Shoulder Dislocation Symptoms & Diagnosis

Symptoms

Symptoms include:

• Pain, often severe
• Instability and weakness in the shoulder area
• Inability to move the shoulder
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Shoulder contour appears abnormal
• Numbness and tingling around the shoulder or in the arm or fingers

Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about your symptoms and how the injury occurred, and will examine the injured area. Diagnosis is also based on the physical exam of your shoulder area. The doctor may do an x-ray to rule out a related fracture or damaged surrounding soft tissue and to see which direction the shoulder is dislocated.