Dislocated shoulder: symptoms, causes, treatment and which doctor to see
What happens when a shoulder dislocates, what to do and not do straight away, how it is put back and rehabilitated, and when surgery is considered.
Also known as: Shoulder Dislocation
What a dislocated shoulder is
The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint. The rounded top of the upper arm bone (the ball) sits in a shallow cup on the shoulder blade (the socket), held there by a rim of cartilage, the joint capsule, ligaments and the surrounding muscles. Because the socket is so shallow, the shoulder can move in almost every direction — and that same freedom makes it the joint that dislocates most often.
A dislocation means the ball has come out of the socket. In a partial dislocation (subluxation) it slips part of the way out and often pops back by itself. In a full dislocation it comes right out and stays out until it is put back. Most dislocations are forwards and downwards (anterior). Backward (posterior) dislocations are less common and can be missed; they are classically linked to seizures or electric shocks, though falls can cause them too.
The injury often stretches or tears the tissues that hold the joint stable, and sometimes chips the bone or injures a nerve or blood vessel. That is why a dislocated shoulder needs proper assessment, not just a quick push back into place.
Symptoms
A dislocation is usually obvious and very painful. Typical signs are:
- Severe shoulder pain, often after a fall, tackle or twist
- The shoulder looks out of place or squared off, sometimes with a bulge at the front
- Trouble moving the arm; people often hold it close to the body with the other hand
- Swelling and bruising of the shoulder or upper arm
- Numbness, tingling or weakness in the arm, hand or fingers, or over the outer shoulder, which can mean a nerve has been stretched
- Muscle spasms around the shoulder, which add to the pain
A fracture of the upper arm or collarbone can look similar, and the two can happen together. Only an X-ray can tell them apart reliably.
Causes and who is at risk
- Sports injuries — cricket, kabaddi, football, wrestling, volleyball and gym work all involve falls or forceful arm movements
- Road traffic accidents, including two-wheeler falls, which are a common cause in Indian cities
- Falling on the shoulder or onto an outstretched hand
- Seizures and electric shocks, which cause strong muscle contractions that can pull the joint out of place
Young, active men have dislocations most often because of sport and accidents. Older adults, especially women, are also at risk because they are more likely to fall. Once a shoulder has dislocated, it is more likely to do so again, and young people are the group most likely to have repeat dislocations. People with naturally very flexible joints can also have shoulders that slip out with little force.
What to do straight away
- Keep the arm still in the position that is most comfortable, supported against the body with a sling, scarf or pillow
- Apply ice wrapped in a cloth to the shoulder to reduce pain and swelling
- Get to a hospital emergency department or an orthopaedic clinic promptly — the sooner it is put back, generally the easier it is
- Do not try to push or pull the joint back yourself, and do not let a friend or an untrained bone-setter force it; this can break the bone or damage nerves and blood vessels
- Do not eat or drink until a doctor has seen you, in case sedation or anaesthesia is needed
How it is diagnosed
The doctor will ask how the injury happened and do a physical examination, looking at the shape of the shoulder and checking the pulse, feeling and strength in the arm and hand to make sure nerves and blood vessels are working. Then:
- X-ray — confirms the dislocation and its direction, and shows any fracture; usually repeated after the joint is put back to check it is in place
- MRI — used later, especially in young people or after repeat dislocations, to look at the cartilage rim, ligaments and rotator cuff tendons
- CT scan — gives detail of bone loss or fractures around the socket, particularly when surgery is being planned
Treatment
Putting it back
The first step is a closed reduction: the doctor gently moves the ball back into the socket without an operation. You will usually be given pain relief and medicine to relax the muscles first, and sometimes sedation. Once the joint is back in place, the severe pain usually eases quickly. If it cannot be put back this way, or there is a significant fracture, a reduction under anaesthesia or surgery may be needed.
Rest and rehabilitation
After reduction you will usually wear a sling for a short period, from a few days to a few weeks depending on your age and the injury. Then physiotherapy begins: gentle exercises to restore movement, followed by strengthening of the rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles that help hold the joint in place. Doing the exercises consistently matters — they lower the chance of stiffness and of the shoulder dislocating again. Older adults are often encouraged to start moving earlier, because their shoulders stiffen more easily.
Surgery
Surgery may be advised if the shoulder keeps dislocating, if important tissues or nerves are damaged, if there is a significant fracture, or for some young athletes after a first dislocation because their risk of repeat dislocation is high. It is often done through keyhole (arthroscopic) surgery to reattach torn tissue; some people need open surgery or a bone procedure to rebuild the socket. Physiotherapy follows surgery too, and full return to contact sport takes several months.
Recovery and preventing it happening again
- Follow the sling and exercise plan your doctor and physiotherapist give you
- Avoid the position that caused the dislocation — usually the arm raised out to the side and turned backwards — until your physiotherapist says it is safe
- Return to sport, gym work and heavy lifting gradually, after your shoulder has regained strength and movement
- Wear a helmet and ride carefully on two-wheelers, and make homes safer for older relatives to reduce falls
- If seizures caused the dislocation, make sure the seizures themselves are being properly treated
Pain at the shoulder that continues after a dislocation, especially in people over 40, may mean a rotator cuff injury and should be checked.
When it is an emergency
Call 112 or 108, or go to the nearest emergency department, if:
- The shoulder has come out and has not gone back in
- The arm or hand is cold, pale, blue or numb, or you cannot move the fingers
- The injury happened in a road accident or a fall from a height, or there are other injuries
- The dislocation happened during a seizure or an electric shock
Which doctor to see
A fresh dislocation is usually put back by an emergency medicine doctor or an orthopaedic surgeon. Follow-up, scans and decisions about surgery are with an orthopaedic surgeon, ideally one who treats shoulder and sports injuries. A physiotherapist guides rehabilitation, which is as important as the reduction itself.
You can find orthopaedic surgeons in Bengaluru or physiotherapists in Bengaluru on The Doctor Index, each with a registration you can check.
Common questions
Questions people ask
- Can I put my dislocated shoulder back in myself?
- It is not advisable. Forcing the joint back without an X-ray and proper technique can break the bone or injure nerves and blood vessels. Support the arm and go to an emergency department or orthopaedic surgeon, even if it seems to go back on its own.
- How long does a dislocated shoulder take to heal?
- Pain eases quickly once the joint is back in place, but healing of the stretched tissues and recovery of strength take longer. Most people return to everyday activities in weeks and to contact sport after a few months, depending on age, injury and physiotherapy.
- Will my shoulder dislocate again?
- It may. Repeat dislocation is more likely in young, active people and in those who return to contact sport early. Doing the strengthening exercises consistently helps, and surgery can stabilise a shoulder that keeps dislocating.
- Is a dislocated shoulder the same as a separated shoulder?
- No. A dislocation is when the ball of the upper arm comes out of the shoulder socket. A separated shoulder is an injury to the joint between the collarbone and the top of the shoulder blade. Both are painful, but treatment differs.
This condition is usually assessed by an orthopaedic surgeon. Every profile shows the doctor’s registration and what has been checked.
Orthopaedic surgeons in Bangalore
A few orthopaedic surgeons listed on The Doctor Index. They are shown because of their speciality, not a stated interest in Dislocated Shoulder; ask the clinic whether the doctor sees it.
Related conditions
- Bursitis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Fractures
- Herniated Disk
- Muscle Cramps
- Osteoporosis
- Rotator Cuff Injuries
- Scoliosis
Practical reading
All postsSources
- MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine — Dislocated Shoulder
- Government of India — Emergency Response Support System (112)
- MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine — Dislocated Shoulder — Public-domain health-topic summary
- Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium — terminology definitions — HPO licence; definitions reproduced without alteration
Dislocated shoulder: symptoms, causes, treatment and which doctor to see is original text by The Doctor Index; the compiled source draft was used for research. Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999; July 2026 data, CC BY 4.0. This product uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (hp/releases/2026-09-01). Only sources listed for this article apply. Source material has been selected and arranged; HPO definitions are reproduced without alteration. No source organisation endorses this compilation. Köhler S et al. The Human Phenotype Ontology project: linking molecular biology and disease through phenotype data. Nucleic Acids Research 2014;42(D1):D966–D974. doi:10.1093/nar/gkt1026.
General information, not advice about your situation. Errors can be reported through the corrections process. Reference TDI-C-0752.