk with your provider before using these medicines if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, or have had stomach ulcers or internal bleeding in the past.
• Do not take more than the amount recommended on the medicine bottle or by your provider.
• Do not give aspirin to children.

Your provider will:

• Tell you when and for how long to remove the shoulder immobilizer for short periods.
• Show you gentle exercises to help keep your shoulder from tightening or freezing up.

After your shoulder has healed for 2 to 4 weeks, you will be referred for physical therapy.

• A physical therapist will teach you exercises to stretch your shoulder. This will make sure that you have good shoulder movement.
• As you continue to heal, you will learn exercises to increase the strength of your shoulder muscles and ligaments.

Do not return to activities that place too much stress on your shoulder joint. Ask your provider first. These activities include most sports activities using your arms, gardening, heavy lifting, or even reaching above shoulder level. Motions such as reaching with your arm on the side and rotating to the back can make the shoulder more unstable.

Ask your provider when you can expect to return to your normal activities.

See an orthopedic specialist (orthopedic surgeon or sports medicine provider) in a week or less after your shoulder joint is put back into place. They will check the bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your shoulder.

Contact your provider if:

• You have swelling or pain in your shoulder, arm, or hand that becomes worse
• Your arm or hand turns purple
• You have a fever

Shoulder dislocation - aftercare; Shoulder subluxation - aftercare; Shoulder reduction - aftercare; Glenohumeral joint dislocation

Phillips BB. Recurrent dislocations. In: Azar FM, Beaty JH, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 47.

Smith JV. Shoulder dislocations. In: Fowler GC, ed. Pfenninger and Fowler's Procedures for Primary Care. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 174.

Thompson SR, Menzer H, Brockmeier SF. Anterior shoulder instability. In: Miller MD, Thompson SR, eds. DeLee, Drez, & Miller's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 40.

Updated by: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.