Dislocated Shoulder Exercises

The anatomy of our shoulder joint is very complicated, which makes it highly susceptible to injuries and pain. The shoulder joint is basically made up of two bones, and the joint is called ball-socket joint. The ball part of the shoulder joint is the end of the upper arm bone, humerus, while the socket is the part of shoulder blade, scapula. This joint provides a wide range of motion but is not very stable, which makes it prone to dislocation. Before knowing the exercises for a dislocated shoulder, let us learn about the causes and symptoms of a dislocated shoulder.

Dislocated Shoulder

Dislocation of the shoulder joint is very painful and restricts the movement of the affected arm. There are two types of shoulder dislocations, that include, anterior dislocation and posterior dislocation. Anterior dislocation is when the ball dislocates behind the socket and posterior dislocation is when it dislocates in front of the socket. Anterior dislocation is a result of application of high intensity force behind the shoulder joint or a sudden fall on out stretched arms. While posterior dislocation is when a force hits the frontal part of the shoulder. Both types of shoulder dislocations are very common in sports. These sports include contact sports like baseball, rugby, football or swimming.

Dislocated shoulder can also be a result of injury due to accidents or genetic problems, where the shoulder joint is susceptible to dislocation due to hereditary factors, lifting or throwing of heavy objects, etc. Sudden severe shoulder pain which leads to inability to move the affected upper arm, is the basic symptom of dislocated shoulder. Moreover, the shape of the affected shoulder changes from round shape to square shape. It is necessary that one should take an immediate X-ray to confirm the dislocated shoulder condition.

Exercises for a Dislocated Shoulder

A person needs to get hospitalized to get the shoulder joint relocated. The initial dislocated shoulder treatment includes rest and medications. With the gradual recovery of the dislocated shoulder, the patient should consult the physician and perform exercises to improve the functioning of the affected shoulder joint. These exercises help to heal the injury and are part of the rehabilitation required for dislocation of shoulder. It is necessary to perform exercises for dislocated shoulder because the affected shoulder is likely to be dislocated again, due to its reduced stability. Moreover, the ligaments, tendons and other muscles present in the affected shoulder also get weakened. Certain exercises help to strengthen these ligaments and tendons and improve the movement of the affected shoulder joint. Given below are the steps to perform some of these exercises.

Shoulder Flexion and Abduction: Sit in a chair or stand in an upright position. Now, hold or support your affected arm by placing the palm of unaffected arm below the elbow of the affected arm. Then gently move in forward direction and move your arms to and fro. This is shoulder flexion exercise for dislocated shoulder. To perform shoulder abduction, position your hands as in shoulder flexion, but move them from one side to other.

Pendulum Swings: Lean on a table by placing the palm of the unaffected arm on its surface. Bring a small bend in the knee of the unaffected side and straighten the leg of the affected side. Now, place the affected arm over unaffected thigh and swing it gently in clockwise direction to possible extent. Repeat this for 10 times and perform anticlockwise swings.

Isometric Shoulder Flexion and Extension: Stand in an upright position and face towards the wall. Now, bend your elbow of the affected arm and place the elbow near your side. Make a fist of your fingers and press it against the wall, like you are trying to push it inside the wall. Hold the position for 5 seconds and perform 3 sets of this exercise with each set containing 10 repetitions. This was isometric shoulder flexion, to perform isometric shoulder extension, stand near the wall with your back touching the surface of the wall. Place your affected upper arm on the wall surface and bring a right angled bend in your elbow. Try to push your elbow against the wall. Hold the position for 5 seconds and perform 3 sets of this exercise, with each set containing 10 repetitions.

Resistance Band Flexion and Extension: To perform the resistance band flexion, stand facing towards the resistance band and hold its ends with your affected arm. Bring a bend in your elbow, pull the band in backward direction and gently get back to neutral position. For resistance band extension, stand with the resistance band behind your back. Hold the end of the resistance band and pull it in forward direction. Get back to the neutral position in a controlled motion.

Dislocated shoulder exercises should be performed only on a physician's recommendation. It is necessary to verify, whether the affected shoulder joint has recovered enough, to sustain the strain caused while performing the exercises. It is also recommended that you should know the appropriate precautionary measures from your physician.