Shoulder dislocation is the complete loss of contact between the articular surface of the head of the humerus and the articular surface of the glenoid. In other words, when the humerus leaves its usual location and moves normally forward, a shoulder dislocation occurs.
Main causes of shoulder dislocation
Shoulder dislocation is a typical pathology of young people and initially occurs due to trauma in the course of a sporting activity, although there are also cases of patients who suffer dislocations in everyday habitual movements.
Symptoms of shoulder dislocation
At the moment of dislocation, there is a lot of pain and it is impossible to move the arm. That is why, in patients with episodes of dislocation, it is not advisable to practice risky sports, since they may have unfortunate consequences. In patients who have already had several episodes of dislocation, the patient usually limits his or her own movement to avoid recurrence, which is very disabling for a young individual.
Treatment of shoulder dislocation
In an acute dislocation, the correct treatment is, after obtaining a correct imaging study by the traumatology specialist, reduction of the dislocation, usually by simple traction. When a recurrent dislocation occurs, then the treatment of choice is surgical, to prevent further dislocation.
Injuries can usually be corrected by minimally invasive techniques such as arthroscopy, but in more advanced stages, open surgical techniques are required using bone stops.
Consequences of a badly healed shoulder dislocation
Failure to treat this pathology in time can lead to an earlier deterioration of the joint (osteoarthritis) than in the general population, due to the repetitive trauma that occurs in each episode. In addition, the persistence of dislocations over time usually affects the patient’s quality of life by limiting most activities.