You can’t figure out why your finger feels locked into place and won’t easily straighten out. You might have a condition called trigger finger. Learn what type of medical treatment helps.
You’re having shoulder problems; you’re in pain, and the shoulder feels loose. You likely have shoulder instability.
Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons at Coastal Empire Orthopedics treat many patients with shoulder instability. They’ll help you regain strength in your shoulder.
You probably didn’t realize that your shoulder is the most flexible joint in your entire body. Think about the movements you make every day; you reach, carry, and lift objects at different angles; your shoulder guides your arm through those motions. Your shoulder helps your arm rotate roughly three-quarters of the circumference of a circle when moving it horizontally. You can also raise it vertically and then move it down to rotate the arm in a complete circle.
Your shoulder joint has two bones that form a ball and socket. It’s supported by the ligaments, tendons, and muscles surrounding it. Because this joint has the greatest range of motion of any in your body, it’s very susceptible to instability.
When the ligaments, tendons, cartilage lining (called the labrum), or muscles supporting the shoulder joint become loose or torn, you have shoulder instability. The ball at the end of the upper arm bone, the humerus, slides out of the socket, and you have either a partial dislocation (also called a subluxation) or a full shoulder dislocation. The ball could come out of the front, back, or bottom of the shoulder.
If you’ve been in a car accident or have suffered a traumatic sports injury, you can understand why your shoulder may be unstable. But instability can also occur from overuse. Suppose you’re a factory or warehouse worker who constantly reaches overhead, a tennis or volleyball player, or a baseball pitcher who throws the ball dozens of times a day. In that case, you’re more likely than the general population to have shoulder instability.
Shoulder instability is widespread in teen and collegiate athletes who play collision sports like football, lacrosse, ice hockey. The physical impact between players raises the risk of instability in young athletes substantially.
Sometimes genetics is the culprit in shoulder instability. Your ligaments are just naturally loose, and you may be double-jointed.
You may guess that your shoulder is partially or fully dislocated because of the symptoms you have:
If you’ve had one shoulder dislocation, you’re more at risk of further dislocations, called chronic shoulder instability. The condition can contribute to joint damage over several years, so it’s crucial to get prompt treatment.
Our orthopedic surgeons provide a range of effective treatments for shoulder instability. Surgery is only an option after all other strategies haven’t relieved your pain. If you do need surgery, we use minimally invasive techniques so that your recovery proceeds apace.
To relieve the pain of shoulder instability, and for all of your orthopedic needs, call or book an appointment online with Coastal Empire Orthopedics.
You Might Also Enjoy...
You can’t figure out why your finger feels locked into place and won’t easily straighten out. You might have a condition called trigger finger. Learn what type of medical treatment helps.
Those twitches of discomfort in your hand and fingers are becoming more frequent and intense. What’s going on? It may be carpal tunnel syndrome, otherwise known as a compressed nerve.
You have a soft tissue injury and are out of action on the tennis court or softball field. If your tendon doesn’t heal with conservative treatment, physicians can use arthroscopic surgery on this type of injury. Read on to learn the benefits of Arthroscopy
You’ve been told you need nerve repair surgery. Whether it’s a result of a car accident, an accidental knife cut, or a result of damage from diabetes or infection, nerve repair requires time and patience.
One common injury that happens to athletes and others every year is damage to the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, in your knee. Learn how to prevent this injury that can take you out for the season.
Are your musculoskeletal injuries keeping you sidelined? Whether you've developed tendonitis from all the tennis or racquetball you like to play, or are recovering from a traumatic injury, regenerative medicine can help.