Dislocated Shoulders: Cause and Symptoms
Source:
"Dislocated Shoulder: Get the Facts on Treatment and Symptoms." MedicineNet. Web. 8 Jan. 2016.
Date:
1/7/16
Analysis:
With the widespread broadcasting of high contact sports, the injuries that people tend to know most about nowadays are those that directly harm the most popular athletes. Take, for example, Kobe Bryant injuring his achilles, or Derrick Rose tearing his ACL: dedicated basketball fans were quick to learn about what had happened to their all-stars. Although this method of spreading awareness in the public conversation is effective, getting information about other common injuries across the board that may not have been as focused on in the sphere of the media is important as well. The focus of this assessment will be a commonly overlooked yet omnipresent injury: dislocated shoulders.
According to the article, the shoulder joint is the most commonly dislocated joint within the body. The commonality of this injury is most likely due to the wide range of mobility the shoulder has, as it can move in many directions and shifts quickly from direction to direction in sports such as basketball and volleyball. Furthermore, nearly 25% of all dislocations are also associated with fracturing of the bone. The dislocation of the joint in the shoulder rarely needs surgery, and is usually associated with sports in the case of younger individuals and falls in the case of older individuals.
As for the treatment of this injury, according to the article the injured person needs to immediately pop the shoulder back in place, with the help of a doctor, then proceed to immobilize the arm, usually with a sling or a cast. Doctors usually diagnose the injury with regards to pain control and joint relocation, and by assessing the history of injury within the area the doctor can proceed to assess if there is any arterial or nerve damage present. X-rays are also an essential part of the diagnosis process. The specific treatment is based on all of the aforementioned factors, and doctors usually try to fix the problem using the least amount of anesthesia possible. An anesthesiologist may still be needed if the relocation of the joint is overly complicated, with the possibility of broken bone preventing the shoulder from relocating smoothly. As a whole, there are various treatment options, but each patient’s history and strength depend on what course of action the physician or sports doctor will decide to take.
Furthermore, recurrent dislocated shoulders lead to more adverse effects, and athletes should be extremely cautious when the joint has continuously been injured. According to the article, recurrent dislocation can lead to an increase in the chances of nerve damage, arterial damage, muscle spasms, and overall shoulder subluxation and instability. Furthermore, every time an athlete dislocates his shoulder, his chances of getting another dislocation are further increased. Throughout my research thus far about these numerous injuries, I have discovered that recurrent injuries present a much bigger problem than one single injury. Athletes who do get injured are in turn more susceptible to that injury (as in the case of ankle sprains and ACL tears) and there are more severe effects that come with recurrent injury. With the help of my mentor, I can research how this applies to the sports medicine field today and potentially create awareness about this issue.
Comments