Dislocations are joint injuries that force the ends of your bones out of position. The cause is often a fall or a blow, sometimes from playing a contact sport. When a dislocation occurs, you can't move the joint. You can dislocate your ankles, knees, shoulders, hips and elbows. You can also dislocate your finger and toe joints. Dislocated joints often are swollen, very painful and visibly out of place.
If you dislocate a joint, seek medical attention. Treatment depends on which joint you dislocate and the severity of the injury. It might include manipulations to reposition your bones, medicine, a splint or sling, and rehabilitation. When properly repositioned, a joint will usually function and move normally again in a few weeks. Once you dislocate a shoulder or kneecap, you are more likely to dislocate it again. Wearing protective gear during sports may help prevent dislocations.
- Dislocation(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/dislocation/DS00239/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Dislocation: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/first-aid-dislocation/FA00009/METHOD=print
- Dislocated Shoulder(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/dislocated-shoulder/DS00597/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Elbow Dislocations and Fracture-Dislocations(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00029
- Finger Dislocation(InteliHealth) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9339/31152.html
- Hip Dislocation(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00352
- Traumatic Shoulder Dislocation(American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine) - Links to PDF - http://www.sportsmed.org/secure/reveal/admin/uploads/documents/ST%20Traumatic%20Shoulder%2008.pdf
- Mallet Finger (Baseball Finger)(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00018
- Patellar Instability (Unstable Kneecap)(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00350
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Shoulder Instability: When Your Shoulder "Goes Out"(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/physical/injuries/390.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/physical/injuries/390.printerview.html
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Dislocations
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Dislocations%22
- Article: A prospective evaluation of the management and outcome of traumatic... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18686832&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Lack of effectiveness of a multidisciplinary fall-prevention program in elderly... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18662214&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Isolated repair of the medial patellofemoral ligament in primary dislocation... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18657736&tool=MedlinePlus
- Dislocations -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=dislocations[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+systematic[sb])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Glossary of Orthopaedic Words(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/glossary.cfm
- Find an Orthopaedist(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://www6.aaos.org/about/public/members.cfm
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons - http://www.aaos.org/
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National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/
- Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00347
- Dislocated Patella(Children's Hospital Boston) - http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site801/mainpageS801P0.html
- Dislocations(Children's Hospital Boston) - http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site802/mainpageS802P0.html
- Sports Injuries - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sportsinjuries.html
- Sprains and Strains - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sprainsandstrains.html
- Bones, Joints and Muscles - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonesjointsandmuscles.html
- Injuries and Wounds - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/injuriesandwounds.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Dislocations is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/
Dislocations - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/dislocations.html