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The shoulder joint is innately an unstable joint. The shoulder is composed of a joint that looks like a golf ball on a tee, the labroligament complex, which holds the joint, and muscles surrounding the joint.
The shoulder joint is a very complex structure and moves exquisitely. Also, the shoulder joint is the only part of the body that can rotate 360 degrees; thus, this joint is susceptible to injuries.
In addition, the recent rise in sports and leisure activities has brought an increase in shoulder injuries. This article will discuss one of the most frequent shoulder injuries: shoulder dislocation.
A popular Hollywood movie, Lethal Weapon, starring Mel Gibson, showed him having an ability to dislocate and reduce his shoulder joint, making him able to escape from a situation in which he was tied up.
While the actual storyline of the movie is not remembered much, that specific scene is clearly remembered.
I, myself, tried dislocation and reduction of the shoulder, mimicking Mel Gibson's character.
Fortunately, I failed in doing so, but if I had succeeded, I might have gone through shoulder surgeries.
Shoulder dislocation can be divided into two types: traumatic dislocation and non-traumatic dislocation.
Generally, non-traumatic dislocation occurs due to a loose ligament, and the patient can dislocate and reduce the shoulder joint by oneself.
This case, the dislocation does not bring much pain.
If there is no functional abnormality, no treatment is needed for this type of dislocation. However, traumatic dislocation needs an active treatment.
In case of traumatic shoulder dislocation, the shoulder usually dislocates to anterior and inferior, and damages surrounding tissues at the time of dislocation.
The injury area differs by age group; younger patient groups in their teens and twenties, experience damages to their labroligament complex, while middle-aged patients experience fracture or damages to the rotator cuff.
Also, when the dislocation occurs, the joint becomes unstable, resulting in habitual dislocation.
If a younger patient experiences shoulder dislocation, it is 90% likely that the patient will experience habitual dislocation if not treated adequately.
Previously, the treatment method was to wear a brace or shoulder armrest, but recent studies prove such treatment to be ineffective.
Instead, performing muscle strengthening movements or suturing the damaged area by surgical methods is proven to regain joint stability.
Specifically, the rapid improvement in arthroscopic techniques has brought the success rate to 95%.
Going back to the movie scene, Mel Gibson's ability to dislocate and reduce his shoulder joint, simply judging from his movement, seems to be non-traumatic dislocation.
As discussed previously, non-traumatic dislocation does not bring much pain, despite Mel Gibson's display of extreme pain while dislocating his shoulder.
Maybe Mel Gibson was exaggerating for dramatic effect, or, possibly, he was just being a crybaby in the movie.
The writer is the chief of joint center at Bumin HospitalSeoul in Gangseo District.
