A shoulder dislocation is a separation of the joint where the bones meet. Dislocations are often caused by a sudden impact to the joint, usually following a fall or other trauma.
A dislocated bone is no longer in its normal position and can cause ligament or nerve damage. It can be hard to tell a dislocated bone from a broken bone, but both are emergency situations and require the same first-aid treatment.
Injuries to the surrounding ligaments generally take 3 to 6 weeks to heal and symptoms include:
- Visibly out-of-place, discolored, or misshapen
- Limited in movement
- Swollen or bruised
- Intensely painful, especially when putting weight on the area
Virtua's Sports Medicine Program offers comprehensive services for injury prevention, education, evaluation and advanced treatment of movement-related pain or injuries.
Virtua's Sports Medicine Program specializes in injuries to the knee, elbow, shoulder, hand and ankle. A variety of treatments are offered, including minimally-invasive techniques.
The program's three co-medical directors are board-certified orthopedic surgeons, fellowship-trained in sports medicine and specialize in the treatment and surgical management of sports medicine injuries. In addition, they treat activity-based pains and strains that keep patients from normal activities.