Rehabilitation for Anterior Shoulder Dislocation

Rehabilitation after an anterior shoulder dislocation steps through different stages of rehabilitation. Dr Margie Olds is a specialist in the area of dislocation rehabilitation and has recently written an ebook to share her knowledge with patients. This book is now available online and contains a number of exercises illustrated with demonstration videos. Patients can download the book as a pdf to print, or watch the book and the videos online. Check it out here

Book Summary

As you can see from the content page, this book offers new strategies for the rehabilitation of patients after a shoulder dislocation. Initially, it advocates for immobilisation of the shoulder until the pain and sympotms settle. after immobilisation of the shoudler for 1-3 weeks, you are then able to begin rehabilitation. The rehabilitation strategies described in this book address rotator cuff weakness in great detail, and separates anterior cuff (subscapularis) from posterior cuff (teres minor, infraspinatus and supraspinatus). The separation of these two categories, means that patients are able to really focus on the strength deficits that exist in their shoulders after an injury.

The book then moves patients through the next stage to increase the speed on movement and increase the load. Patients who need to move their arm fast, need to train their shoulder muscles to move quickly. the book also advocates for training is specific positions of instability (such as overhead). If you have been given some therabands by your therapist, practiced internal and external rotations below shoulder height, and then discharged by your therapist, then this book is for you. It will address all the areas of weakness that have not been addressed by your pre-existing rehabilitation and provide a more comprehensive approach to your recovery.

Stage 4 - once you can move your arm quickly, then you need to be able to respond to unexpected and sudden movements. You may be ready for some perturbations, or sudden loading of your shoulder (such as push-up claps or line hops). This will depend on how well your shoulder is recovering, so check it out with your therapist first. Or book an online consult with Dr Margie Olds. Stage 4 also incorporates some psychological strategies to increase your confidence and decrease the level of fear you have regarding shoulder reinjury.

At the end of stage 4, you should be ready for return to sport testing. Discuss return to sport testing with your therapist, and show them the ebook. Alternatively, you can book an online return to sport testing session with one of the team at the Auckland Shoulder Clinic