Do I need surgery for treatment of a shoulder dislocation?
Do I need surgery for treatment of a shoulder dislocation?Answer: Treatment of a shoulder dislocation depends on a number of factors, and some patients may require surgery. When a patient dislocates their shoulder from a traumatic event (e.g. a sports collision, fall, automobile accident, etc.) they are at-risk for developing recurrent dislocations in the future. The chance of shoulder dislocations becoming a recurring problem depends most significantly on the age of the patient. The percentage of redislocations are about: • Less than 20 years old: 90% • 20-30 years old: 75% • 30-40 years old: 30% These are ballpark figures, and other factors contribute to an individual patient’s risk of redislocating their shoulder. Is surgery necessary for the treatment of a shoulder dislocation? Traditionally, most orthopedic surgeons would not choose to operate on a patient after a first dislocation. Rather, after a brief period of immobilization, followed by physical therapy, the patient would gra
