Sports Medicine Treatment for Dislocated Shoulders

The shoulder joint, because it is a ball and socket joint, allows people to move their arms in various directions that other joints cannot do. However, the wide range of motion ball and socket joints provide comes with a price—the shoulder is more susceptible to dislocations.

A dislocated shoulder occurs when a person receives a hard blow or falls awkwardly on the shoulder. The hard blow or awkward fall causes the upper arm bone to be separated from the shoulder blade socket. It is easy to diagnose a dislocated shoulder as most cases exhibit a deformation of the shoulder area accompanied by pain when attempting to move the arm.

After sustaining a dislocated shoulder, a quick trip to a sports medicine clinic should be a priority. More often than not, the pain and swelling that accompany a dislocated shoulder intensifies with each passing minute after the injury occurs.

Upon arriving at the clinic, a sports medicine professional will then reposition the arm bone back into the shoulder blade socket. You may then be given some anti-inflammatory medication to reduce the swelling. You may also be asked to come back to the clinic for physical therapy if the dislocation is severe. Severe dislocations often damage the tissue in the shoulder, opening the door for more dislocations in the future.


Denver Orthopedic Surgeons and ACL Reconstruction

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a non-elastic fibrous band that connects the thigh bone to the leg, providing stability to the knee. In addition, the ACL prevents the shin bone and thigh bone from misaligning. Being such an important component of the human body, ACL is expected to be sturdy. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

According to studies, nearly 250,000 people in the United States tear their ACLs every year. Most of these ACL tears were sports-related. Although classified as a serious injury, ACL tears are no longer considered the career-ending injury it used to be because of advances in medical techniques and technology.

Adrian Peterson, the 2012 NFL MVP, is a prime example of how far orthopedics has come. Most athletes who have recovered from ACL tears needed at least a full year before regaining their pre-injury form. Peterson, on the other hand, needed only a few months and returned in time for the start of the 2012 season, eventually winning the MVP, and coming close to breaking the all-time single season rushing yards record.

However, people should not expect that Peterson’s recovery period is now the norm for ACL recovery. Different people recover at different ways and speeds (as evidenced by Derrick Rose’s return and Danilo Gallinari’s recovery). In fact, there are certain ACL tears that do not require reconstructive surgery to repair. For an accurate diagnosis and an effective recovery plan, consult an experienced orthopedic surgeon.