Shoulder Dislocation

Courtney King

Mr. DeJongh

Anatomy, Period 4

January 24, 2014

Dislocations, Signs & Symptoms, Diarthrosis

Dislocation: A dislocation occurs when an injury forces the end of a bone from the joint to which it is hinged.

Diarthrosis Joints: These are joints that permit free mobility, such as the hips, knees, shoulders, etc.

Cause: Dislocations typically follow an unbalanced or unexpected impact, such as a fall or collision with an object or other person.

Signs/symptoms: Most of the time, a dislocation can be seen after it has happened, as it will be strange in shape. The area of and around the joint will appear very swollen and will begin to bruise. This area may also look red/ discolored. The person with the dislocation will experience a great deal of pain, loss of motion, and possibly some numbness or tingling.

Treatment: Treatment of dislocations varies depending on its severity. For any dislocation a system called R.I.C.E (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation). Other treatments may be manipulation or repositioning, immobilization, medication and rehabilitation of the joint.

Example:

John and Bill are playing basketball when John trips over Bill’s foot. The two go tumbling to the ground. Bill lands on John’s shoulder, a diarthrosis joint, forcing his humorous out of place. John is in a serious amount of pain is complaining that he cannot move his shoulder. The area where the pain is radiating from is very red and swollen and appears to be disfigured. Bill rushes John to the emergency room where they learn that John’s shoulder is in fact dislocated. At first, the doctor used the R.I.C.E. system. Since the bone did not naturally reset, the doctor manually repositioned the bone. John was prescribed some medication for the pain and will be attending physical therapy for the next few weeks.