Aches and pains after a slip-and-fall accident are commonplace, but have you considered that those aches and pains might be something more? If are suffering from severe pain in your shoulder after a fall, you might be suffering from a dislocated shoulder. A dislocated shoulder might sound like a minor injury, but it can cause very serious complications.
A dislocated shoulder occurs when the bone at the top of your arm comes out of the shoulder socket. Once you have one shoulder dislocation, you might suffer from repeated dislocations because the joint becomes unstable when it is dislocated.
A shoulder dislocation is an injury that requires immediate medical care. You might suffer from swelling, intense pain and bruising. You might be unable to move your shoulder. Even if you can move it, you shouldn’t, as moving it can lead to an increase in damage.
When you are diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder, the doctor might try to move the shoulder back into place. In some cases, they might have to perform surgery to get the shoulder back into place.
A dislocated shoulder usually heals within a few weeks; however, you might have to deal with weakness, numbness and tingling in the shoulder area, the affected arm or the neck. In some cases, you will need to do physical therapy as the joint heals so that you can maintain or improve your range of motion.
If you suffer from a dislocated shoulder, you might have to miss work to go to medical appointments and rehabilitation appointments. In fact, you may have to miss work until the injury heals if your job duties require you to use the injured arm. You may choose to pursue compensation for your dislocated shoulder if your fall was because of accident caused by another person’s negligence.
Source: Mayo Clinic, “Dislocated shoulder,” accessed Feb. 02, 2016
