How to manage numbness on my shoulder after a dislocation?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 38 year old female. My height is 5 feet and 9 inches, and I weigh 130 lbs. I am a professional dancer. I dislocated my left shoulder while dancing. I had to make a move that involved throwing the arms out and across the body to the right side sharply and quickly. It popped out for about two to three seconds and went right back in. It was sore for the first two days. Initially, I wore a swing and then began moving it gently through a full range of motion. I had slight pain when rotating it outwards with my arm at 90 degrees and lifting up with arm straight out to the side. It has since been 11 days since the injury and the pain has completely subsided. However, I am now experiencing periods of numbness along a line down the center of my shoulder toward my elbow. I am wondering if it might just be a nerve swelling because I went back to activity too soon or if I should be concerned that the shoulder went back in and is compressing a nerve. Or is it something else entirely? Should I give it more time to rest or get to a doctor to have it evaluated? Any opinion or advice would be great.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

What you described was a dislocation of the shoulder joint and a reduction on its own.

When the relocation of this forearm head in the joint cavity does not happen on its own, we try to reduce it again in the joint cavity with some maneuvering, and immobilize it with a sling for one to three weeks with gradual ROM (range of motion) exercises in order to bring it to function normally.

In your case, the possible complications can be as follows:

Tearing of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that reinforce your shoulder joint.
Nerve or blood vessel damage in or around your shoulder joint.
Shoulder instability, especially if you have a severe dislocation or repeated dislocations, which makes you more prone to re-injury.

For the confirmation of diagnosis, an MRI is a must.

I recommend you rush to your local orthopaedician for a complete evaluation. Take care.

For more information consult an internal medicine physician online