Your doctor may take x-rays of your shoulder to confirm the dislocation and see if any bones are broken. Your doctor will either recommend or prescribe medication to deal with the intense pain of a shoulder dislocation. Remember that a dislocated shoulder is very different than a separated shoulder. The latter is a ligament injury to the joint that holds the collarbone (clavicle) to the front part of the shoulder girdle — the “ball and socket” shoulder joint is not displaced, as with a shoulder dislocation.
Never let someone untrained (such as a friend, family member or bystander) try to relocate your shoulder — they may cause more harm than good. When your shoulder is relocated, the pain level should drop quickly and significantly. Immediately icing a relocated shoulder for about 20 minutes will help reduce inflammation and pain, but always wrap the ice in plastic or a thin cloth before applying it to skin. Strapping a shoulder that’s still dislocated is always a bad idea and never recommended.
After you finish shaving the skin, dry the area thoroughly and wait at least a few hours for any skin irritation to go away. Then consider applying some adhesive spray just prior to applying any tape of straps — it will help the straps and/or tape stick to the skin better. Hair not only prevents tape from sticking, but it also causes pain when the tape and/or bandaging is removed at a later time. Depending on how much hair is present, you may need to shave around the shoulder, shoulder blade, nipples and the lower neck.
If you are within the offices of an orthopedic doctor, physiotherapist, athletic trainer or sports therapist already, they will likely have all the materials needed to strap your shoulder. Family doctors, physician assistants, chiropractors and nurses may not have all the supplies needed, so consider bringing them with you. Going to an emergency department of a hospital is a good idea to get medication and your shoulder relocated, but they won’t likely have the time or motivation to strap / tape it for you afterwards. They’ll probably just give you an arm sling to wear instead. Strapping / taping a relocated shoulder can be beneficial or may even help to prevent a dislocated shoulder, but it’s not considered medically necessary, so don’t expect it to be part of your standard medical care.
To save material and time, cut out small patches of the underlay material and place them directly over the nipple and other sensitive areas. The underlay will stick to the adhesive spray at least for a short period of time. Realize that although an arm sling is usually worn over your shirt and undergarments, taping / strapping of your shoulder is always done on bare skin and underneath all clothing.
When this step is complete, you should have one anchor of tape running from your nipple to your upper back and a second anchor or band wrapped around your biceps. Don’t wrap the second band of tape too tightly or you may cut off circulation to your arm. Numbness and tingling in your hand is a sign of reduced circulation. Check your fingernails by pressing them for a few seconds. If the color returns promptly, then the tape is a good fit. If it takes time to regain color, then the tape is too tight and should be reapplied.
The tape should be applied snugly, but you should still be relatively comfortable. If you’re experiencing undue pain from the taping / strapping, remove it and start over. Although breathable tape is often a good idea for taping other injuries, strapping a relocated shoulder requires thicker, more sturdy tape to be most effective.
When wrapping underneath and around the upper arm, it may be better to use two or three separate strips of tape so the “corkscrew” doesn’t get too tight and cut off circulation. Check your circulation in your fingers after each new application of tape. When this step is complete, re-anchor the work by applying one additional strip of tape over each of the original anchors (see above). In general, the more tape you use, the snugger its hold will be. As a reminder, this strapping / taping method is also done to prevent shoulder injury or aggravation, especially prior to playing sports such as football and rugby. [5] X Trustworthy Source National Health Service (UK) Public healthcare system of the UK Go to source
The main reasons to use an elastic wrap is to cover the tape and prevent it from coming off, as well as providing a little more support. [6] X Research source When using cold therapy, it’s much easier and quicker to remove the elastic wrap, apply the ice over the injury (but on top of the tape), then re-apply the wrap again over the ice. To recap: you should have two tape anchors, connected and covered by a lateral “X” pattern and an inner “corkscrew” pattern of tape, all wrapped up in an elastic bandage that extends across the back and chest.
