Orthopedics Shoulder & Elbow Shoulder Conditions Print Shoulder Dislocation Symptoms and Treatment Medically reviewed by a board-certified physician Written by twitter linkedin Written by Jonathan Cluett, MD Dr. Jonathan Cluett is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with subspecialty training in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery. Learn about our editorial policy Jonathan Cluett, MD Updated on November 27, 2019 Science Photo Library / Getty Images More in Orthopedics Shoulder & Elbow Shoulder Conditions Elbow Conditions Treatment & Surgery Sprains & Strains Fractures & Broken Bones Physical Therapy Orthopedic Surgery Osteoporosis Pediatric Orthopedics Sports Injuries Hip & Knee Hand & Wrist Leg, Foot & Ankle Assistive Devices & Orthotics Medication & Injections View All A shoulder dislocation is an injury that occurs when the ball of the ball-and-socket shoulder joint is separated from its normal position. The ball comes out of the socket of the shoulder. When this occurs, the ball may stay out of the shoulder and need to be put back into place, or it can slide back into normal position on its own. How It Happens The shoulder joint is a ball-and-socket joint. The ball is on the top of the arm bone (the humerus), and this fits into a socket of the shoulder blade (the scapula) called the glenoid. The shoulder joint is incredible because it allows us to move our shoulder though an amazing arc of motion—no joint in the body allows more motion than the shoulder joint. Unfortunately, by allowing this wide range of motion, the shoulder is not as stable as other joints. Because of this, shoulder instability is not uncommon. A shoulder dislocation generally occurs after an injury such as a fall or a sports-related injury. About 95% of the time, when the shoulder dislocates, the top of the humerus is sitting in front of the shoulder blade—an anterior dislocation. In less than 5% of cases, the top of the humerus is behind the shoulder blade—a posterior dislocation. Posterior dislocations are unusual and seen after injuries such as electrocution or after a seizure. Dislocation or Separation? A shoulder dislocation is often confused with a shoulder separation, but these are two very different injuries. It is important to distinguish these two problems because the issues with management, treatment, and rehabilitation are different. A shoulder separation occurs when the collar bone loses contact with the shoulder blade. Often these words are confused, and the injuries, and more importantly the treatment implications, are very different. Symptoms Patients with a shoulder dislocation are usually in significant pain. They know something is wrong but may not know they have sustained a shoulder dislocation. Symptoms of shoulder dislocation include: Shoulder painArm held at the side, usually slightly away from the body with the forearm turned outwardLoss of the normal rounded contour of the shoulder muscleInability to move the position of the armSwelling of the shoulder Diagnosis of a shoulder dislocation is usually quite apparent just by talking to a patient and examining the joint. Patients must be examined to determine if there is any nerve or blood vessel damage. This should be done prior to repositioning the shoulder dislocation. X-rays should be obtained to check for any broken bone around the joint and to determine the location of the shoulder dislocation. Shoulder Dislocation Treatment There are a number of choices for treatment of a shoulder dislocation, but the most important step is to properly reposition the joint, called reducing the dislocation. Once the shoulder is back in position, appropriate treatment can be determined. The most significant decision is to determine if surgery is necessary to repair the damage in the shoulder. When the shoulder dislocated, something in the shoulder was damaged in order to allow the shoulder to come out of position. Repairing that damage may help prevent repeat dislocations of the shoulder. Your doctor can help you determine the best treatment for your situation. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Dealing with joint pain can cause major disruptions to your day. Sign up and learn how to better take care of your body. Click below and just hit send! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial policy to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Lintner SA, Speer KP. Traumatic anterior glenohumeral instability: the role of arthroscopy. J Am Acad Orthop Surg October 1997;5:233-39. Continue Reading