Tag: Shoulder

Shoulder dislocation is an injury of your upper arm bone coming out of the shoulder socket. It is quite a common orthopaedic injury. One of the most common shoulder joint dislocation symptoms is a sharp, sometimes unbearable pain and an immediate loss of movement and flexibility. Your shoulder can dislocate forwards, backwards or downwards. It can be either completely dislocated (upper arm bone entirely out of the shoulder socket) or partially dislocated (the arm bone being partly out of the socket). 

Your shoulder is one of the strongest joints in your body, so it will take quite a force to dislocate it. You might endure a shoulder dislocation due to a direct impact in sports, an accident, or even moving it too far beyond the flexibility (like twisting, pulling or swinging your arm too far).

So if there are any signs of your shoulder being dislocated, you might want to visit a hospital immediately. Delaying or not having proper care may result in significant joint damage that may leave you vulnerable to weakness, instability and similar dislocations in the future. 

Signs And Symptoms Of Shoulder Dislocation

Dislocation is a serious but one of the most common injuries related to the shoulder. An immediate symptom of almost any orthopaedic injury is pain. Other than pain, the symptoms you may experience are as follows:

• Not being able to bear even light weights on the affected shoulder
• Bruising, swelling and tenderness
• Muscle spasms
• Not being able to move the shoulder 
• Shoulder being visibly out of shape
• Weak and numb shoulder with a tingling sensation

If you experience these dislocated shoulder symptoms, you might want to consult the doctor immediately before it causes permanent damage to the surrounding muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels and nerves.

What Are The Next Steps?

Seek immediate medical attention if you have endured a partial or complete dislocation in your shoulder. Try not to move your shoulder joint and fabricate a rudimentary sling or brace out of a cloth or string to hold your arm and keep your shoulder immobile. Remember not to try putting the joint back into the socket, as you may make things even worse. It can induce further damage to your soft tissues. Instead, apply ice on the joint to reduce the swelling and pain until the doctor sees you. 

An X-ray may be performed to see the extent of dislocation and damage to your joint. According to that, the doctor will try and relocate the shoulder back in the socket. During the procedure, the doctor may administer local anaesthesia and muscle relaxers to ensure there is no pain and the process is as smooth as possible. 

The pain will be reduced (not completely alleviated) as soon as the shoulder is back in the socket. The doctor may consider surgery depending upon the extent of dislocation and damage to the surrounding soft tissues.

Recovery Options

Here are few recovery measures presented to you by the doctor in case of shoulder dislocation:

• Brace or sling: To keep it as immobile as possible, you may be prescribed a brace or sling. It will result in a faster recovery, so you will be able to return to your daily activities with a full recovery well in time. 
• Rehabilitation: After your shoulder has recovered, the doctor may prescribe physiotherapy to get the movement ability and flexibility back.
• Rest and ice: You might want to stay off the exercises and other strenuous activities to prevent any additional load on the shoulder. Also, ice will help you alleviate a bit of the pain and swelling.
• Medications: OTC painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications may be prescribed after the procedure.

The doctor will recommend the medications and therapies according to the extent of damage endured by your shoulder.

Prevention Of Dislocations

Here are a few preventive techniques:

• Wear protective gear while playing sports or riding a motorcycle to prevent any accidents.
• Stretch properly before workouts and playing sports.
• Take proper rest until you make a full recovery.
• Perform strength and conditioning exercises.

If you have any questions or queries regarding shoulder dislocation and its symptoms, you might want to consider consulting with the experts at Germanten hospital. So book your appointment with us today!

WHY CHOOSE US?

Germanten Hospital has been one of India’s leading facilities for various medical treatments. Under insightful leadership, we have acquired excellence when it comes to treatments in neurology, plastic or cosmetic surgery, orthopaedics and reconstructive surgery. 

Dr. Mir Jawad Zar Khan has led our hospital to the forefront of the medical industry. He has experience of 20 years in orthopaedics. His alma mater is Osmania University, where Dr. Jawadachieved a gold medal for his excellence in education. He then completed advanced training in the USA and Germany. 

Dr. Jawad was awarded the “Best Doctor” by Shri Roshaiah Garu, the Former Gov. of Tamil Nadu and former CM of Andhra Pradesh. He was also felicitated with the Vaida Ratna Award in 2019 by Shri Etala Rajendra, the honourable health minister of Telangana. In addition to that, Germanten Hospital also received an award of “Best Orthopaedic Hospital In South India” from the Economic Times Group in 2021. 

We have gained access to state-of-the-art medical technology and the latest advanced equipment, which has proven to be quite beneficial for our patients. 

Common Shoulder Related Issues

Our shoulders are one of the most movable joints in our body. With the help of our shoulder, we can move our arms across the body, reach up and behind. The shoulder joint is mainly made of three bones – the humerus, the clavicle and the scapula. It is anchored by tendons, muscles and ligaments to hold it in a stable position. Since the ball of the upper arm is bigger than the socket holding it, the shoulder can be unstable and is prone to problems and injuries. There can be many reasons behind shoulder pains – strains, falls, blows, accidents, daily wear and tear, repetitive motion and medical conditions.

Some common shoulder injuries are-

1. Dislocations – When the top of the arm bone comes partially or completely out of the shoulder socket, it is called a shoulder dislocation.This can happen if the shoulder is hit hard or if there is a tear or a stretch in the ligaments that keep the shoulder bones stable.
2. Fractures – A crack or break in the bone is called a fracture. It can be along the bone’s length or across the bone. Shoulder fractures can occur from an impact such as a sports injury or an accident, in younger people.For older people, shoulder fractures can occur due to taking a fall. When someone has a shoulder fracture, they can face some difficulty moving their arm. They might also experience swelling or bruising around the shoulder.
3. Arthritis – When the cartilage between bones breaks down, the bones rub together causing wear and tear. This leads to pain and stiffness in the shoulder joint. This condition is called arthritis. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. Another type of arthritis called rheumatoid arthritis is a condition where the body’s immune system attacks the protective lining in the joints.
4. Strains and sprains – When the ligament gets pulled in the wrong way, it can get torn or stretched causing a sprain in the shoulder.
5. Tendinitis – When the rotator cuff tendons get inflamed and irritated, that condition is called tendinitis. Sometimes, when a certain activity is performed again and again, like golfing or pitching, or due to the usual wear and tear, small tears develop in the tendons. It might hurt when someone with tendinitis tries to lift their arms.
6. Separations – The acromioclavicular joint is the joint where the shoulder blade and collarbone come together. A hard blow to the shoulder or a fall can tear the ligaments that hold the AC joint together. When the collarbone pops out of the place, this injury is called separation.
7. Bursitis – When we move, our tendons slide over our bones. To make this easier, small sacs of fluid called bursae are present in our shoulders.When the shoulder joints are overused, the bursae become inflamed and swollen. This condition is called bursitis. It is painful to use the shoulders even for the most basic tasks.
8. Impingement – When the tendons of the rotator cuff get pinched in the shoulder’s bones, it is called impingement. It is painful and can cause swelling. This happens when the arms are lifted over the head a lot.
9. Cartilage tear – A tear in the cartilage also occurs when a certain motion is performed over and over again. It can also get hurt due to a fall or when the shoulder absorbs a great amount of force. When you feel like your shoulder is locking, catching or grinding, then you can suspect a tear in the cartilage.
10. Frozen shoulder – When adhesions (abnormal tissue bands) form in the joint, they don’t allow the shoulder to move freely. This can happen when due to some reason, you’re not able to move your shoulder. This
condition is called a frozen shoulder. The common symptoms of shoulder problems include swelling, inflammation,pain, stiffness and bruising.

Treatment

Depending upon the type of shoulder problem or injury, your doctor may use a sling, suggest rest, ice or heat and medicine for the pain, or surgery. When the injuries are severe, at-home treatments don’t work. At Germanten Hospital, we have a dedicated team of physicians, orthopaedic surgeons and physiotherapists, led by Dr Mir Jawad Khan, who is an expert in the diagnosis and surgical as well as non-surgical treatment of the shoulder. He has over two decades of experience in the field. To celebrate his achievements and effort, he has been felicitated with the title of Best Doctor by the ex-CM of Joint Andhra Pradesh & Former Governor Tamilnadu, Shri Roshaiah Garu in 2018. In 2019,he was honoured with the Vaida Ratna Award by the Honourable Health Minister of Telangana, Shree Etala Rajendra.

At Germanten Hospital, each operation theatre has a high-advanced laminar airflow for total infection control. With over 200 beds, Germanten Hospital has earned the title of Best Emerging Orthopaedic Hospital in India, awarded by the Times of India in 2019. It has also been named the Best Orthopedic Hospital in South India by the Economic Times 2021. We use our shoulders for the smallest movements, hence it is important to protect them.
● If a large part of your day involves working at a desk, then you need to ensure that your chair offers proper support for the back.
● Maintain a good posture.
● You should also take a break and move and stretch once every hour.
● Whenever you need to lift something heavy, the proper technique should be used. Instead of bending from your waist, you should bend your knees for the power and keep your back straight.
● If you need to reach for something heavy over your head, using a ladder or a stool is a better option to prevent any shoulder injuries.