Dislocated shoulder (first time)

• You dislocated your shoulder.
• This injury usually mends well.
• An outpatient check-up is generally not necessary, so a telephone appointment will be schedulded 10-14 days after discharge.
• You will be wearing a sling for the first week. After your visit to the hospital, you can start training your shoulder as much as your pain or physical complaints allow.
• Please find an instructional video for reapplying the sling in the Virtual Fracture Care app in the leaflet.
• It is important that you start the exercises mentioned in this leaflet as soon as possible. This prevents the shoulder and other joints from becoming stiff.
• Appropriate exercises can be found in this leaflet or in the Virtual Fracture Care app.
• By training your muscles you reduce the chance that the shoulder will dislocate again.
• We advise you to always contact a physiotherapist to help you recover. In men over 35 in particular, this really contributes to preventing the shoulder from dislocating again.
• If you have any questions or problems during the recovery, do not hesitate to contact us on workdays from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM via the ‘Breuklijn’ (fracture hotline): T 088 320 14 23. This line is easily accessible in case your pain does not subside.

Is the pain getting worse, has the pain/stiffness not reduced after 2 weeks, or are you behind in the exercise schedule? Please contact the 'Breuklijn' (fracture hotline): T 088 320 14 23. If a check-up seems necessary, we will schedule an appointment. The 'Breuklijn' is easily accessible, so please use it to prevent any issues in the long run.

The treatment consists of wearing a sling, having a short period of rest and doing specific shoulder exercises. By training your muscles you reduce the chance that the shoulder will dislocate again. This also reduces the risk of pain and stiffness in the shoulder. 

Important! It is important that you contact the 'Breuklijn' (fracture hotline) if your complaints (pain and/or stiffness) do not improve after 2 weeks, or if you are behind in your exercises. You can use the exercises at the bottom of this leaflet as a guideline for what you should be able to do and when. Please contact us for any question you may have in order to avoid problems with your recovery.

The following instructions are important to allow for a good healing:

• Have you received a sling? Use it for the first week to give the shoulder a rest. When you go to sleep you can take off the sling.
• Please find instructions for reapplying the sling in the Virtual Fracture Care app. (hyperlink video, in app version)
• You can immediately start exercising as much as your pain or physical complaints allow. It is important that you start exercising in time to prevent shoulder stiffness.
• A physiotherapist can help you recover. We advise you to contact a physiotherapist within 1 week. Make sure that your physiotherapist has experience in treating dislocated shoulders. We recommend that you call in a physiotherapist - especially for men over 35 - who will help prevent your shoulder from dislocating again.
• In the first 2 weeks, do not lift the arm forward, do not turn it outward, do not lift it to the side, and do not extend it backward. This prevents the shoulder from dislocating again. For example, you should avoid the movement of combing back your hair.
• Use your arm and shoulder depending on your physical complaints. This means you can use the arm and shoulder for as long as you can tolerate the pain.
• You can find the exercises and instructions in the Virtual Fracture Care app or in the leaflet.
• You are not allowed to play sports for the first 6 weeks. After that you can slowly start exercising, as far as your pain complaints allow. It can sometimes take up to 3 months before you can exercise without complaints.
• Do you have pain? Use paracetamol if needed. Do not wait to take paracetamol until you are in too much pain. Always take it throughout the day. You can take 2 tablets of 500 mg paracetamol up to 4 times a day at fixed times. If your complaints persist, please contact us via the 'Breuklijn' (fracture hotline).

After your shoulder has been dislocated in a forward motion, you may experience shoulder stiffness and loss of strength. Below are some specific exercises you can do to prevent this as much as possible. You can also find them in the Virtual Fracture Care app. During the first week it is wise to wear the sling for support.

Important! Do not overstep your own physical limits while exercising. Pain can be a sign of overexertion. If you feel pain, stop exercising. You may feel fatigue or muscle aches.

Do not proceed to the next step in the exercises until you are able to perform the previous exercises. Keep repeating the exercises from the previous weeks.

We advise you to go to a physiotherapist during your recovery, to guide you through the exercises.

• Generally, a check-up at the outpatient clinic is not necessary. It may take up to 6 weeks before you can fully use the arm and shoulder again.
• Once the shoulder has been dislocated, it is more likely to dislocate it again. This is especially the case in young (male), active adults. It is therefore very important to properly exercise and train the shoulder. This strengthens the muscles and makes the shoulder more stable. Moreover, it reduces the chance that the shoulder will dislocate again.
• Is the pain getting worse, has the pain not subsided after 2 weeks, does the shoulder feel unstable or stiff, or are you behind in your exercising schedule? Please contact the 'Breuklijn' (fracture hotline): T 088 320 14 23. If a check-up seems necessary, we will schedule an appointment.

Find more information about your injury in our app. The app also includes exercises that promote your recovery. You can find the app in the App Store (iPhone) or Google Store (Android). You can also scan the QR code. You will then automatically be redirected to the app.

If there are any questions after reading this information, please call our 'Breuklijn' (fracture hotline) on workdays between 10.00 and 12.00 via T 088 320 14 23.