Shoulder dislocation (patient fact sheet)

Please note that this guidance is currently undergoing review by Safer Care Victoria to ensure  the content is up to date. In the meantime, we recommend that you also refer to more contemporaneous evidence where possible.

Download our fact sheet to provide your patients with easy to follow guidance on shoulder dislocation.

This fact sheet has the #withconsumers tick from the Consumers Health Forum of Australia

The shoulder joint is a ball-and-socket joint. The ball, at the top of the humerus (upper arm), fits into a shallow socket called the glenoid, which is part of the scapula (shoulder blade). This joint is very mobile but not stable. The ball is held into the socket by tissue that fits over the ball like a sock. This is reinforced by ligaments (fibrous bands) and muscles, which are the main stabilising features.