Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffYour shoulders are your body's most mobile joints. But the ability to move in many directions can leave your shoulders prone to injury.
A dislocated shoulder is an injury in which your upper arm bone pops out of the cup-shaped socket that's part of your shoulder blade. A dislocated shoulder is a more extensive injury than a separated shoulder, which involves damage to ligaments of the joint where the top of your shoulder blade meets the end of your collarbone.
If you suspect a dislocated shoulder, seek prompt medical attention. Most people regain full shoulder function within a few weeks after experiencing a dislocated shoulder. However, once you've had a dislocated shoulder your joint may become unstable and be prone to repeat dislocations.
- Sherman SC, et al. Shoulder dislocation and reduction. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 8, 2009.
- Ronai P. Exercise and shoulder pain. American College of Sports Medicine. http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Current_Comments1&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=11050. Accessed July 14, 2009.
- Uehara DT, et al. Injuries to the shoulder complex and humerus. In: Tintinalli JE, et al. Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide. 6th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2004. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=612479. Accessed July 14, 2009.
- Wang RY, et al. Management of the first-time shoulder dislocation in the athlete. In: Wilk KE, et al. The Athlete's Shoulder. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06701-3..50023-2&uniq=149671531&isbn=978-0-443-06701-3&sid=862689477#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06701-3..50023-2%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-0-443-06701-3. Accessed July 14, 2009.
- Dodson CC, et al. Anterior glenohumeral joint dislocations. Orthopedic Clinics of North America. 2008;39:507.
- Quillen DM, et al. Acute shoulder injuries. American Family Physician. 2004;70:1947.
- Questions and answers about shoulder problems. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Shoulder_Problems/default.asp. Accessed July 14, 2009.
