Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
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
Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffCauses of dislocations include:
- Sports injuries. Dislocations can occur in contact sports, such as football and hockey, and in sports that may involve falls, such as downhill skiing, gymnastics and volleyball. Basketball players and football players also commonly dislocate joints in their fingers and hands by accidentally striking the ball, the ground or another player.
- Trauma not related to sports. A hard blow to a joint during a motor vehicle accident is a common cause of dislocation.
- Falls. You may dislocate a joint during a fall.
References
- 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 Oct. 28, 2010.
- Hip dislocation. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00352. Accessed Oct. 28, 2010.
- Abate J. Dislocations and soft tissue injuries of the knee. In: Browner BD, et al. Skeletal Trauma: Basic Science, Management, and Reconstruction. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/224870070-2/0/1867/60.html?tocnode=56559976&fromURL=60.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2220-6..10055-6_2739. Accessed Nov. 1, 2010.
- Elbow dislocations and fracture-dislocations. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00029. Accessed Oct. 28, 2010.
- Micheo W, et al. Glenohumeral instability. In: Frontera WR, et al. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Musculoskeletal Disorders, Pain, and Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/224870070-4/0/1678/16.html?tocnode=55147626&fromURL=16.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4007-1..50015-8_189. Accessed Oct. 28, 2010.
- Handout on health: Sports injuries. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Sports_Injuries/default.asp. Accessed Oct. 28, 2010.
- Preventing falls among seniors. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/spotlite/falltips.htm. Accessed Oct. 28, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on