Have you ever experienced a strange sensation in your shoulder where it feels like the joint is out of place, but you are not dealing with the clear and obvious pain of a dislocation? Why does your shoulder sometimes feel like it’s out of place, even if it’s not dislocated? In today’s blog, we explain why your shoulder may feel like it’s sometimes out of position, and more importantly, what you can do to restore normalcy to your shoulder joint.
Why Does My Shoulder Feel Out Of Place?
If your shoulder feels out of place but you’re not dealing with a shoulder dislocation, odds are you are battling partial or significant shoulder instability. Oftentimes as a result of a combination of repetitive stress and natural tissue degeneration, the soft tissues that hold the humeral head in the shoulder socket can weaken or deteriorate. When these tissues can no longer provide the required support to the shoulder area, the humeral head can shift a bit within the socket. This is known as an unstable shoulder or shoulder instability, and while it may only seem like a minor annoyance now, it’s not something you should ignore.
If your humeral head is starting to shift more inside the shoulder joint, the soft tissues that help to hold it in place are less capable of preventing a dislocation in the event trauma or significant stress is put on the area. Without treatment, your supportive shoulder ligaments will remain weak or get weaker until eventually they can no longer provide enough support to the joint. When you swing that softball bat or lift that box onto the top shelf in your garage, it may be enough of a force to cause a shoulder dislocation, which will carry a more significant treatment plan.
Fortunately, shoulder instability is something that can be effectively treated before it progresses. If you’re dealing with a feeling of looseness or instability in your shoulder joint, connect with your primary care physician, a physical therapist or a shoulder specialist like Dr. Holloway. They’ll begin by assessing your shoulder strength and flexibility while also asking about your symptoms. Odds are they’ll have you perform a few different movement exercises to see how your arm and shoulder responds to different positions and forces. They’ll likely have a pretty good idea that you are dealing with shoulder instability at this point, but to get an inside look at the joint or the connective soft tissues, an X-ray or MRI may be ordered.
If you are diagnosed with shoulder instability, your doctor will likely recommend that you move forward with weeks of conservative care. The vast majority of patients who commit to their care plan will make enough of a recovery that additional interventions are not necessary. The most common conservative care plans include a combination of activity avoidance, physical therapy and range of motion exercises.
In the event that conservative care doesn’t help you regain enough stability in your shoulder, your shoulder specialist may recommend a minimally invasive procedure. Although surgeries can vary, the most common procedure involves surgically strengthening the connective tissues that hold your shoulder joint in place. After surgery, you’ll follow a recovery plan similar to the conservative plan previously mentioned, with short term rest and activity avoidance before transitioning to physical therapy and strength training exercises.
Don’t just assume that a loose shoulder is no big deal, because the longer you put off treatment, the more likely it is that you’ll end up dislocating the shoulder in the future. Instead, strive to address the problem once and for all by connecting with a specialist and developing an individualized care plan to manage the instability. For help developing this plan or managing other shoulder issues, reach out to Dr. Holloway and his team today at (865) 410-7887.
