Prognosis and Follow-up Strategies

Physiotherapy assessment consists of a combination of history and physical testing [19].

Gentle, passive ROM exercises are a useful tool in maintaining shoulder function and alleviating inflammatory pain

The capsule can tighten after many traumatic injuries, especially if there has been a period of immobilisation in a sling, and therapy is designed to overcome this.

Young patients with traumatic dislocations often present relatively pain free after a period of immobilisation.

Treatment is usually directed to regaining the range of motion, and particular attention is paid to the subscapularis which helps to control anterior glide of the humeral head.

Older patients with dislocations have more pain and it is the rotator cuff which is often implicated as a source of the pain.

It is also much more common to see stiffness as a secondary complication in the older patient, and post traumatic capsulitis can develop.