What is dislocation of the shoulder?
Dislocation of the shoulder means the displacement of the upper arm bone (humerus) out of the shoulder joint. The shoulder joint is the most frequently dislocated major joint of the body – often caused by a significant force that separates the shoulder joint’s ball (the top rounded portion of the upper arm bone, or humerus) away from the joint’s socket (glenoid). The shoulder can dislocate in several ways, including the following: • forward and downward dislocation – these are the most common types of dislocations, which are usually the result of falling on an outstretched hand or on the shoulder itself. • backward dislocation – this type of dislocation may be caused by a direct blow to the front of the shoulder, or the violent twisting of the upper arm. In addition, a shoulder can be partially dislocated (the head of the upper arm is partially out of the shoulder socket) or completely dislocated (the head of the upper arm is completely out of the shoulder socket). A dislocation can re
