Dislocated Shoulder Recovery: Week by Week

Most people recover well from a dislocated shoulder. Once it is back in place, a sling is usually worn for comfort for about 1 to 3 weeks, then movement and strengthening follow. Most daily tasks return within about 6 to 12 weeks. Contact, throwing and overhead sport often take 3 to 6 months. The main long-term concern is the shoulder coming out again, and that risk is much higher in younger people.

This page assumes your shoulder has been put back in place and X-rayed. If it still looks out of shape, or your arm or hand is cold, pale or numb, go to the emergency section near the end first. Most dislocations push the ball of the upper arm forward out of its socket (anterior dislocation), often tearing the cartilage rim (labrum).

Key takeaways

Sling: usually worn for comfort for about 1 to 3 weeks after a dislocated shoulder is put back in place.
Typical recovery: most daily tasks return within about 6 to 12 weeks; contact, throwing and overhead sport often take 3 to 6 months.
Risk of it happening again: highest in people under about 25, especially in contact or overhead sport, and lower with age.
Over about 40: a dislocation more often comes with a rotator cuff tear or a nerve injury, so weakness lifting the arm needs checking.
Stabilization surgery: often discussed for younger people in high-risk sports, after repeated dislocations, or with bone loss at the socket.

Where are you right now?

Just put back in place: start with the week-by-week section and “Is this normal?”.
Weeks in and not settling: go to “If it isn’t going to plan”.
After an injection or surgery: after a stabilization operation, your surgeon’s protocol comes first. The timelines here are for recovery without surgery.
Getting back to work or sport: see the “When can I…” table and “Will it happen again?”.

Week by week

Days 1 to 7: sling for comfort. Keep the hand, wrist and elbow moving. Avoid lifting the arm out to the side while turning it outward, the position it came out in.
Weeks 1 to 3: the sling usually comes off as pain allows. Gentle movement in front of the body begins, within limits your doctor or physical therapist sets.
Weeks 3 to 6: rotator cuff and shoulder blade strengthening usually starts, arm low and close to the body.
Weeks 6 to 12: strengthening moves toward shoulder height and above. Most people manage dressing, driving and desk work by now.
Months 3 to 6: return to contact, throwing and overhead sport, once strength is close to the other side and the shoulder no longer feels like it may slip.

Will it happen again?

Age at the first dislocation is the strongest predictor. In teenagers and people in their early twenties who play contact or overhead sport, studies report that more than half dislocate again, many within two years. After about 40, it happens far less often. Bone damage at the socket rim or the ball, and naturally loose joints, also raise the risk.

A stabilization opinion is usually discussed when:

Young and in a high-risk sport: you are under about 25 and play contact, throwing or overhead sport, sometimes after a first dislocation.
Repeated dislocations: it has come out two or more times.
Bone loss: a scan shows part of the socket rim broken off or worn away.
Slipping in daily life: the shoulder feels like it may come out in everyday tasks or sleep, despite a full rehabilitation program. Surgery repairs the torn rim, or rebuilds it with bone, and contact sport often follows around 6 months later.

The younger you are when the shoulder first comes out, the more it is worth asking about the chance of it happening again.

Where else this could be coming from

Rotator cuff tear: more common after 40. Weakness lifting the arm sideways that does not improve as pain settles over 2 to 3 weeks.
Nerve injury (axillary nerve): a numb patch on the outer upper arm with weakness lifting the arm sideways. It often recovers over months, but needs checking.
Fracture: a break at the top of the upper arm (greater tuberosity) or the socket rim, usually seen on the first X-ray.
The neck: tingling past the elbow, or pain that changes with neck movement.

Is this normal?

“The bruise has spread down to my elbow.” Common in the first 1 to 2 weeks.
“The shoulder feels loose, like it might go.” Common in the early weeks, and it usually eases as strength builds. Tell your physical therapist if it is getting worse.
“It aches at night.” Common for several weeks. Sleeping propped on pillows often helps.
“I have a numb patch on my upper arm.” Report this to your doctor. It can mean the nerve to the shoulder muscle was stretched.

If it isn’t going to plan

It is week six. Pulling on a jacket still means feeding the sore arm in first and holding your breath, and your elbow stays tucked to your side. The thought in your head is that if you keep the shoulder still, it will tighten up and stay in.

Keeping it still feels protective, but stability after a dislocation comes largely from muscles. The rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles hold the ball centered as you move. Weeks of stillness weaken them, which leaves the ball less well controlled.

What it needs is graded strength, built from low, close positions toward the position it came out in, over weeks to months.

If you are 6 weeks in and still guarding the arm, get assessed by a physical therapist or your doctor. Ask:

Damage: was the labrum, bone or rotator cuff injured, and do I need a scan?
Risk: what is my chance of it coming out again, given my age and sport?
Return: which tests should I pass before returning to sport?

When can I…

Activity	Typical range
Sleep on that side	Often 6 to 12 weeks after a dislocated shoulder
Drive	Often 2 to 6 weeks, once out of the sling and able to steer and brake safely
Reach overhead	Often 6 to 12 weeks, built up gradually
Lift	Light loads close to the body from about 3 to 6 weeks; heavier lifting often 3 months or more
Desk work	Often within 1 to 2 weeks, with the arm supported
Manual work or sport	Often 3 to 6 months; contact and throwing sports at the longer end

If you have had surgery, your surgeon’s protocol comes first.

Call your local emergency number or go to the emergency department if

Out again: the shoulder comes out again and does not go back by itself. Do not let anyone pull it back in.
Circulation: the arm or hand turns cold, pale or blue.
Rapid swelling: the shoulder or upper arm swells fast and tight.
Another fall: a new fall with severe pain or a change in the shape of the shoulder.

See a doctor today if

Numbness: a numb patch on the outer upper arm, or new tingling or numbness in the hand.
Weakness: you cannot lift the arm away from your side at all.
Uncontrolled pain: severe pain not controlled by your advised medicine.

Get it checked soon if

Still weak: you cannot lift the arm to shoulder height after 3 weeks, especially if you are over 40.
Slipping: the shoulder feels like it partly slips out (subluxation) during daily tasks.
Stalled recovery: pain or stiffness is not clearly improving by 6 to 8 weeks.
A second dislocation: it has come out again, even if it went back by itself.