Dislocated shoulder

[fred515]

Dislocated my shoulder at work went to the doc after visit to ER two days ago. Doc said looks ok see you in six weeks. Wife is pissed that I did not get MRI. Doc said if it turns chronic then surgery would be next. Who has had this problem and your experience?

[phebus]

I had a dislocation/seperation. The dislocation shouldn't require surgery, unless like the doctor said, becomes chronic. Mine required surgery for the seperation, not the dislocation.

[GETSOME]

This happened at work i would ask for a an MRI. I have had 3 knee surgerys at 22 year of age lucky me. But with the first one i did not have a MRI. Went one year with my knee dislocating every other week before they finally got me a MRI to find out it was a torn ACL.
Just my .02 get a MRI and find out whats really wrong. If somthings torn get surgery asap. IF not then get a prescription for some physical Theraphy to gain muscle mass around the area so it does not happen again.

[Ion]

Dislocated shoulder playing rugby in college. It kept dislocating to the point where it came out pretty routinely. Probably didn't help that I continued playing. Finally had to have reconstruction of rotator cuff and screw to tie together bone chips. 24 years later, the repaired shoulder is still in good shape! If you can avoid doing activities that would cause it to pop out, it will heal by itself. Hopefully you don't have a job that requires frequent use of that arm!

[AirtimeLavey]

Separated my shoulder 2 yrs. ago after putting a Harley down. It was a grade 3 or less (if I can remember correctly), so I was advised not to do surgery. It's fine now, although I did p.t. in the recovery and still workout, play b-ball, golf etc. You should find out for sure what you're dealing with, otherwise it can bother/hinder you for the rest of your life. A little knowledge now, will help a ton later.
Good luck.

[moneypit]

On my patients, I will do a set of x-rays first to rule out fracture of the humoral head. If its normal, I wont order an MRI. Yes, if it does become chronic, I would order an arthrogram.
Plain MRI's of the shoulder dont show up as well as an arthrogram. Alot of small tears can be missed. Depending on the severity of the dislocation, I would stabilize the joint for a few weeks, then start range of motion exercises.
.

[Havasu47]

I severely dislocated my shoulder one year ago at Glamis (big surprise). My shoulder was almost 6" below where it was supposed to be. Had to be put to sleep to get it in. My Orthopedic (sports) guy did xrays and ordered a "gun slinger" sling. It help my forearm and hand out as if I was going to shake your hand with my elbow at my side. I wore it religiously except in the shower, for 6 weeks. I did therapy and it has been 100%. I was told that there were many tears and that surgery was not the best solution for healing. I am a big belever in the sling I wore. My range of motion after getting off the sling was terrible and now it is 100%. Talk to your Dr. about this type of sling. It holds the joint together in a better position.
Just a little FYI.
Good Luck and let it heal.

[ahhell]

On my patients, I will do a set of x-rays first to rule out fracture of the humoral head. If its normal, I wont order an MRI. Yes, if it does become chronic, I would order an arthrogram.
Plain MRI's of the shoulder dont show up as well as an arthrogram. Alot of small tears can be missed. Depending on the severity of the dislocation, I would stabilize the joint for a few weeks, then start range of motion exercises.
.
MP, next time order a MRI arthrogram...those show the tears in the capsule like no other, also show small tears in the ligaments that the contrast sneaks into
just another .02

[moneypit]

MP, next time order a MRI arthrogram...those show the tears in the capsule like no other, also show small tears in the ligaments that the contrast sneaks into
just another .02
thats what i meant and is exactly why I use them. Good stuff!

[YeLLowBoaT]

I dislocate my right shoulder about every 6 months or so... I know what your going thru, I hope every turns out alright for you.
I am not going to have th surgery( talked with 5 Diffrent DRs all of them told me "its not worth it" every case is diffrent)

[fred515]

Thanks for all the info. I am not real concerned about the MRI. I will see how this heals and if it happens again then I will look into it further.
I was planning on takeing our new boat out that my have to wait a few weeks. Thanks again for all the info.

[Racer277]

I severely dislocated my shoulder one year ago at Glamis (big surprise). My shoulder was almost 6" below where it was supposed to be. Had to be put to sleep to get it in.
Did that at Hollister about 15 years ago.
They said I told the nurse I loved her when they finally got it back in. :rolleyes:
It still bugs me occasionally, enough to wake me from sleep if I roll over wrong...

[XTRM22]

I dislocated my shoulder in a kinda freak weight lifting accident (trying to prove I was still a kid). The xrays and Er doc never caught the additional problem, The dislocation was actually the result of complete tear of the pectoral muscle away form the bone. Realized it 2 weeks later when the swelling left the shoulder and I had no strength on the left side. On a side note if I flexed my pectoral muscle it would ball up into a about a 34 D on the left side. Three big anchors and some piano wire to tie it all back to gather, and I'm probably 90%. Good luck with it.
CHuck