San Antonio, Texas 78253
Dislocated Shoulder Physical Therapy
Rebuilding Strength and Confidence After a Shoulder Dislocation
A shoulder dislocation is painful, and the nervousness that follows can linger even after the joint is back in place. You might still have pain or feel like your shoulder could slip out again if you reach the wrong way. Some people feel that looseness without ever having a full dislocation. At Texas Alliance Physical Therapy in Alamo Ranch, we’ll assess how well the muscles around your shoulder hold it steady and which activities still bother you, so your therapy fits where you are in your recovery.
Physical Therapy for Dislocated Shoulder Recovery
A shoulder dislocation happens when the top of your upper arm bone comes all the way out of the shoulder socket.
When it only slips partway out and goes back in, that’s called a shoulder subluxation.
The socket itself is fairly shallow, so your shoulder relies on the muscles, ligaments, and other tissues around it to stay in place.
Those tissues can get stretched or torn when the shoulder comes out, which is why it may still feel loose or weak after it’s been put back.
That looseness is called shoulder instability.
It doesn’t always start with one big injury, either.
Years of overhead work or sports, or an old injury that never fully recovered,
can leave you with an unstable shoulder that only acts up in certain positions.
Physical therapy focuses on the muscles that hold your shoulder steady, especially the rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles.
As those muscles get stronger and better at controlling the joint,
the goal is for reaching, lifting, and other everyday movements to feel more secure.
Signs of Shoulder Dislocation
The symptoms of dislocated shoulder injuries usually show up right away.
Most people feel sudden, intense pain and have trouble moving the arm, and the shoulder may look out of place.
If you think you have a dislocated shoulder, get medical care right away, and don’t try to put it back in place yourself.
Once the joint is back in place, or if you’ve been dealing with
shoulder instability for a while, dislocated shoulder symptoms can look different.
You may notice:
- Pain or tenderness around the shoulder
- Weakness when lifting or carrying
- A loose feeling, like the shoulder might slip out
- Trouble reaching overhead or behind your head
- Nervousness about putting your arm in certain positions
- The shoulder slipping partway out more than once
People often feel most uneasy when the arm is raised and turned outward,
like when throwing a ball or reaching back to put on a jacket.
In that position, the shoulder can feel like it isn’t fully secure.
Shoulder Dislocation Treatment
Physical Therapy San Antonio
Your treatment depends on whether your shoulder just came out, has dislocated more than once, or has been feeling unstable for a while. Early on, the focus is on protecting the joint while it heals. Later, the work shifts toward strength, control, and getting back to the things you’ve been avoiding.
Strength and Stability Exercises
This is usually the biggest part of rehab. Your therapist will work on your rotator cuff, shoulder blade muscles, and the other muscles that keep your shoulder steady when you reach, lift, or push. Exercises start where your shoulder is comfortable and get harder as it gets stronger.
Working Back Into Difficult Positions
Some movements may put too much demand on the joint right now. Your therapist can help you figure out which ones to hold off on and when it makes sense to start working back into them, whether that’s reaching overhead at work or throwing a ball with your kids.
Rehab After Shoulder Stabilization Surgery
If you’ve had surgery to repair your shoulder, your rehab will follow the timeline your surgeon sets. We’ll work within those guidelines, starting with protected movement and building toward strength as the repair heals.
Manual Therapy
Time in a sling can leave the shoulder and the areas around it stiff. Hands-on techniques may help ease that stiffness without putting stress on a joint that’s still healing.
Orthopedic Joint Mobilization
Gentle joint techniques are sometimes used when a shoulder has gotten stiff. With an unstable shoulder, your therapist will check how stable the joint is first and only use them when they make sense for your recovery.
Functional Dry Needling
After an injury, the muscles around your neck and shoulder blade can tighten up as they try to guard the joint. Functional dry needling may be used on those muscles when your therapist feels it’s appropriate, alongside your exercises.
Kinesiology Taping
Tape around the shoulder can give you a better sense of where your arm is during exercises. It’s used alongside your strengthening work.
E-Stim
Certain shoulder muscles can be slow to switch back on after an injury. Electrical stimulation may help with that while you work through your exercises.
Getting Comfortable Using Your Shoulder Again
It’s normal to be careful with your arm after a dislocation.
You may avoid certain positions because you remember how it felt when it came out, or because you’re worried it’ll happen again.
Even after the pain settles down, an unstable shoulder can make it hard to trust your arm when you lift, throw, or push something heavy at work.
Part of physical therapy is building that trust back as your shoulder gets stronger.
If your shoulder keeps slipping out or still feels unstable after a solid stretch of rehab,
your therapist can help you decide whether it’s time to see an orthopedic specialist.
How Texas Alliance Physical Therapy Can Help
If your shoulder still feels loose after a dislocation, or you’ve been working around shoulder instability for a while, an evaluation is a good place to start. Our physical therapists in San Antonio can help you build strength back gradually, beginning with what your shoulder can handle now. Schedule a visit at our Alamo Ranch clinic.
Conditions We Treat
Upper Body Pain
Lower Body Pain
Texas Alliance Physical Therapy
San Antonio, Texas 78253
Frequently Asked Questions
About Shoulder Dislocation and Instability
A dislocated shoulder needs medical attention right away so a doctor can safely put the joint back in place. After that, treatment usually involves a period of rest, often in a sling, followed by physical therapy to restore movement and build strength in the muscles that support the joint.
Your doctor will usually want the shoulder protected for a while first, often in a sling. Once they give you the okay, we can start with gentle movement and add strengthening as the shoulder heals. If you had surgery, we’ll follow the timeline your surgeon gives us.
It hurts right away, and it usually hurts a lot. You may feel the shoulder shift or pop out, and you probably won’t be able to move your arm much. Some people also get numbness or tingling that runs down the arm.
The shoulder may look squared off instead of rounded, or there may be a bump at the front where the arm bone has moved. You might also hold the arm slightly away from your body. Some dislocations are harder to spot, so pain and trouble moving the arm are reasons to get checked even if the shoulder looks normal.
Dislocated shoulder recovery time varies quite a bit. A first dislocation without major tissue damage usually heals faster than one that’s happened before or needed surgery. Getting back to daily tasks also tends to come sooner than getting back to overhead sports or heavy lifting.
It can, especially if the tissues that hold the shoulder in place were stretched or torn. The risk tends to be higher in younger, active people. Building strength and control around the joint is one of the ways to work on lowering that risk.
Strengthening the rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles is usually the starting point, since those muscles help keep the joint centered as you move. What’s right for you depends on whether your shoulder is still healing from a recent dislocation or has been unstable for a while.
Have more questions? Contact Us.