Dislocated or Separated Shoulder: Symptoms, Treatment, Recovery Fitness & Exercise Dislocated Shoulder Home Medical Reference Features Video Fitness & Exercise Home News Reference Slideshows Quizzes Videos Workouts A-Z Health & Fitness Guide Overview & Facts Tips for Success Get Lean Get Strong Fuel Your Body All Guide Topics Related Topics Diet & Weight Management Weight Loss & Obesity Food & Recipes Food Calculator Exercise Calculator BMI Calculator Sports Injuries A-Z More Related Topics Coronavirus Update Check Your Symptoms Find A Doctor Find A Dentist Connect to Care Find Lowest Drug Prices Health A-Z Health A-Z Health A-Z Common Conditions ADD/ADHD Allergies Arthritis Cancer Coronavirus (COVID-19) Depression Diabetes Eye Health Heart Disease Lung Disease Orthopedics Pain Management Sexual Conditions Skin Problems Sleep Disorders View All Resources Symptom Checker WebMD Blogs Podcasts Newsletters Best Hospitals Find a Doctor Surgeries and Procedures A-Z Featured Topics Slideshow Signs You Have Already Had COVID Slideshow Get Help for Migraine Relief Drugs & Supplements Drugs & Supplements Drugs & Supplements Find & Review Drugs Supplements Drug Basics & Safety Commonly Abused Drugs Taking Meds When Pregnant Tools Manage Your Medications Pill Identifier Check for Interactions Drug Comparison Tool Featured Topics Slideshow Vitamins You Need as You Age Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccines Living Healthy Living Healthy Living Healthy Diet, Food & Fitness Diet & Weight Management Weight Loss & Obesity Food & Recipes Fitness & Exercise Beauty & Balance Healthy Beauty Health & Balance Sex & Relationships Oral Care Living Well Women's Health Men's Health Aging Well Healthy Sleep Healthy Teens Featured Topics Article Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes Quiz Do You Know the Benefits of Walking? Family & Pregnancy Family & Pregnancy Family & Pregnancy All About Pregnancy Getting Pregnant First Trimester Second Trimester Third Trimester View All Parenting Guide Newborn & Baby Children's Health Children's Vaccines View All Pet Care Essentials Healthy Cats Healthy Dogs View All Featured Topics Slideshow Smart Snacks When You're Pregnant Slideshow Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats News & Experts News & Experts News & Experts Health News Fauci: The Pandemic Isn’t Over, but It's Getting Better Weighted Blankets Promote Sleep by Releasing Melatonin Eating Earlier Has Health Benefits 10,000 Steps a Day Has Real Benefits Long COVID: What We Know So Far Experts & Community Support Groups Blogs Webinars News Center Dr. Whyte's Book: Take Control of Your Diabetes Risk Featured Topics WebMD Investigates Street Medicine Reaches People Where They Live Get Our Newsletters Health News and Information, Delivered to Your Inbox Mobile Apps Subscriptions Menu Fitness & Exercise Home News Reference Slideshows Quizzes Videos Workouts A-Z Health & Fitness Guide Overview & Facts Tips for Success Get Lean Get Strong Fuel Your Body All Guide Topics Related Topics Diet & Weight Management Weight Loss & Obesity Food & Recipes Food Calculator Exercise Calculator BMI Calculator Sports Injuries A-Z More Related Topics Fitness & ExerciseReference Menu Dislocated Shoulder and Separated Shoulder Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on October 19, 2021 In this Article What Does a Dislocated Shoulder or Separated Shoulder Feel Like What s the Treatment for Dislocated Shoulder or Separated Shoulder When Will My Dislocated or Separated Shoulder Feel Better How Can I Prevent a Dislocated Shoulder or Separated Shoulder They're easy to confuse. But a dislocated shoulder and a separated shoulder are two distinct injuries. Here's the rundown.Dislocated shoulder. In this injury, a fall or blow causes the top of your arm bone to pop out of the shoulder socket. Unlike a lot of joints in your body -- your elbow, for instance -- the shoulder is incredibly mobile. You can twist and move your upper arm in almost any direction. But there's a price for this ease of movement. The shoulder joint is inherently unstable, prone to slipping out of place.In severe cases of dislocated shoulder, the tissue and nerves around the shoulder joint get damaged. If you keep dislocating your shoulder, you could wind up with chronic instability and weakness.Separated shoulder. Despite the name, this injury doesn't directly affect the shoulder joint. Instead, a fall or blow tears one of the ligaments that connects the collarbone to the shoulder blade.Since it's no longer anchored, the collarbone may move out of position and push against the skin near the top of your shoulder. Although separated shoulders can cause deformity, people usually recover fully with time. You might get a separated shoulder or a dislocated shoulder by:Falling onto your shoulder, especially on a hard surfaceBeing hit in the shoulderTrying to break a fall with your hand Dislocated shoulders can also result from a sharp twisting of the arm. Sports that pose a higher risk of these two injuries are:FootballHockeyRock climbingRugbySoccerSkiingVolleyball What Does a Dislocated Shoulder or Separated Shoulder Feel Like Symptoms of a dislocated shoulder are:Pain is severe in the shoulder and upper arm, making it difficult to move the armDeformation of the shoulder -- a bump in the front or back of your shoulder, depending on how the bone has been dislocated Symptoms of a separated shoulder are:Intense pain as soon as the injury occursTenderness of the shoulder and collarboneSwellingBruisingDeformed shoulder Call 911 if you have a weak pulse in the injured arm or if your arm and hand are numb, cold, pale, or blue. To diagnose a separated shoulder or dislocated shoulder, your doctor will give you a thorough exam. You may need X-rays to rule out broken bones and other conditions. What s the Treatment for Dislocated Shoulder or Separated Shoulder Dislocated shoulders need to be treated right away. Your doctor will need to move the arm bone back into the shoulder socket. Since the joint will get more swollen and more painful by the minute, the sooner the better. Once the arm bone is back in the socket, some of the pain will go away. After the shoulder bone is repositioned, you can use conservative treatment to reduce pain and swelling. The same treatment would also be used for a separated shoulder. To treat either injury, you should:Ice your shoulder to reduce pain and swelling. Do it for 20-30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours, for 2 to 3 days or longer.Use a sling or shoulder immobilizer to prevent further injury until you get medical treatment. Then follow the doctor's advice about whether or not to use a sling.Take anti-inflammatory painkillers. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve), will help with pain and swelling. However, these drugs may have side effects, like an increased risk of bleeding and ulcers or heart attacks and strokes. They should not be used for extended periods of time, unless your doctor specifically says otherwise.Practice stretching and strengthening exercises if your doctor recommends them. Most of the time, these treatments will do the trick. But in rare cases, you may need surgery. Surgery for severe separated shoulders is sometimes needed to repair the torn ligament. Afterward, you will probably need to keep your arm in a sling for about 6 weeks. For a severely dislocated shoulder, surgery is sometimes needed to correctly position the bones. If you keep dislocating your shoulder, surgery to tighten the ligaments surrounding the joint may help. When Will My Dislocated or Separated Shoulder Feel Better How quickly you recover depends on how serious your shoulder injury is. Separated shoulders may heal over a period of 6 weeks. Dislocated shoulders may take longer -- more like 3 to 12 weeks. But these lengths of time are just approximations. Everyone heals at a different rate. Some symptoms, like stiffness, may linger for a time. A separated shoulder can sometimes leave a permanent, but painless, bump on your shoulder. Once the acute symptoms are gone, your doctor will probably want you to start rehabilitation. This will make your shoulder muscles stronger and more limber. It will both help you recover and reduce the chances of future shoulder injuries. You might start with gentle stretching exercises that become more intense as you get better. But don't start exercising without talking to your doctor first. Whatever you do, don't rush things. Ease back into your sport. If you play baseball, start by tossing the ball and work up to throwing at full speed. People who play contact sports need to be especially careful that they are fully healed before playing again. Don't try to return to your previous level of physical activity until:You can move your injured shoulder as freely as your uninjured shoulder.Your injured shoulder feels as strong as your uninjured shoulder. If you start using your shoulder before it's healed, you could cause permanent damage. Getting back in the game early is not worth the risk of a lifelong disability. How Can I Prevent a Dislocated Shoulder or Separated Shoulder Getting a separated shoulder or a dislocated shoulder is painful and debilitating. So do what you can to reduce your chances of getting either of these injuries. Here are some tips:If you feel any shoulder pain during physical activity, stop.Exercise and stretch your shoulder muscles regularly.Ice your shoulder after physical activity if you have had a shoulder separation before.Use protective padding to protect from falls if you are at risk of a shoulder dislocation. Top Picks 7 Habits of Super-Healthy People Exercises That Ease Joint Stiffness 10 Common Running Injuries Yoga: How It Works, Types, and More further reading Dislocated Shoulder: What Happens Next? Dislocated Shoulder & Separated Shoulder Shoulder Dislocation Treatment Shoulder Separation Treatment Neck Pain and Shoulder Pain - WebMD Shoulder and Neck Pain Treatment Dislocated Shoulder Topics Today on WebMD Get Fit at Home You Don t Need a Gym for This Workout Build a Better Butt Workouts for Slim and Shapely Glutes Fitness Dos and Don ts Test Your Knowledge on Getting in Shape Hydration Quiz How Much Water Do You Need Recommended for You Slideshow 7-Minute Workout Slideshow 9 Tips for Flat Abs Slideshow 15 Pilates Moves That Get Results Slideshow Core Moves for Your Workout Slideshow Best Toning Workouts Slideshow Fitness Tips for Beginners Slideshow What a 5% Weight Loss Can Do for Your Health Quiz Test Your Sports Injury Savvy Article Types of Ankle Injuries Quiz Protein Myths and Facts Article Muscle Strain Basics Article Heat Exhaustion Symptoms and Treatment Tools & Resources 7 Most Effective Exercises Build a Better Butt Fitness Dos and Don'ts 9 Tips for Flat Abs Good Protein Sources 6 Exercises for Better Posture Get Fitness and Diet Tips in Your Inbox Eat better and exercise smarter Sign up for the Food & Fitness newsletter Food & Fitness SubscribeBy clicking Subscribe, I agree to the WebMD Terms & Conditions & Privacy Policy and understand that I may opt out of WebMD subscriptions at any time. Health Solutions Penis Curved When Erect? Could I have CAD? Treat Bent Fingers Treat HR+, HER2- MBC Tired of Dandruff? Benefits of CBD Rethink MS Treatment AFib-Related Strokes Risk of a Future DVT/PE Is My Penis Normal? Relapsing MS Options Liver Transplants Save Lives Finance Plastic Surgery Bent Finger Causes Living With Psoriasis? Missing Teeth? More from WebMD 5 Tips to Help With Relapsing MS How to Thrive With Narcolepsy Relief for Blocked Hair Follicles Psoriatic Arthritis and Your Sleep What Psoriasis Feels Like First Psoriatic Arthritis Flare Talking to Your Doctor About RA Crohn's: A 'Full-Body' Disease Avoiding Crohn’s Flares Health Benefits of Hemp Seed Oil Live Better With Psoriatic Disease Types of B-Cell Therapy for MS 5 Health Benefits of Hemp Why Prostate Cancer Spreads Living with Advanced Breast Cancer Where Breast Cancer Spreads © 2005 - 2022 WebMD LLC. All rights reserved. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.