Quick Answer: The 3 Fastest Ways to Heal Your Dislocated Shoulder
- Get professional treatment within 24 hours – Early intervention prevents complications and can cut recovery time by weeks.
- Start gentle exercises within 48-72 hours – Moving early (with guidance) prevents stiffness and speeds healing.
- Complete your full physio program – Stopping when you feel better leads to re-injury. Always finish strong for lasting recovery.
If you’ve dislocated your shoulder, you’re probably in pain and starting to calculate how many weeks you’ll be out of action. But here’s what years of treating it has taught us: patients who understand their dislocated shoulder injury recover faster and stronger.
The First 72 Hours: Your Recovery Starts Now
The first three days after dislocating your shoulder are critical. What you do during this time can massively impact your recovery speed.
What to Do Immediately After Dislocating Your Shoulder
First things first: don’t panic. A dislocated shoulder is painful and frightening, but it’s a treatable injury. Get medical help straight away. Don’t try to pop your shoulder back in place yourself or let a mate do it. This can damage nerves and surrounding tissues.
Support your arm in the most comfortable position possible. Most people find holding their arm across their body works best. If someone can fashion a makeshift sling from a towel or shirt, even better.
Icing Tips to Keep in Mind
Ice becomes your best friend once your shoulder is back in place. Apply ice packs for 20 minutes every 2-3 hours for the first 48-72 hours. Always wrap ice in a thin towel to protect your skin.
Here’s a tip many people miss: positioning matters. When lying down, place a small pillow under your injured arm to keep it slightly away from your body. This reduces strain and helps with pain.
Sleep can be challenging. Most patients find sleeping in a recliner or propped up with pillows more comfortable than lying flat. Your body will tell you what works.
What’s Normal vs. Concerning
Some pain is expected and normal. Your shoulder has been through trauma, and it needs time to settle. Normal pain includes aching that improves with rest and ice, morning stiffness, and mild throbbing that responds to medication.
Meanwhile, concerning signs need immediate medical attention. Watch for numbness that doesn’t improve, fingers turning blue, or severe pain that gets worse instead of better. Complete inability to move your fingers also requires urgent care.
Why Seeing a Physio Early Makes a Huge Difference
Many people think they should wait until the pain subsides before seeing a physiotherapist. This is a mistake.
Early physiotherapy intervention prevents your shoulder from becoming frozen. It guarantees you’re moving correctly from day one. Most importantly, it can reduce your overall recovery time by weeks. We often see patients who waited too long and developed secondary problems that could have been avoided.
Common Mistakes That Slow Healing
The biggest mistake? Keeping your shoulder completely still for too long. While rest is important, complete immobilisation leads to stiffness and weakness that takes much longer to overcome. Other recovery-delaying mistakes include returning to activities too quickly and skipping prescribed exercises because they seem “too easy.”
Your Complete Treatment & Recovery Roadmap
Recovery from a dislocated shoulder follows a process. Knowing this helps you know what to expect and when to be concerned.
Week-by-Week Recovery
Week 1-2: Protecting and Resting Your Shoulder
Your shoulder is vulnerable during these first two weeks. You’ll likely wear a sling most of the time.
Here’s what many don’t realise: you should be doing gentle exercises already. Start with finger movements and elbow bends. Add gentle pendulum swings as your physio shows you. The goal isn’t to strengthen yet but to maintain movement and prevent stiffness.
You’ll gradually reduce sling use as comfort allows. Most people wear it constantly for the first week, then start removing it for short periods at home.
Week 3-4: Starting Gentle Movements
This is when recovery starts feeling more active. Your physiotherapist will introduce assisted range-of-motion exercises. Wall crawls help restore upward movement. Gentle stretches prevent tightness. Isometric exercises activate muscles without stressing the joint.
Pain should be decreasing noticeably. If it’s not, tell your physio that you might need to adjust your program. Many people feel frustrated during this phase because progress seems slow. Trust the process. Your shoulder is healing internally even when you can’t see it.
Week 5-8: Building Strength Back Up
This phase focuses on active exercises without assistance. You’ll start light resistance band work and practice functional movements for daily activities. Proprioception exercises help your brain relearn where your arm is in space.
You’ll likely stop using your sling completely unless you’re in crowded places where you might get bumped. Work and daily activities become easier, but you might still feel tired in your shoulder by day’s end.
Week 9-12: Getting Back to Normal Activities
You’re finally in the home stretch. During these weeks, you’ll progress to heavier resistance exercises. Athletes work on sport-specific movements. Everyone builds endurance for sustained activities. Your physio will test your shoulder with increasingly challenging tasks. By week 12, many people feel 80% to 90% recovered. Full recovery, especially for athletes, may take a few more months.
The Best Exercises for Faster Healing
Exercise is medicine for shoulder dislocations. Doing the right exercises at the right time is crucial.
Pendulum swings let gravity gently move your arm in small circles. This safe, early movement prevents stiffness.
Wall slides help you progress from passive to active movement without overloading the shoulder.
External rotation with a band strengthens the crucial rotator cuff muscles that stabilise your joint.
Scapular retraction targets the muscles between your shoulder blades, creating a stable foundation.
Prone horizontal abduction strengthens often-neglected posterior muscles essential for balanced shoulder function.
Your physiotherapist will ensure you’re doing these correctly and progressing appropriately.
Safety comes first in home exercise. While discomfort is okay, never push through sharp pain. Start with fewer repetitions than you think you need because quality beats quantity every time.
It’s recommended to use a mirror to check your form. Poor form reinforces bad movement patterns. Stop immediately if you feel unstable or something doesn’t feel right. Finally, set up a consistent routine. Most patients do best with 2-3 short exercise sessions daily rather than one long session.
Preventing Re-Injury
Here’s a sobering statistic: if you’re under 20 and dislocated your shoulder, you have up to a 90% chance of dislocating it again. But why? Shoulders re-dislocate because the ligaments that hold your joint in place get stretched during dislocation. Without proper muscle strengthening, your shoulder remains unstable.
The key to prevention? Complete your full rehabilitation program, even when you feel better.
Daily Habits That Keep Your Shoulder Strong
Small daily habits make a big difference. Maintain good posture throughout the day – shoulders back, chest open. Take hourly breaks from desk work to move and stretch. Sleep in positions that support your shoulder, avoiding lying directly on the injured side.
Continue maintenance exercises 2-3 times per week forever. Yes, forever. Think of it like brushing your teeth for your shoulder.
It also helps to never skip warm up before any physical activity since cold muscles and joints are injury-prone.
Sports and Activities: When and How to Return Safely
Start low-impact activities like walking or stationary cycling at 6-8 weeks. Swimming can begin around 10-12 weeks, starting with breaststroke. Contact sports need at least 12-16 weeks of healing. Overhead sports like tennis require 16 weeks minimum.
Always get clearance from your physiotherapist first. They’ll put you through functional tests to ensure you’re ready.
When you do return, start at half intensity. Build up gradually over several weeks. Wear protective gear if appropriate for your sport. Most importantly, listen to your body. You’ll know when something’s not right.
The Importance of Completing Your Physio Program
We see it constantly: patients feel better at week 6 and stop coming to appointments. Three months later, they’re back with another dislocation. Completing your full program will get all muscle groups adequately strengthened. It addresses compensatory movements you’ve developed without realising. You build the endurance needed for real-world activities.
Think of physiotherapy like taking antibiotics. Stopping early because you feel better often leads to problems.
Quick FAQs
Will a slightly dislocated shoulder fix itself?
No. Even a partial dislocation (subluxation) needs proper medical attention. While the shoulder might “slip back” on its own, you still need assessment and rehabilitation to prevent future problems.
What happens if a dislocated shoulder goes untreated?
Leaving a dislocated shoulder untreated leads to permanent nerve damage and chronic pain. You’ll develop shoulder instability and frozen shoulder syndrome. Arthritis will develop years earlier than normal. Eventually, you’ll lose complete shoulder function. Always seek immediate medical care.
How long does it take for a dislocated shoulder to heal on its own?
A dislocated shoulder cannot heal properly on its own. Without professional treatment, you’ll experience ongoing pain and severely limited movement. Permanent damage is likely. The shoulder must be properly relocated and rehabilitated.
What are the common causes of dislocated shoulder?
Falls onto an outstretched arm cause most dislocations.
Sports injuries, especially in contact sports
Car accidents create enough force to dislocate shoulders
Seizures or electric shocks can cause involuntary muscle contractions strong enough to dislocate
Previous dislocations make re-injury much more likely.
About 97% of dislocations happen when the arm is forced backwards while raised.
What does a dislocated shoulder look like?
A dislocated shoulder often shows visible deformity. The shoulder looks “squared off” rather than round. The arm hangs in an unusual position. You’ll see a prominent bump where the arm bone has moved. Significant swelling develops quickly. Bruising appears over hours or days. Partial dislocations might show minimal visible changes.
What does a dislocated shoulder feel like?
Most people describe intense, immediate pain that takes their breath away. They feel the shoulder “pop out” of place.
Moving the arm also normally becomes impossible. There’s also numbness and muscle spasms.
When does a dislocated shoulder require surgery?
Significant bone or tissue damage requires surgical repair.
Recovery Is Possible
Recovering from a dislocated shoulder takes time, patience, and proper guidance. The fastest way to heal involves doing the right things at the right time, not rushing the process. Don’t let a dislocated shoulder keep you sidelined longer than necessary. Take the first step towards recovery. Your shoulder, and your future self, will thank you. Book your assessment today.
