The shoulder comprises of three bones – clavicle (collar bone), scapula (shoulder blade) and humerus (top of the arm bone).
They are held together by tendons, ligaments, and muscles. They join together with three joints – glenohumeral, acromioclavicular and sternoclavicular joints.
Shoulder trauma could happen from:
Fractures: Breaks in any one or more of the three bones. Ranges from a hairline crack to multiple fractures of a bone.
Dislocations: Occurs when the bone slips off the joint and can happen in any of the three joints.
Soft tissue injuries: Injuries to tendons, ligaments, muscles or cartilage of the shoulder.
Causes of shoulder trauma
Fractures of clavicle result from a fall over the shoulder, and fractures if scapula is usually the result of direct blow such as falling from a height or a speeding car accident.
Shoulder dislocation is caused by a direct blow or a fall, or with an electric shock or a seizure. It usually happens in the sports field or in elderly people.
Shoulder separations occur as a result of heavy fall over the shoulder, or from sports.
Symptoms
You will experience
- Swelling
- Pain
- Bruises
- Tenderness
- Grinding sensation while moving
- Inability to move the arm
- Deformity
Treatment
The immediate mode of treatment is rest, anti-inflammatory medications, hot and cold compression, and elevation. Some fractures and dislocations are immobilized using braces or slings. Surgical intervention is necessary when the fractures are not aligned or have broken into many pieces.
