Shoulder Instability​/Dislocation

Common dislocated shoulder symptoms include:

• Pain caused by shoulder injury
• Repeated shoulder dislocations
• Repeated instances of the shoulder giving way
• A persistent sensation of the shoulder feeling loose, slipping in and out of the joint

The likelihood of further shoulder dislocations is dramatically increased if you are of younger age. Non-surgical options are often trialed to try to relieve the pain and prevent instability.

Non-surgical treatment includes activity modification and physiotherapy to strengthen shoulder muscle and working on shoulder control to increase stability.

Shoulder instability surgery is often necessary to repair torn or stretched ligaments that cannot be healed with physiotherapy so that they are able to hold the shoulder joint in place. It should be noted that no amount of physiotherapy can heal a torn shoulder capsule (rubbery cup that attaches ligaments to the bones of the shoulder). The Melbourne Arm Clinic can provide appropriate testing and imaging to assess the severity of shoulder instability.

Arthroscopy keyhole surgery is an effective way to stabilise the shoulder using this minimally invasive technique which can achieve good results by a shoulder specialist.

In more severe cases of instability, where there is significant bone loss in the ball and socket joint, an open bone graft procedure maybe need to be performed. This is known as a Latarjet procedure.